Perkins School of the Arts performing 'Dream Big Dreams' this weekend
Dancers in the Perkins School of the Arts Yes You Can Dance program practicing for this weekend's recital. The Perkins School will be holding their "Dream Big Dreams" recital at 7 p.m. on Friday, June 7, and at 1 p.m. and 7 p.m. on Saturday, June 8 at the Norwich High School Auditorium, located at 89 Midland Drive in Norwich. (Submitted photo)
NORWICH — Dancers from the Perkins School of the Arts will be performing their "Dream Big Dreams" recital at 7 p.m. on Friday, June 7, and at 1 p.m. and 7 p.m. on Saturday, June 8 at the Norwich High School Auditorium, located at 89 Midland Drive in Norwich.
"It’s just a really uplifting show, a fun show, just a show to give a lot of hope for the kids," said Studio Director Mikey Perkins. "We really wanted to have some sort of message to them that gives them a very forward-looking, hopeful future."
Tickets for the recital are $15 per person, and will be available at the door.
Perkins said each performance will be different and will include dancers of all ages, including kids as young as two years old up to adults, as well as a variety of dance styles, from hip hop to tap, jazz, gymnastics, musical theater, and more.
This will also be the first year dancers from the Yes You Can Dance program will be on stage performing in the recital. Yes You Can Dance is an inclusive program for school-age dancers with special needs.
"It’s just so special to see these kids, and they are so excited. It’s a really cool program. We just cannot wait to see where it goes from here because it's been so well received. We’ve had so many kids," said Perkins. "We have more kids now than we thought were going to be in the show; they just got excited about it. Originally they were nervous to be on stage, and then they just kind of built their confidence up that we have quite a nice group of them that are going to be on stage. So that is going to be really exciting."
The Perkins School began Yes You Can Dance as a class nearly three years ago, and expanded it into a full program last summer. Instead of focusing on a specific style of dance, such as jazz or tap, Yes You Can Dance is a program where students of all ages and abilities can learn how to express themselves through movement and engage their creativity.
“We’re structuring it as creative movement. A lot of it is learning rhythm and just moving to the music, and a lot of it is self expression for them and being able to run around and learn how to jump and leap,” Perkins explained. “A lot of it is giving them a creative outlet, something that might be different from their typical education that they would get in school.”
Dancers with the Perkins School of the Arts have also had the opportunity to travel to New York City to learn Broadway-style jazz and tap dancing from a friend of the studio who is a working Broadway performer, which they will be bringing to the stage at this weekend's recital.
"They all went down and studied real Broadway jazz, and they took her classes. So a bunch of our dancers keep going down to the city with her and working on real Broadway stuff," said Perkins. "So we actually have pieces this year that are focused very much on not just musical theater, but actual Broadway-style jazz and tap, which is really cool."
Another opportunity for dancers is the chance to compete in regional and national competitions. Last weekend, the Perkins School competed in the United States Tournament of Dance regional competition, where they won Top Studio in New York, as well as every age category.
In early July the studio will be traveling to Ottawa, Canada for the United States Tournament of Dance National Championships to both compete and learn from dancing professionals.
"A lot of these little kids and even our older kids, they’ll be able to take class while they’re there, like in a convention, and really get to experience different styles and different teachers that you may not normally be able to get all at once," said Perkins. "We’re really excited for all of that."
Even with all their accomplishments, Perkins said the most fulfilling thing is to see their students truly enjoy learning and being on stage together.
"They work hard and we play hard, and I think that’s been really exciting. A nice balance of this has been a really fun year, really fun, because we have so many little kids and they’ve kind of mentored with the older kids," he said. "After seeing the kids dance on stage this past weekend, you can definitely tell there’s just joy, which is so nice as a teacher because there doesn’t always seem to be joy in things that you do, and these kids, they were just exuding it. As a teacher, you’re just really proud.
"You can say whatever you want about awards, but at the end of the day, to see kids having fun and enjoying what they're doing, that’s what it’s all about."
For more information on the Perkins School of the Arts, visit PerkinsDance.com or the Perkins School of the Arts Facebook page.
"It’s just a really uplifting show, a fun show, just a show to give a lot of hope for the kids," said Studio Director Mikey Perkins. "We really wanted to have some sort of message to them that gives them a very forward-looking, hopeful future."
Tickets for the recital are $15 per person, and will be available at the door.
Perkins said each performance will be different and will include dancers of all ages, including kids as young as two years old up to adults, as well as a variety of dance styles, from hip hop to tap, jazz, gymnastics, musical theater, and more.
This will also be the first year dancers from the Yes You Can Dance program will be on stage performing in the recital. Yes You Can Dance is an inclusive program for school-age dancers with special needs.
"It’s just so special to see these kids, and they are so excited. It’s a really cool program. We just cannot wait to see where it goes from here because it's been so well received. We’ve had so many kids," said Perkins. "We have more kids now than we thought were going to be in the show; they just got excited about it. Originally they were nervous to be on stage, and then they just kind of built their confidence up that we have quite a nice group of them that are going to be on stage. So that is going to be really exciting."
The Perkins School began Yes You Can Dance as a class nearly three years ago, and expanded it into a full program last summer. Instead of focusing on a specific style of dance, such as jazz or tap, Yes You Can Dance is a program where students of all ages and abilities can learn how to express themselves through movement and engage their creativity.
“We’re structuring it as creative movement. A lot of it is learning rhythm and just moving to the music, and a lot of it is self expression for them and being able to run around and learn how to jump and leap,” Perkins explained. “A lot of it is giving them a creative outlet, something that might be different from their typical education that they would get in school.”
Dancers with the Perkins School of the Arts have also had the opportunity to travel to New York City to learn Broadway-style jazz and tap dancing from a friend of the studio who is a working Broadway performer, which they will be bringing to the stage at this weekend's recital.
"They all went down and studied real Broadway jazz, and they took her classes. So a bunch of our dancers keep going down to the city with her and working on real Broadway stuff," said Perkins. "So we actually have pieces this year that are focused very much on not just musical theater, but actual Broadway-style jazz and tap, which is really cool."
Another opportunity for dancers is the chance to compete in regional and national competitions. Last weekend, the Perkins School competed in the United States Tournament of Dance regional competition, where they won Top Studio in New York, as well as every age category.
In early July the studio will be traveling to Ottawa, Canada for the United States Tournament of Dance National Championships to both compete and learn from dancing professionals.
"A lot of these little kids and even our older kids, they’ll be able to take class while they’re there, like in a convention, and really get to experience different styles and different teachers that you may not normally be able to get all at once," said Perkins. "We’re really excited for all of that."
Even with all their accomplishments, Perkins said the most fulfilling thing is to see their students truly enjoy learning and being on stage together.
"They work hard and we play hard, and I think that’s been really exciting. A nice balance of this has been a really fun year, really fun, because we have so many little kids and they’ve kind of mentored with the older kids," he said. "After seeing the kids dance on stage this past weekend, you can definitely tell there’s just joy, which is so nice as a teacher because there doesn’t always seem to be joy in things that you do, and these kids, they were just exuding it. As a teacher, you’re just really proud.
"You can say whatever you want about awards, but at the end of the day, to see kids having fun and enjoying what they're doing, that’s what it’s all about."
For more information on the Perkins School of the Arts, visit PerkinsDance.com or the Perkins School of the Arts Facebook page.
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