Pictured: Park Avenue Elementary School sixth graders choreographed a hip hop routine during the annual dance residency from Jan. 22-26.
Photos courtesy of the North Bellmore School
Fifth and sixth graders have sure got the moves at Park Avenue Elementary School in the North Bellmore School District, and they were thrilled to show them off during a weeklong dance residency from Jan. 22-26.
Instructors from The Dance Place taught students some new moves.
For four days, each class spent time working with instructors from The Dance Place, a local studio which has locations in Bellmore and Merrick. They learned basic hip hop moves like donkey kicks, turtle spins and break dancing. Every class choreographed a unique routine to showcase for parents on the final day.
Fifth graders practiced basic moves at the start of a workshop before moving on to the choreography for the show.
The dance residency has been a tradition at Park Avenue for more than a decade. It is a partnership between the school, The Dance Place and the PTA’s Arts in Education committee, which funds the experience. It builds confidence for students as they grow up and will have social events in their lives with dancing. Students also feel a sense of accomplishment and pride after completing their choreographed show.
Sixth grader Stacey Ojezele was excited to expand her dancing repertoire.
Several of the participants are also students at local dance studios and were thrilled to have an activity they enjoy come to Park Avenue.
“I love dancing, and it’s great to do the thing I love in school,” Zara Zytkowicz said. “I looked forward to performing at the end of the week so everyone could see what we did.”
Tyler Frem and his classmates worked hard to master the routine.
Holly Schellberg, a competitive dancer outside of school, added, “When I dance in school, I can just have fun. It gives me a break to get my body moving.”
The dance residency continues in February, when students in grades 2-4 will do musical theater. Kindergartners and first graders will have creative movement workshops in the spring.
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