Almost every dancer has the dream of one day ‘hitting it big? and making it to the glitzy and glamourous stages of New York City.
But for a select group of students at Oxford’s Center Stage Dance Company, they didn’t have to wait too long.
Last weekend, 17 dancers, ages 13-17, got the chance to tour the Big Apple, dance with some Broadway stars and even meet one of the famed Radio City Rockettes.
Lori Phelps, owner of Center Stage, is friends with one of the Rockettes, Ann Cooley, who grew up in Michigan.
Center Stage students often attend a summer dance convention in Mackinac with Cooley. She’s even visited the Oxford studio and worked with the girls.
‘This is her last year doing the Radio City Christmas Spectacular for the Rockettes,? she said. ‘So, she invited us to come see her.?
The Christmas Spectacular features various dances with holiday-themes, like
Santa’s climactic visit from the North Pole, the living Nativity scene and of course, the Parade of the Wooden Soldiers.
‘They were in awe,? Phelps said. ‘They were impressed by everything that they saw.?
One of Phelp’s students, Sammy, said she has always looked up to the Rockettes in her aspiration to be a dancer.
‘I got chills watching,? she said. ‘It was amazing.
Besides seeing the impressive show, Phelps said the girls visited Rockefeller Center, Times Square and Ground Zero.
They even got to take tap, hip-hop and musical theater dance classes at the Broadway Dance Center, where they were taught by current dancers trying to make it to Broadway.
On Monday, the girls got to have brunch with Cooley and two other Broadway dancers who attend the Mackinac convention as well.
‘They were as excited to see the girls as the girls were to see them.?