For five days this summer, top professionals in the dance world came to Morgantown and gave their time and talent to local dancers, sharing their the love and joy of dance.
For five evenings in late June, Morgantown’s ReMix Dance & Fitness students shared the dance floor with a few of the East Coast’s premier dance professionals in a series of intensive dance Master Classes.
Think of a Master Class this way: An accomplished professional, well-known in their craft, offers classroom and hands-on (or, in this case, feet) instruction and experience with local students.
Liza Grundy, ReMix’s founder and director, put together a week-long series of master classes led by leading dance professionals. The classes included ballet, tap, hip-hop and the latest form of street dancing.
“I wanted to offer our community dance students the challenge of working with different dancers and teachers,” explained Grundy.
“Different teachers teach differently,” she continued, “and I love exposing (my students) to all the experiences that I can.”
The ballet intensive night was well underway during our visit. Eight young girls were “at the barre.” Other students and a few parents quietly lined the brightly-lit studio.
Everyone in the studio was focused on Akuna Noni Parker, a beautiful, sinewy compact conduit of graceful ballet energy. She was in the midst of explaining a dance position to the young women.
Her voice was gentle and calm, but carried the weight and measure that commands the respect and reverence of someone with special talent.
The girls responded well to her instruction. They grasped the barre in unison, and tried the position again as Parker paid individual attention to each. She went from dancer to dancer, nudging a hip into alignment, whispering encouragement, translating her love of her craft to each girl.
Later that evening we learned that Parker, who dances with the renowned Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, came to Morgantown from a performance at the Lincoln Center in New York City less than 24 hours earlier.
“Yea, I came here on pure adrenaline,” she smiled, as she cuddled her constant traveling companion, a small white puppy aptly named Prince E. Poo.
Her energy and passion is infectious. After a three-hour class, the students hang around to revel in the natural high that emanates from Parker’s teaching.
“This is my main form of expression,” says Mijka Smith, 15, an Owen J. Roberts High School junior. “Dance is a nice release at the end of a day, and this was a wonderful way for me to learn more about dance and myself.”
Eleven-year old Brianna Potter, not one to shy away from the limelight, says she likes to challenge herself by learning new things.
“I can always let out my emotions with dance,” she says.
Alexa Hannigan, a 14-year-old Twin Valley student, sees dance as both an athletic and artistic release.
Sam Stine, also from Twin Valley, said, “I like that they (the intensive teachers) teach different ways.”
Other students chimed in, and they all had the focus of learning, growing and performing their art as a focus.
Davis Witmer, a 16-year-old rising junior at Twin Valley, seemed to sum it up for his classmates.
“I love doing what I do (here) and learning, because I see that what I do (with dance) makes others happy,” he said. “And I’m happy doing it, too.”
Everyone nodded in agreement.Parallel to his thoughts, and unbeknownst to him and his fellow student dancers, Parker had said earlier, “I think you should dance forever. Why wouldn’t you want to do something that brings yourself and others joy?”
For more information about ReMix Dance & Fitness in Morgantow, visit http://www.remixdance.net/.
