Posted by
Kathy Wayne on June 9, 2020
To the Dance Seniors of The JCC School of Dance
The lights go out….and your heart is about to beat out of your chest.
You have been dancing since you could walk but still you get those butterflies before going on stage.
The suspense builds and you wait for the music. The lights come up, the music begins. This was supposed to be your last performance before going to college but it never came.
You have poured so much sweat and effort into your passion for all those years.
You have missed out on school dances, family parties, sleepovers and other opportunities. Still, standing on that stage hearing the applause made it easy to miss all those things. But you did it because you fell in love with dance and all that it did for you. All of the forever bonds you have made with your fellow dancers.
From those first recitals as a tiny ballerina in a tutu with your teachers dancing with you in the wings, to watching you grow into beautiful humans who are so capable of anything and are ready to take the world by storm.
We will miss you seniors so much. You are truly special!
But this doesn’t have to be the end. When we get through this crazy time, we don’t have to say goodbye.
We hope that you will keep dancing in college or your kitchen or down the grocery store aisles!
Your dance journey doesn’t have to end. It’s really just a new beginning.
We the teachers of The JCC School of Dance wish you the very best in life and hope you will never leave us, but rather will come back to give all of your passion to the next generation.
We will miss you, the Dance Seniors of the JCC School of Dance!
We Love you and are so proud!!!
Best of luck in the future.
Miss Kathy, Miss Maggie. Miss Mara, Miss Shana, Mr. Danny, Miss Lisa and Miss Marina
The Graduates
Julia Strassburger
I’ve been dancing at the JCC for 15 years…I love that we have all been dancing together for so long that it feels like family…My favorite style of dance is modern…My least favorite dance style is tap…I peed all over my tutu before recital. Or when Lauren couldn’t stop laughing in nurlans class and he almost kicked her out…My favorite dance piece is my senior solo…My fondest dance memory is all the long Sunday rehearsals where Maggie would bring a bunch of snacks and we’d run our dances…I am attending the University of Virginia…I definitely plan to continue dancing throughout college and life. I hope to join a dance company or club at college…My advice for younger dancers would be to truly get out in the dance world and take classes from different people because you not only learn so much from different genres, but you learn the most from other dancers. Going to conventions, I learned so much from the choreographers, but it was the execution of the movement from the strangers around me that stuck with me.
Tillie Rosenberg
I have been dancing for 15 years; I have been dancing at the JCC for 14 years…What I love the most about the JCC studio is that it feels like a family…My favorite dance style is lyrical/contemporary…My least favorite dance style is hip hop…The funniest thing that happens in a dance class is when people fall during across the floor…My favorite dance piece was “Warrior” choreographed for the Tree Of Life shooting…My fondest dance memory is going to the first competition and not knowing what to expect but then having so much fun…I will be attending the University of Michigan…I want to definitely take classes in college, maybe join a dance team…I would advise the younger dancers to keep pushing, never give up, and don’t compare yourself to others.
Lauren Haffner
Dancing for 16 years…all at the JCC…I love the immediate feeling of happiness. Walking through the same doors over the years never became old and was only filled with opportunity…Favorite dance style: Hands down tap! Least favorite dance style? Ballet…During our recital 2 years ago, we were doing our jazz dance to the song Instruction. My brain suddenly shut off and I did the choreography completely correct just to the wrong side. Everyone was going one way and I was going the other. We luckily have it on video and I still laugh about it every time I watch it…Favorite dance piece: Our acapella tap dance choreographed by Danny. It was truly incredible to see the power that tap shoes can have. We relied on each other and the sounds of our taps to carry our dance and it turned out perfect…Fondest dance memory? Spending time in the studio before each recital as everyone comes together to do hair and makeup. We’re all focusing on one goal and lifting each other up. The sense of togetherness is always the strongest that day. Running into the studio after successfully finishing a dance is the best feeling…Attending in the fall: The University of Maryland…Absolutely will continue to dance in college and through life. Dance has always been a presence in my life and I don’t want to lose that aspect of who I am….My advice to younger dancers: Go to every dance class every week. Obviously, there are times you can’t, but at the end of the
day you will regret it. It felt like my time dancing at the JCC flew by faster than I could’ve ever imagined. You won’t realize how much you miss staring at the shiny wood floor or complaining
about being tired until it’s gone. You never know the last day you will get to dance, we definitely didn’t.
Lana Edwards
I have been dancing for 13 years; 5 at the JCC…love the teachers and friends I have made during my time at the JCC…favorite dance style is Tap; least favorite is Contemporary…the funniest thing that happened in dance class or performance was whenI lost my recital costume so I was wearing a different costume than everyone else for a recital dance…Favorite dance piece is the no music tap piece from 2 years ago…Fondest dance memory was having a going-away party for Nurlan…will be attending University of Vermont…may continue to dance in college and through life but not seriously…Advice for younger dancers: To have fun with dance and cherish the friends you can make through it.
Annie Mihm
I have been dancing for 10 years and at the JCC for 8 years…The thing I love most about dancing at the JCC is that we are a real family. All of the students and the teachers aim to build each other up while we improve and grow together, which has given us such a special bond. It is one of the most healthy learning environments I have ever experienced and it free of all competition and negativity. JCC school of dance had taught me so much not only about dance but about life and given me friends I will cherish forever…My favorite style of dance is Jazz…My least favorite style of dance is Hip hop…The funniest thing that has ever happened during a performance is when we went to perform in the recital in the south hills and Naomi fell and I got dropped out of a lift in the same number, Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend…My favorite dance piece was a lyrical dance called Say You Love Me where we danced with a huge red piece of fabric…My fondest dance memory was the day we learned how to sew our first pair pointe shoes during ballet class…In the fall I will be attending Pace University in New York City…I am getting my BFA in musical theater so I cannot wait to continue to train in dance for the next four years…My advice for younger dancers is don’t compare yourself to others. Appreciate the way you dance and never let anyone tell you that you aren’t good enough to do the thing you love.
Gallery of Memories
