Chiampa Dance Students Preparing For Disney Performance

For more than a year now, several dozen dance students in Lynnfield have been preparing for what will be one of the biggest performances of their lives. On June 27th at 3:30 p.m., they are set to perform on the Downtown Disney Waterside Stage at Disney World in Orlando, Florida.

Chiampa Dance Studio is currently run by Jeannine Lesburt, whose mother, Lillian Arden Chiampa, founded the studio in East Boston in 1938. The business relocated to Lynnfield about 40 years ago, originally in the former post office the business still shares a building with.

Over the years, students from Chiampa have performed at numerous high-profile venues, from the Macy's Parade to the Pro Bowl and even cruises - as well as the nationals, in Stamford, Connecticut. This will be the first time the studio has been represented at Disney World however in about a decade. Locally, the students have also entertained residents at Sunrise Senior Living, the Lynnfield Senior Center, Brooksby Village, and other places.

Along with the group of 35 dance students, as many as 150 parents and relatives are expected to make the trip to Disney, along with Jeannine and assistant Terry  Bater. Parents Barbara Cohee and Paula Noto will reportedly work backstage while the kids dance. Along with their performance, they are also set to participate in two Dancing Disney workshops. The trip will last for several days, and one fun activity the kids are looking forward to is a Polynesian-themed luau.

The dance students have spent nearly two years preparing for this trip, from fundraising to practice. They reported starting working on their routines for the show, entitled, "Disney, Here We Come," last summer. One thing they've had to work on is getting more accustomed to dancing outside.

During a visit to the studio last week, several of the students said they were excited to be doing a big show at Disney World that will be seen by people from many different countries and states, and which will also be a fun, once in a lifetime experience. "They'll see how great of a studio we are," said one of them.