Dance to You! Visits Bright Side Manor and Returns to the Residence at St. Peters

In November 2024, Dance To You! had two performances. First, we performed at Bright Side Manor, a senior living residence located in Teaneck, New Jersey. It was a delight to meet, dance for, and engage with so many new individuals.

Many expressed great interest in learning about the background of each of our dances, including the details about the music, choreographer and choreography, or even about the original ballets of the ballet variations, which we presented in the introductions that were read before each dance. They also were very intrigued by the information we shared in our pointe shoe demonstration and presentation, and especially while feeling the difference between a new pointe shoe and a “dead” pointe shoe when we handed out one of each for them to pass around. Finally, the residents asked many thought-provoking questions about our training, future aspirations, and even the popularity of ballet in America today, which our dancers were happy to answer and discuss. We hope to return to dance and engage with the residents of Bright Side Manor again soon!

Next, we returned to the Residence at St. Peter’s located in River Edge, New Jersey for the third time! We performed a series of dances such as new ballet variations from The Sleeping Beauty and Giselle as well as new contemporary, jazz, and theater routines. It was so wonderful to reunite with many of the residents we had performed for before such as Ms. Rosa who very much enjoyed our performance, as always, showing off her dance moves in her chair! We also met a new resident, Ms. Jane, who shared with us that it was the first Dance to You! performance she had attended and hoped it would not be the last!

Ms. Rosa dancing in her chair to our finale "Permission to Dance!"