Sault dance school celebrating 20 years

A dance school in Sault Ste. Marie is celebrating a milestone this year. Studio Dance Arts is preparing for its 20th season. The school is also celebrating the accomplishments of one of its younger students, who has just returned home from one of Canada’s premier dance schools.

Tania Castellani-Greco, a teacher at the school, says a wide range of students take classes at Studio Dance Arts.

“We do pre-school, kinder, recreational classes, as well as a competitive program where we take our students who train weekly,” Castellani-Greco said.

“We take them to regional competitions where they compete against other schools in Ontario, Michigan and other places in the United States.”

Castellani-Greco says the training dancers endure is quite strenuous; adding the average person might be surprised at how strong and athletic dancers are. One of those dancers is 11-year-old Lexie Duncan.

“She’s been a part of the dance studio since she was very, very young, and trains weekly in our competitive program,” Castellani-Greco told CTV News.

“She trains in jazz, ballet, tap, and hip-hop, and has really grown a love and a dedication to the art of ballet.”

Lexie spent her summer at the Quinte Ballet School of Canada, spending up to eight hours a day training. She says she started taking Highland dance lessons at a much younger age, but opted to explore other forms of dance such as ballet.

For those feeling inspired by her journey through various dance disciplines, her message is simple–work hard.

“Take all your corrections, remember them, and if you’re doing dances, you have to practice them, basically every day,” Duncan said.

Studio Dance Arts is inviting alumni to participate in its 20th anniversary year-end show in June.