Dancers with the Donna Frech School of the Arts before their performance at the Waterside Edge Stage in Disney Springs, Florida. The school takes students on a trip to perform in Disney every three years, and this year's performance included students from Norwich, Otselic Valley, Sidney, Unadilla Valley, Edmeston, Laurens, Oxford, Greene, B/G, GMU, Deposit, Franklin, Seton Catholic, and Unatego school districts. (Submitted photo)

CHENANGO COUNTY — 42 local dancers and their families from The Donna Frech School of Dance recently came back from Orlando, Florida after dancers performed at the Waterside Stage in Disney Springs on August 12.

DF Dancers who performed on the official Waterside Edge Stage in Disney Springs, Florida earlier this month are from several area school districts including Norwich, Otselic Valley, Sidney, Unadilla Valley, Edmeston, Laurens, Oxford, Greene, B/G, GMU, Deposit, Franklin, Seton Catholic, and Unatego.

What a wonderful opportunity for the students to experience! Despite humid 92-degree temperatures, these talented dancer-athletes persevered and did so well.

Dancers also took a workshop class on August 11 with a Disney performer/instructor cast member while at Disney, where they gained quite a bit of knowledge about the performance world, and at the same time had a fun and exciting experience.

Dancers from the Donna Frech School of Dance had to audition to be selected for this amazing opportunity.

“We are so proud of them. They were troopers and pulled out an amazing performance!" said Kristen Miller who, along with her sister Kathleen Cragle, are both instructors at their mom’s (Donna Frech Sharp) dance studio and have been teaching dance there for over 22 years.

"Both Kathleen and Kristen have performed at Disney for several years as dance students, with our first year performing being in 199," said Donna Frech School of Dance Owner and Director Donna Frech Sharp. "Now, they attend as the instructors, bringing our students. DFSD instructor Jazmine Albin also joined us this year in Disney."

Several DFSD dancers have performed at Disney before in 2018, and there were many dancers whose first ‘Magical Experience’ on a Disney stage was this year’s 2022 performance.

Dancers ranged in age from 7 to 22. There were several DF Dance Alumni who came back to perform again in Disney.

Miss Donna, as she’s affectionately known to many of her dancers, added, "We have been performing in Disney every three years since 1998. There have been 2 exceptions – after 9/11 in 2001, we waited to go back until 2006, and we were supposed to perform in 2021 but the Disney Youth Program was not open due to COVID. It officially opened again in 2022, so we sent in our audition tape for 2022!"

The DF Dancers’ performance and workshop opportunity was part of the newly-formed Disney Imagination Campus (formerly Disney Youth Programs), a youth program for young performers. The program covers many areas of the arts.

The Disney Imagination Campus mission statement reads, "Through our unique curriculum and learning environment, we are committed to fostering creative thinking, fearless exploration and, of course, Disney magic. It is our mission to provide students with the tools they need to express themselves creatively and academically and to prepare them for real-world challenges."

The DFSD dancers were part of the Disney Imagination Campus Performing Arts which has the following description of their program: "Here at Disney Imagination Campus, our Performing Arts curriculum and performance opportunities let participants experience first-hand what it’s like to be a Disney entertainment professional. Blending a broad range of disciplines from live theatre to dance, vocal, and instrumental music, there is truly something for everyone.

"Whether performing on a Disney Parks stage for a live audience or taking part in one of our engaging instructional workshops, participants will be treated as working professionals. They’ll have the rare opportunity to hone their craft while learning from real working artists in the industry, both at Disney and beyond. Students will also have the invaluable experience of practicing, learning, and performing in unfamiliar settings and in front of new faces.

"This refreshing break from the normal routine provides exposure to other perspectives while serving as a positive and empowering reminder that when it comes to working in entertainment, one must expect the unexpected! We hope to inspire performers with a glimpse of just how far they can go – while creating magical memories and learning valuable lessons that will last a lifetime."

Performances must be between 15 and 25 minutes, meet Disney standards, and be exciting, upbeat, entertaining, and fun for guests to watch. The DFSD performance was 25 minutes of tap, jazz, musical theater, and production routines dancers performed at their 47th annual recital in June.

"We seamlessly put together these routines and added two more to make the 25-minute Disney performance complete," said Donna Frech Sharp. "We rehearsed the dancers throughout the summer up until the week before we left to go to Disney. The last week of rehearsals the excitement was high, and not just for dancers; Parents and family members were just as excited.”

In addition to the performance and workshop, DF Dance families spent a week in Disney, leaving time to enjoy a family vacation too. Several families have already reached out to owner/director Donna Frech Sharp indicating they had such a wonderful time they can’t wait to go back.

Donna Frech School of Dance begins its 48th season on September 12 with locations in Norwich, Sidney, and New Berlin. We wish to thank the area communities for continually supporting us and allowing the arts to flourish in our communities.

The children of the area are our future. At DFSD we strive to add so much more to their lives than dance steps. After all, it’s not just about the steps we teach.

-Information provided by the Donna Frech School of Dance