By Per Peterson
Finding peace in motion and harmony — that’s one of the goals for this year’s young Tracy Dance Studio dance students who are preparing for the annual spring recital at 1 p.m. on April 15, at the Tracy Area High School.
“When you dance or tumble with a group you must work together in harmony,” said Director Vicki Nilius. “You move in a certain direction and your body goes a certain way along with everyone else on the stage. Everyone works together to create a certain harmony aka peace. We try to find a theme that can incorporate all kinds of music so the audience feels entertained while they are watching.”
According to Nilius, students range in age from 3 to adult and will perform tap, tumbling, jazz and ballet. Some 150 students from Tracy, Milroy, Balaton, Slayton, Garvin, Currie, Avoca, Marshall, Lamberton, Dovray, Westbrook and Walnut Grove will be performing.
“We have a lively group of dancers that are set to put on a fabulous show; I always enjoy the preschoolers because you are never sure exactly what they will do or not do,” said Nilius. “We have four preschool classes set to dazzle everyone. We started a young adult class and it’s been a lot of fun. The energy level is amped up high to ‘You Can’t Touch This.’”
Nilius said the dancers’ season starts in November and concludes with the April recital. They normally practice once a week. She said one challenge she finds throughout the year is keeping the little ones from getting bored. This, she admits, takes some imagination, along with patience and a healthy sense of humor.
“I like to keep the classes moving along; I also like to surprise them from time to time with different activities each week,” Nilius said. “We might bring out the giant parachute, spray glitter or my magic wand to help dancers fly through the air. A good imagination and some creative thinking are key. We like to reward hard work with stickers or stamps, it’s surprising how that motivates.”
For more on this article, see this week’s Headlight-Herald.