Feature
July
21
Local Dance Academy Celebrates National Dance Day
Compiled by Weekly Staff
Break out those dancin’ shoes!
To the Pointe Academy of Dance will celebrate the area’s first National Dance Day event on July 30 from 2-5 p.m. at the Peltier Park Pavilion, 506 Bayou Lane, in Thibodaux.
Open to all ages and skill levels, the event will include music, refreshments, snowballs and the opportunity to learn a variety of dance routines for dancers and nondancers alike.
“I felt that we shouldn’t just sit still for the day,” said Nikki Baye, who started the dance academy with Allison Verzwyvelt four years ago.
To the Pointe staff will teach original dance routines of various dance styles with varying degrees of difficulty, and then participants will be able to perform the routines. Dance styles will include hip-hop and jazz, as well as a Zumba Latin dance warm-up.
Participants may also join in dancing the publicized National Dance Day routines choreographed by Mary Murphy, Robin Antin and husband-wife duo Napoleon and Tabitha D’umo. Though prior dance experience is not required to participate, students and teachers from all dance studios in the area are encouraged to attend.
“You don’t have to be a dancer to come out and experience a fun day of dancing,” Baye said. “Our hope is that people will learn the dances so we can do them together. We’re also going to choreograph a routine we created ourselves to get kids involved, too.”
Participants will also be in for a great show with a hip-hop performance by To the Pointe and a tumbling performance by Just Jazzin’ Studio. In addition, HOPE for Animals will attend the event to sell concessions to benefit its cause. The organization will also bring dogs that are available for adoption.
To the Pointe is hosting the event to encourage members of the community to enjoy dance as a form of expression and exercise.
National Dance Day was created by Nigel Lythgoe, executive producer of the hit TV show “So You Think You Can Dance.”
The event is a “grassroots initiative that encourages the nation, young and old, to move! Individuals, families, organizations and communities from across the nation come together through their creative expression in dance,” according to a blog maintained by the TV show.
To the Pointe prides itself in offering technical training in the art of dance. To learn more about the academy and its dance instructors, visit www.tothepointeacademyofdance.com, or find them on Facebook.
