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Lake Forest Dance Academy members enjoy Big Apple
Members of the Lake Forest Dance Academy took New York by storm recently.
Updated: September 3, 2012 12:55PM
Members of Lake Forest Dance Academy’s Performance Companies recently completed their first Educational Performance Tour of New York.
Twenty dancers and three faculty members participated in this three-day dance immersion program, which included master dance classes at the Broadway Dance Center, a behind-the-scenes tour of Radio City Music Hall, along with trips to the Empire State Building, Rockefeller Center, the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island.
In addition, the group had the opportunity to study “Acting for Dancers” at Chelsea Studios with Kay Cummings of New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts. Cummings is a mentor of Lake Forest Dance Academy’s Company Director Valerie Gonzalez, who holds a masters degree in dance from the Tisch School.
The dancers also had a question-and-answer session with a current Radio City Music Hall Rockette. Kim Fletcher-Stibal, Academy faculty and Prelude Dance Theatre Co-Director, is a former Rockette. Fletcher-Stibal annually choreographs a holiday kick-line for the senior company dancers, which they showcase in their Holiday Dance Tour each year.
“Dance education is the hallmark of Lake Forest Dance Academy,” said Academy Director Sandy Ragsdale. “This tour provided our dancers with a premier opportunity to learn firsthand about the profession of dancing and to be immersed at the highest level of the art form. This trip exemplifies our ongoing commitment to dance education, which we support annually through our many programs in all areas of dance.”
Founded in 1974, the Lake Forest Dance Academy is the oldest established dance studio in Lake Forest. Registration for Lake Forest Dance Academy’s 2012-2013 season is currently underway. For more information, please contact Sandy Ragsdale at 847-810-3948 or visit www.cityoflakeforest.com/
