Leisure Services School of Dance open house July 30

COOKEVILLE – Want to learn more about the Leisure Services School of Dance?

An open house will be held July 30 from 4-6 p.m. at the Cane Creek Recreation Center, 180 C C Camp Road.

“It’s important to foster the art of dance in its classical form,” Chad McDonald, Leisure Services cultural arts superintendent, said. “The City of Cookeville has been doing that through the School of Dance for over 20 years.”

The 2018-19 dance season begins the week of Aug. 6 and continues through mid-May, at which time students will have an opportunity to show what they’ve learned during performances at the Cookeville Performing Arts Center.

Classes, which range from beginner to advanced, are available for ages 3 to adult in the classical disciplines of ballet, jazz and modern dance.

What’s special about the Leisure Services School of Dance?

“Students love the varied styles of the instructors and are really drawn to the choreography displayed in the spring performances,” McDonald said.

He also noted that the instructors are highly qualified and hold students to a high standard – and that includes the younger dancers.

“Our Dance for Young Children instructors create an enjoyable and challenging learning atmosphere for those starting out in dance,” McDonald said. “Students as young as 3 can begin classes that focus on body and spatial awareness, dance vocabulary and technique.”

Older students, including teens and adults, also receive a strong technical foundation and broad dance education through exposure to various dance forms.

Technique classes, offered for ages 7 and up, are designed to familiarize students with movement vocabulary of the selected dance form; increase flexibility, muscular control, coordination, strength and stamina; focus on proper body alignment; emphasize rhythmic accuracy; and provide awareness of the elements of dance – the body, space, force and time.

Teen and adult classes are for those wishing to further their dance training in a non-competitive atmosphere. Classes are designed to be stimulating and fun and provide opportunities for artistic expression and improved coordination, strength, posture, flexibility, grace and confidence.

For information about tuition, call 931-528-1313 or visit www.cookeville-tn.gov/ls/school-of-dance.