Young dancers get chance to shine with Bella Beauties
Smack dab in the middle of the Summerfest grounds Saturday, a small dance troupe of about 10 girls and young women showed off moves that would put most people to shame.
The group represents students from the Bella Beauties Dance Studio in Glendale. Performing at 3 p.m. at Gruber Law Offices SportsZone, the group brought hiphop and R&B sounds to Summerfest, with energy that some found contagious.
“It’s beautiful, I’m liking that the youth are able to come in and perform here,” Comikia Price of Hales Corners said. “I like the environment and everyone is able to come and feel entertained.”
Her 5-year-old daughter, also named Comikia, stood at the edge of the basketball court at the SportsZone mesmerized by the group’s performance. Her mother had performed at Summerfest from 1986 until 1990 as part of a local street dancing group, an opportunity she would like her daughter to have as well.
“I’m probably going to check out their studio because of the ability to perform,” she said.
The studio teaches ballet, hiphop, modern, jazz, tap and lyrical dance styles to children of all ages up until their 18th birthday. The studio’s founder, Chrystal Lester, said their goal is to teach dance second.
“We bring kids in and work primarily on character building. We say dance is second,” said Lester, a Glendale resident. “To be better dancers, you need to be a better person.”
She added that the group hosts camps to not only teach dance but to focus on teaching its students how to be good women and men, fostering a sense of sisterhood among members. Students have access to free tutoring if they’re struggling in school, and if their grades aren’t good enough, they can’t perform.
This was the dance studio’s second time performing at Summerfest, Lester said.
Teary Jones, a dancer during Saturday’s performance, has been with the studio since it was founded two years ago. She just turned 18 and will join the studio’s staff in August as an instructor. That feeling of sisterhood has been a big payoff for her when she performs.
“I feel amazing and on top of the world with my sisters. We feel as one,” said Jones, a Glendale resident.