About a dozen dancers from St. Michael’s Dance Impressions will get the opportunity to enjoy Thanksgiving week in Disney World, thanks to a cooperation with DX Events in Anoka.
The crew will perform a jazz routine with dozens of other dancers from around Minnesota, but the icing on the cake is the experience of the Magic Kingdom, Disney Studios and more, while basking in 80-degree temps.
“We put the option out there to everyone in our studio, and the response was pretty great. We have 10 of the 56 dancers from Minnesota going down, which is a solid number for our first time doing this,” said owner and coach Stacey Beach of Dance Impressions. “The great thing is there are plans now for us to keep doing this every two years, so more and more dancers will have the opportunity to do this in the future.”
And things don’t slow down for Beach and company when they return from the “happiest place on earth.” The girls have been practicing several weeks for an event that’s set for Saturday, Dec. 6 at the Orpheum Theater in Minneapolis.
Dance Impressions will take the stage with the Moscow Russian Ballet, as the traveling troupe from Russia puts on its annual “Nutcracker” show downtown.
“It’s such a tremendous experience for the coaches, and the kids,” Beach said of the Russian Ballet. “To do something with them, and watch how they work and how they do it, it’s something that stays with you. Last year, we were able to have some of the dancers talk with our kids, and that’s something they still talk about.”
Fans who want to see Dance Impressions in the Russian Moscow Ballet’s presentation of “The Nutcracker” can check them out at 4 or 8 p.m. on Dec. 6. Ticket information is available via the studio, or by checking out the Orpheum’s website.
Both events give the dancers from DI a chance to meet new faces, explore new places and maybe make some new friends, Beach said.
“It’s always fun when you get to competition and, maybe, you remember someone from an experience like this. You have a friend in the crowd. That helps on so many levels,” Beach said.