LF_102617

18 | October 26, 2017 | The lake forest leader LIFE & ARTS
LakeForestLeader.com
Local dancers get backstage look in NYC
LFDA group takes
action-packed trip
Erin Redmond
Freelance Reporter
Dancers from Lake Forest
Dance Academy received
the experience of
a lifetime when they got
the “backstage” treatment
during a trip to New York
City in September.
The LFDA dancers got
up close and person with
Broadway’s best, taking
classes with cast members
from “Cats” and “The
Rockettes” while soaking
up the sights and sounds
of the Big Apple — all in a
jam-packed four-day trip.
It was the third trip
LFDA has taken to New
York City, previously taking
groups in 2011 and
2014. But this time around,
director Valerie Gonzalez
said, was the best.
“I pick that city because
every time that you go
there, you can create a
very different trip,” she
said. “There’s so many
things to do and the city
is constantly changing, so
you can’t really ever get
bored. ... We had a great
time. We got to do some
amazing things. I think out
of the three trips, this was
the best planned and best
organized. It was a perfect
blend of dance and New
York fun.”
The highlight of the trip
for both Gonzalez and her
dancers was the master
class they attended which
was taught by Sharrod Williams,
a cast member from
“Cats.” Williams walked
the girls through the same
process he experienced
when he was cast in the
Broadway hit, teaching
them how to channel their
inner cat before teaching
them actual choreography
The LFDA dancers (back left to right) Margo Thornberry,
Sheila Falls, Lily Rappel, LFDA director Valerie
Gonzalez, company director Jenna Jozefowski, (front
left to right) Jordy Landry, Mia DiValerio and Abby
Knipfer pose for a picture with a Rockette dancer
during their trip to Radio City Music Hall.
from the show.
“I think I might have
teared up a little bit, I was
super excited. I was probably
the most excited out
of the whole group,” Gonzalez
said. “... He took
us through 45 minutes of
creating your cat character
and how to get rid of your
hands because your hands
are now paws. You have
paws and claws, figuring
out how would a playful
cat move or if you were
going to be a regal cat or
a leader cat. It was a lot of
fun and it was harder than
we thought.”
Later that night, the
group saw Williams in
action as he transformed
into his role of Mungo
Jerry in “Cats.” The girls
were giddy with anticipation,
eagerly awaiting the
moment when they would
see the choreography they
learned earlier come to
life.
After the show, Williams
came out and talked
to the group and after
seeing the performance,
dancer Margo Thornberry
said she has a new respect
for what it takes to dance
at the highest level.
“On this trip, it was just
very eye opening to see
how real professionals
[got where they are],” she
said. “We got to hear the
story of [Williams] from
“Cats” and the story of
[Lindsay Howe], who is
a Rockette and just how
they got there. It was really
cool to learn all the
steps of how they became
where they are now.”
The girls continued
their action-packed trip
with a class at the Broadway
Dance Center, honing
their skills in tap, jazzfunk
and ballet — just
to name a few. That evening,
they watched as the
American Ballet Theater
performed “Swan Lake”
at the Lincoln Center.
“We saw Swan Lake,
which was really, really
pretty,” Thornberry said.
“It was kind of once-ina-lifetime
chance. We did
so much. We covered like
Lake Forest Dance Academy dancers pose for a picture during their class with
Rockette Lindsay Howe (center) during a recent trip to New York City. The LFDA
dancers are (left to right) Lily Rappel, Jordy Landry, Mia DiValerio, Margo Thornberry,
Abby Knipfer and Sheila Falls. Photos submitted
every corner of New York
in four days.”
And if that wasn’t
enough, the LFDA dancers
got to kick up their
heels with Rockette dancer
Lindsay Howe, who
gave the group a master
class and told her story
of how she landed on one
of the world’s most infamous
stages: Radio City
Music Hall. And after the
class, the group received
a private backstage tour
of the venue, making the
dream of stepping foot on
that stage a reality for the
young dancers.
And while dance-related
activities took up most
of their time, it wasn’t all
they did.
The dancers’ dove right
into the hustle and bustle
of NYC from the moment
they arrived, taking in
the sights and sounds on
their first day. The group
— consisting of seventhgrade
through high school
students — toured the
9/11 memorial and learned
about its history and paid
its respects. The girls then
visited Chinatown and
Little Italy before taking
a two hour cruise around
Manhattan at sunset,
which allowed them to see
the city in its entirety and
soak up its enormity.
While most dance
groups take summer trips,
Gonzalez said most are
of a “competitive nature”
and are usually to a national
competition. But
she wanted to offer the
girls a different and more
well-rounded trip where
they could learn about not
only dance, but have realworld
experiences.
“But, being able to offer
this experience, this noncompetitive
trip broadens
horizons, lets them understand
the dance world in
a broader sense. Beyond
that, it was the first time
for some of the girls ever
in New York,” she said.
“... They almost have no
choice but to soak it all in
because we’ve taken them
out of their comfort zone,
out of their hometown,
away from the things that
they know and the people
that they know and surrounded
them with all of
these brand new things.
They kind of forget about
all of the other noise and
only listen and experience
what it is that we’re giving
them.”
While Gonzalez said
this was the most enjoyable
trip they’ve had to
date, she is exploring other
options for the group’s
next trip. She hasn’t ruled
out a return visit to New
York City, but would like
to find another “dance
city” to allow her dancers
to explore to delve deeper
into their craft.
But for now, she’s enjoying
seeing all they learned
from visiting NYC.
“I think a couple of the
girls have been inspired
to come back home to
our home studio here and
work harder and implement
some of the things
that we’ve learned,” Gonzalez
said. “[I think they]
realized that their dance
goals are a little bit more
than ‘I’d like to move up a
level at my dance school.’
Their dance goal might
be a little bit larger than
that.”