All ages and types come to dance at the Community Dance Connection Theater. Photo by Melissa Caron.
A local dancer once compared it to church.
In a small grey stone cottage on South Randolph Street in Lexington, dancers congregate every week. Primary school students, high schoolers and adults – both male and female – bring with them their various backgrounds and talents.
Different as they may be, however, they all have found their way to the Community Dance Connection Theater.
"It has the feeling of a cross-section of the community," said Nancy Saylor, director of the Dance Connection and owner of the cottage's occupant, Halestone Dance Studio.
The company, which is currently applying for nonprofit status, has attracted dancers from across the community. It is the variety of these age groups that is the heart of the company, says Saylor. From these groups have come the stories that feed their dance.
Nancy Johnston, 55, has been dancing for almost 40 years and has been involved with the dance company since its beginning. Over the past four years, she says, she has seen many of the children grow up before her eyes.
For Johnston, a local psychotherapist, the cross-generational benefit of the company is important. She danced with her own daughter, Grace, before Grace went off to college at Virginia Commonwealth University.
"My daughter, who is an excellent dancer, has a lot of shyness and had not been willing to take dance over the years," Johnston said. "I think it was jointly due to this that made it possible for her to come in." Her daughter now does modern dance at VCU.
Saylor, who is originally from the area, moved back in 1996 and took over Halestone. With that she became director of the Rockbridge Modern Dance Ensemble, a troupe for high school girls.
Then Saylor began to wonder what else she could do with dance in the county.
She found that working only with high school girls limited what she could do to make dance "something that communicates in a much broader sense the stories of our lives." So she started to look around the community and wish for adults.
In 2002, she formed the Community Dance Connection Theater, and a year later the group put on its first major production, "Love on a Shoestring."
This year, the Dance Connection will perform for Rockbridge County school children in four shows Dec. 17 and 18 at Washington and Lee's Lenfest Center. The performances will feature three full-length dances, as well as several dance demonstrations.
Saylor hopes to use the opportunity to teach the audience the importance of dance as both an art form and exercise.
The dance company has also been a learning experience for its dancers.
By allowing younger children to dance with adults, Saylor says, she has seen a shift in how people approach dance. The younger children grow by being with the adults, while the adults become more playful and humble in their work, Saylor said.
It has also been particularly helpful for teenagers, she says, because it's an age group prone to being self-centered.
"I think it really helps them to be drawn out and to have these different ages so they're not the center of the whole thing," she said. "They are seeing the adults come in from a very busy work day. They are seeing the kids come from their school."
Last year, 17-year-old Leeya Martinez danced in the company with her mother, Monika Eaton.
"It made us so much closer," Leeya said. "It makes everybody so much of a family."
Dancer Angie Rachels says that dancing with her children has been a way to overcome some of the frustrations that come with being a parent.
"After of few minutes of getting to dance, it's like all the frustration goes away and I love working with this person," she said. "This is a great person to be with. And you are kind of reminded about what a great person they really are."
From these different backgrounds, the company has been able to weave together performances for the community.
"There are a lot of stories in our bodies if we would just let them tell those stories," Saylor said.
Produced by Washington and Lee journalism students.
Lead Supervisor:
Prof. Brian Richardson
Prof. Phylissa Mitchell
Reporting supervisors:
Prof. Doug Cumming
Prof. Pamela Luecke
Technical supervisor: Michael Todd