Everett, Wash.
Published: Friday, April 27, 2007

Dancing in the springtime

Snohomish-based studio's students among those celebrating National Dance Week.

By Andrea McInnis / Herald Writer

 The art of dancing requires strength, skill and a love of rhythmic motion. But the leaders of one local studio, whose dancers will perform Sunday in Everett to celebrate National Dance Week, work to ensure that their students have a passion for more than just lessons and performances.



The five teachers at the Snohomish-based Reflections School of Dance, focus on dance training as well as on teaching students to be good citizens - and they don't limit that work to their immediate surroundings.

The studio's performance teams have been busy in the past year, fulfilling both parts of that focus. They have put on several recitals, and the members of one of their groups, the Cerulean Dance Company, spent 10 days about a year ago in the capital city of Belmopan, Belize, doing outreach work.

"We painted, did other community service, performed in recitals and taught workshops in a dance studio there," instructor and owner Debbie Wiens said. "This was so rewarding. The girls on our team came back with a totally new perspective on why we dance."

And on Sunday, they will dance, during a free performance at 3 p.m. in the PUD Auditorium in Everett.

The show will last about 1 1/2 hours and is appropriate for all ages. It will feature modern dance, hip hop, jazz and ballet routines, each group performing a different style.

Those in Reflections' performing groups range from 8- to 12-year-olds, 12-year-olds through high schoolers, and the preprofessional group, Cerulean Dance Company, which includes 16-year-olds to adults. These students take more advanced training in addition to the regular lessons for their respective styles.

Auditions take place for spots on the performing teams, but the studio also offers other lessons for those as young as age 2 and up to adult age.

Since 2002, the studio has been located in a big pink barn on Seattle Hill Road. Before that, starting in 1997, it was located in a smaller local building a mile away, which the class sizes simply outgrew.

The teachers are a mix of the studio's former students, or those who were involved with the Cerulean Dance Company in some way. Wiens herself has been involved with dancing for 25 years, teaching and otherwise.

She said her school sent an open invitation to other groups, hoping to create an even more diverse program for Sunday's audience. Two other groups responded and will also perform on Sunday: Seattle's 6th Day Unscripted hip hop troupe and Bellingham's Dancing for Joy performance team.

Reflections School of Dance photo

Dance troupes from Reflections School of Dance include the Friday Crew Junior Performance Team.
© 2009The Daily Herald Co., Everett, WA