The word rubs Artistic Director Lori Pergament the wrong way.
"I think of a three-hour show where poor dads have to sit there and watch children crash into each other on stage," she said.
Instead, Greater York Dance will present the June Jubilee this weekend, three performances that showcase a culmination of work.
Pergament said this is the first year the group will hold a weekend of shows in June. However, she's always thinking about increasing the nonprofit's influence and spreading the love of dance.
Friday's show features 45 pre-professional student performers from the Midstate Ballet. They will perform classical, contemporary and modern works - ranging from "The Blue Danube," a ballet on pointe, to "The Dream Scene," a piece from the classic ballet "Don Quixote." The show also includes the works of four emerging choreographers.
The night ends with the spotlight on the group's outreach program, Dance It Forward DancExperience. Earlier this spring, Pergament, instructors and high school dancers worked with about 90 elementary school students from seven schools to introduce dance into their lives in a six-week, after-school program. Many of the participants never took a dance lesson.
Those children will perform a number to "Footloose," choreographed by students who are in the Greater York Chapter of the National Honor Society for Dance Arts. The organization also offered 10 dance scholarships to those elementary school students who excelled.
Pergament said learning to dance has many benefits for children.
"It's just confidence building," she said. "They're our future audience. Our community cannot survive without the arts."
Sunday's performances will highlight Broadway, jazz and hip-hop.
Pergament hopes the shows take the audience away and teach them something about the art form.
"We're trying to raise the level of awareness of what dance can be for children," she said. "It can be a beautiful work of art."
- Leigh Zaleski, FlipSide staff
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