Summary: Dance Envoy's "Dance With A Mission" is the brain child of Michelina Piazza and Alyson Grine. Different from traditional class formats, Dance With A Mission seeks to teach children and adults good technique and strong self-esteem without all the fluff. We sat down with Michelina, founder of Dance Envoy, to hear more about this unique approach to dance instruction. Fostering children's creativity is important, because it builds self confidence, Piazza says. If you were a fly on the wall in one of her ballet classes, you would see a strong emphasis on technique. In the latter part of the session, however, focus shifts to a more light-hearted and creative approach. The students may be required to take what they've learned and include those elements in their own choreographed piece while trying to express a concept or a feeling through their dance. This is called creative movement. In addition to ballet and creative movement, the dance company also offers instruction in hip hop and lyrical, as well as some adult classes. Michelina grew up loving dance, and from the age of three, that is what she aspired to do. She found ways to incorporate dance into so much of her life's activities. She has spent time living and working in Boston, Philadelphia and New York, and abroad in Italy. As exciting as her travels have been, Michelina has decided to bring her gift back to Lancaster County, PA. Piazza herself favors contemporary and world dance and it shows in her approach to teaching. Dance Envoy presents 12 week sessions which allow more flexibility for other school commitments and activities. Michelina and her staff bring a strong and seasoned, yet free and fun-loving approach to dance instruction, but they hope you'll come and see for yourself. Classes are offered at the Linden Hall Dance Studio facility in Lititz, PA. For more information on classes and pricing, please visit www.danceenvoy.com. You can also "Like" them on Facebook. Support for this episode provided by Winding Way Books, & Pennsylvania College of Art & Design. Theme music: Invisible Walls by Revolution Void Break music: An Other Side by Xenyka
