Dance Gala 2008 Program Book - 10th Anniversary Letter

May 2008

Dear Parents, Dancers and Friends of That’s Dancing:

It is hard to believe that we are celebrating our 10th Dance Gala. We feel fortunate and blessed that we have been able to share our love of dance with our students and this community since 1998. As we prepared for Dance Gala 2008, we also take the opportunity to reminisce about the past ten dance seasons and thought we would share our best memories.

It all started with our desire to open a dance studio together since we both had been dancing for most of our lives and couldn’t see ourselves doing anything else. At first we thought the endeavor would be in our home state of New Jersey, until by chance we found a small studio in Lake Worth that was available. We were intrigued and thought it was fate, since nearly 50 years before our parents honeymooned in Lake Worth. We took the opportunity to look at the studio and surrounding area and decided this would be a wonderful place to embark on our journey. In June of 1998, we moved into a small bay with two small studios beginning our first summer session with 22 students. In July of 2000, we began our first expansion taking over another bay giving us a total of about 3,500 square feet. Along with our husbands and parents, we did most of the work ourselves, laying the special dance floors, attaching the ballet barres and painting. The expansion gave us 2 larger studios and the ability to pass our love of dance to more students.

Some years passed and again we felt the need to expand. In 2004, we left Suites A-12 and A-13 and moved over to A-15 which previously was an Eckerd drug store. We hired a contractor, and along with an architect, designed the studio from scratch. It was an immense undertaking as now the space would be 10,000 square feet with four huge dance studios in a state of the art facility. We still remain flattered by the compliments we receive when someone new enters our building. The many guest teachers who have come to That’s Dancing constantly rave about the facility. Along the way, we have trained many dancers, some who have gone on to college for dance, some who continue to have dance in their life and many who appreciate their time at That’s Dancing. All who have left us with some incredible memories . . .

Top Ten Best Memories List:
10. Stepping foot into That’s Dancing for the first time as the proud new owners. The rush of excitement and sense of satisfaction after completing Dance Gala 1999, our 1st recital.
9. Sitting together as a family coming up with the name for Fusion Force Dance Company. A name that signifies the blending together of many talents to find strength and power through dance.
8. Bringing Fusion Force Dance Company to a competitive level of training and attaining recognition on a regional, national and world level.
7. All of the wonderful and silly times spent with faculty throughout the years. Great memories traveling with Loren for summer dance intensives!
6. Spending countless hours during the first expansion process painting, building, and organizing the studios. Watching Nick and Rich run across Lantana Road with a Home Depot cart full of wood was definitely an unforgettable sight!
5. Having our first student go on to college as a dance major and having her graduate with a dance degree! Having more and more students successfully audition for middle school, high school and college degreed dance programs.
4. Sharing dance with the community through our dance company. We can’t forget Andrea running down Clematis Street pregnant…chasing a tree on a motorcycle! LOL!
3. There must be something in the water at That’s Dancing…2002-2007! Welcome Nicholas, Mason, Milana, Lilly, Riley and don’t forget Ms. Karina’s Helen!
2. The special “I Am Your Child” dance that we created for our parents’ 50th wedding anniversary that was performed at our Gala. People still talk about that!
1. Remembering those 2 little girls dancing on the driveway up in New Jersey and knowing that the past 10 years have made us better teachers, more diligent directors, time management gurus and most importantly have strengthened our love for each other through our dream turned reality…That’s Dancing!

We also want to take the time to express our thanks to our wonderful faculty, staff and family. Ms. Linda thank you for all that you do, from bringing us snacks to fielding questions and welcoming new students. We appreciate your time and commitment to our studio. We also have had the wonderful opportunity this year to have Jennifer Moskowitz on as a full time faculty member. She has done a terrific job introducing our students to hip-hop and implementing the new program. We will miss her as she takes the next step in her own journey by moving back to New York to be closer to family and pursuing her own dance company. To Jessica Roesener who has been sharing her talents with the students and us for the past 5 years, thank you. You have been a valuable asset to our team. We wish you luck and success as you embark on your new business opportunity in Fort Lauderdale. Loren Foster continues to be a core faculty member at That’s Dancing. Your knowledge of dance and your fantastic ability to teach every student is commended. As Director of the Young Dancer Program, you have continued to enhance the program never forgetting the process for the dancer. We are excited you will be entering into your 7th season with us and look forward to collaborating on more projects. To our parents, thank you for the continued support, both in and out of the studio. To our mother, we appreciate every moment you put into the studio. We know you do it all for us. Thanks for teaching us to be hard workers and giving us the opportunity to pursue our dreams. To our families; Nick, Rich, Nicky, Mason, Milana and Riley, thank you for supporting us and valuing what we do daily. We love you all!

To all the parents of the dancers, thanks for allowing us to share our knowledge of dance and trusting your children to receive proper training and education. Our students have worked hard to bring you today’s performance. We are sure you will agree, the results are wonderful.

Fondly,
Andrea LaMaina and Michele Walsh