Young dancers spin old tunes
Karen Peterson photo
The Downtown Dance Collective dancers in Arlee pose before performing their tribute performance to The Beatles.
Karen Peterson photo
A group of students dances to “Lady Madonna.”
Karen Peterson photo
Piper Clinkenbeard, Alyce Corcoran, Maddie Dunlop and Natalie Yokum perform to The Beatles’ song, “She’s So Heavy.”
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ARLEE – Before Downtown Dance Collective students paid tribute to The Beatles during their Saturday performance, Rylee Belcourt, 10, described her favorite move in her choreographed dance as “really cool.”
“We do this pop move where your arm goes up and up and then it swoops down behind you,” she said demonstrating the move.
Dance students took classes during the year from teachers Tracy Topp and Heather Adams before the students performed in the Arlee Community Center.
“I absolutely love sharing dance,” Adams said. “It has the power to heal, create community and rise above the issues. I love the idea of making an impact. We only have 22 kids but this makes a difference.”
Students take classes each week in groups focused on hip-hop, ballet and jazz.
“We have kids from the age of five to their mid-teens,” Topp said.
Alyce Corcoran, 14, was awarded the academy’s yearly scholarship so she can continue taking classes.
“Before I got the scholarship, I wasn’t sure if I could go on with the group,” she said. “It was a chance to continue dancing. After my mom died, I started dancing to get my mind off things. When I think of dance, I think of it as art, not just a workout. It’s something that relives my stress and makes me happy. It makes everything better.”
With pointed toes, Piper Clinkenbeard, 14, performed a solo act to “Yesterday.” She hopes dance continues to be a part of her life.
“In the past few years, dancing started to become more artistic for me. For a long time, it’s been the place I go to breathe and clear my head. Ballet is something that will always be with me.”
Maddi Yocum, 10, started attending dance class when she was in second grade.
“I love the costumes and the cartwheels we do,” she said of her performance to “Dizzy Miss Lizzy.”
Ravi Topp, 10, wishes dance class was two hours long each week instead of one, and Kambrie Rubel, 10, dances to use up her energy.
“I like to dance because I have too much energy,” she said.
Kat Coates, 8, said, “People should always dance because it expresses how you feel.”
During the performance, students danced in costumes centered around The Beatles in everything from yellow skirts and white sailor hats to the tune of “Yellow Submarine” and neckties as they fell to the floor during the “Tax Man.”
The iconic Beatles band was chosen to give the students a history lesson along with the dance moves.
“We wanted to give them an opportunity to learn about that era and talk about the politics and social economic issues of that time,” Adams said. “Dance opens up a way to learn and talk about issues. The arts are just so important for kids, and many of these kids hadn’t heard of The Beatles. We wanted to share that with them.”
Rehearsals for the next dance season start Sept. 8.
