Adult students gearing up for summer showcase

Submitted by Beth Miller, Community Ambassador

Spring Showcase, Adult Hip Hop

Just two weeks until the Summer Student Showcase! The showcase is a culmination of the 10-week adult summer classes including dance, theater and voice.

For the past eight weeks, I've been taking Susan Downy's Adult Hip Hop class. I've loved being a part of the adult dance program. At first, it's intimidating to get back into dance classes as a returning adult student. But when you arrive and see that everyone is in the same boat as you, you immediately feel at ease.  The ages vary, but everyone is encouraging.

Our hip hop class is a beginner class, but the combinations are surprisingly challenging. I find myself engaging muscles I didn't realize were involved in some basic hip hop moves. Things that look so easy on music videos are harder to execute than you'd imagine.

Some of us have taken classes at the Patel Conservatory before, and for some, it'll be their first showcase performance. Tuesday night, we all exchanged nervous glances as we rehearsed our upcoming dance routines. We all agreed that only two classes left to get it committed to memory just doesn't seem like enough. But having done this before, I know it will all come together, as it always does for any show. When the lights come up, your body somehow kicks into action and you surprise yourself with what you've learned.

And when it's done, the elation of putting it all together lasts for weeks, or even years.

Come check out our Summer Student Showcase, which will be Saturday, Aug. 7 at 7 p.m.

Fall classes start soon, and now you can register online.

What do you love about performing? Do you get nervous, or does it all subside when the lights come up?