Dance Demonstration at the Stapleton School of the Performing Arts

This past weekend my niece performed in a dance demonstration at the Stapleton School of the Performing Arts where she has been studying ballet the last year and a half. There is an artistic flair, energy, and professionalism about this school that immediately grabs your attention from the use of color and texture in the costumes to the variation and selection of dance styles and music. The performance never lagged its pace or faltered in transition from one group to the next. Each group presented a distinct aspect of this vast tradition of dance.

Little four-year old cutie pies in green poofs bunny hopped across stage and displayed other acts of poise and coordination. Several groups performed traditional American and European folk dances. The other groups danced a range of classical to contemporary forms and hybrids of both. The oldest girls pushed classical ballet past traditional boundaries into this global world with recorded accompaniment of what sounded like Indian or North African drumming. That’s what I find particularly exciting–using classical forms to express contemporary sentiment. A tradition should never be locked in a time capsule, but must always be recreated to meet current needs. The forms provide a language, never a limit.

This is a thriving institution that no doubt produces many talented students capable of leaving their mark on their communities and the world. For more information, see: http://www.stapletonschool.org/index.php