VIDEO: Girls to 'Dance for Joy' at London Invitational Dance Festival

Geena Caporale and Carly Negrelli have been dancing since they were little girls, performing at various venues. But there hasn't been anything similar to the "once in a lifetime" opportunity they will have by performing in London next summer. 

The girls, 15 and 13, are part of a group of 28 girls at the ballet school Dance for Joy in Mohegan Lake who were , taking place during the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.

Check out the video above to watch the girls dance and learn more. 

Dance for Joy director Roberta Humphrey found out when she received a letter from the AAPAE in September 2009. Since then the girls have been rehearsing and fundraising to afford the trip. 

"This is going to very exciting," said Chris Kelly whose daughter is part of the group of dancers going to London. "This is not a competition school, so it's a chance for them to perform at different venues. London is a once in a lifetime experience for all of them."

The company needs to raise close to $45,000 to pay for all 28 girls to go. The land package is approximately $1,600 per dancer. The money, collected through fundraising, would cover each girl's land package, while each girl has to pay for her airfare on her own. The company is $9,000 away from reaching the goal. Organizers have held dinners, wine tastings, sold ads for their Nutcracker performances and to the company. 

On Sunday, Dec. 4 from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. the girls will be holding another fundraiser to help pay for the trip through gift wrapping at the Barnes & Noble, located at 3089 East Main Street, in Mohegan Lake (The Cortland Town Center). They will also be selling tickets for their Dec. 18 Nutcracker performances at the Paramount Theatre in Peekskill.

The members of the company range in age from 11 to 18, with most of them coming from the Yorktown and Cortlandt area.

"We have great girls here and I think it's because of their passion [for dance]," Humphrey said. 

Company Members

The following are members of Dance For Joy and their hometowns:

Carmel- Geena Caporale

Cortlandt Manor- Alexandria Bernardin, Emily Bilotti, Jessica Boyle, Elizabeth Bynum, Samantha Confalone, Suly Cox, Cara Murray

Crompond- Rose Grace

Garrison- Leora Matalon

Mahopac- Deanna Myskiw

Mohegan Lake- Ayanna Louise Gibson, Kayla Dustin, Rozie Kwechin, Samantha Nelson, Victoria Velazquez

Putnam Valley- Emily Azcue, Holly Jones, Morgan McNamara, Eva Rabson, Amelia Spittal, Mariana Silva

Shrub Oak- Emily Cregan, Olivia Nygard, Erin Spedaliere

Yorktown Heights- Julie de Marte, Jamie Griffin, Meaghan Kaiser, Isabel Keane, Jenna Kelly, Marianne LaCalamito, Kaitlin Lecce, Eleanor Lougee-Heimer, Carly Negrelli, Jenna Schneider, Lauren Scinto 

Dance for Joy is located at 1893 East Main St. in Mohegan Lake. For more information call 914-526-4486.

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