Dance Culture Surrounds Lake Forest Dancers During New York Visit

LAKE FOREST, IL — Dancers from Lake Forest Dance Academy traveled to New York City this summer for an exclusive tour opportunity which allowed them to fully immerse themselves in the NYC dance scene. Accompanied by parents and faculty, the dancers had the chance to watch professional performances, take class from some of those professionals, attend on-stage performances every single day of the trip, and navigate NYC as many dancers do every day.

This is the third time LFDA has offered its dancers the opportunity to travel to New York, with the previous trips taking place in 2011 and 2014. The tour, put on through LFDA in collaboration with Educational Performance Tours, was the most involved yet with 4 jam-packed days of fun.

The most pertinent benefit of the trip was the opportunity to take several master classes from teachers of all different performing backgrounds. They were then able to apply that knowledge by viewing performances either similar to the styles they learned or actually featuring the teacher and choreography from their class.

At Chelsea Studios, master teacher Sharrod Williams gave the participants a musical theater class, teaching them choreography straight from the musical “Cats.” That evening, the entire tour group went to the Broadway performance of “Cats” and were able to see Mr. Williams on stage in his role of Mungo Jerry. LFDA dancer Margo Thornberry thoroughly enjoyed the experience and said “Being able to learn original choreography from Cats and then see it performed on Broadway made me very proud that I could learn a combination from the show.”

The students were also able to live the life of a New York dancer by taking class at the Broadway Dance Center in styles from tap, to jazz funk, to ballet. Later that evening they attended the American Ballet Theater’s (ABT) performance of “Swan Lake” at Lincoln Center. In addition to having the chance to view widely renowned dance performances, the students were also able to get exclusive, behind-the-scenes visits to performing arts venues. After attending a Rockette-style master class with Rockette dancer Lindsay Howe, the LFDA group received a private backstage tour of historical Radio City Music Hall. Stepping foot on this stage is a dream held by dancers all over the world. (Get Patch real-time email alerts for the latest news for Lake Forest & Lake Bluff — or your community. And iPhone users: Check out Patch's new app.)

The dancers were also able to experience the infamous sights of NYC. Some of the sightseeing opportunities included a night cruise with an up-close view of the Statue of Liberty, a trip to the top of Rockefeller Center to look out over Manhattan, and time carved out to explore Canal Street in Chinatown and Little Italy.

LFDA is the longest-running dance studio in Lake Forest and has always held the belief that anyone who wants to dance can and should. Run by director Valerie Gonzalez, LFDA offers not only an extensive list of dance classes in a wide variety of styles, but also offers a performance company experience to dancers who are looking to commit to a more rigorous training. LFDA offers classes for students ages 2 to adult in styles such as ballet, jazz, tap, hip hop, ballroom and even belly dance. Lake Forest Dance Academy is in its 42nd year of providing quality dance education on the North Shore. For more information about Lake Forest Dance Academy or the classes offered, please contact Valerie Gonzalez, Director.

» via Lake Forest Parks and Recreation

_{Top photo: LFDA Dancers at Radio City Music Hall (Left to Right): Back – Margo Thornberry, Lake Forest; Sheila Falls, Lake Forest; Radio City Rockette; Lily Rappel, Lake Forest; Valerie Gonzalez, Director; Jenna Jozefowski, Company Director. Front – Jordy Landry, Hawthorne Woods; Mia DiValerio, Lake Bluff; Abby Knipfer, Lake Forest.}