44.0°,
Mostly Cloudy Dancing in the Plaza
Local studio Dance Loft performs at Arts in the Plaza
Young dancers from Long Beach dance studio The Dance Loft performed at Arts in the Plaza last Saturday, entertaining the crowd with ballet, jazz and contemporary numbers.
The Dance Loft, at 160 W. Park Ave., is celebrating its 30th year in business. Willa Damien opened the studio in 1984, and it still remains in the same location today. After 30 years, co-director Brooke Robyn Dairman said that she and Damien are “revamping’ the school. The Dance Loft has always been known as a stellar ballet school, she said, but to “up the ante” across the other dance genres, The Dance Loft will be bringing in new, New York City-based professional dancers to teach classes this year.
Last Saturday, a group of about 15 girls came to Kennedy Plaza to show off the routines they learned in the studio’s classes. In addition to dance classes, The Dance Loft also has two satellite programs, Long Beach Rocks! for music, and Professional Youth Theatre for musical theatre training. Students of these programs performed as well.
The Dance Loft offers kids classes in ballet, tap, jazz, lyrical, hip hop and pointe; and adult classes in ballet, hip hop and power barre—a fitness, dance hybrid class. New classes begin Sept. 8. To learn more about The Dance Loft, Long Beach Rocks! and the Professional Youth Theatre, visit www.danceloftlb.com.
