10 // COASTWEEKEND.COM
COLIN MURPHEY PHOTO
Students at the Encore Dance Studio pose for a photo between rehearsals.
STAGE PRESENTS
Admission to Encore Dance Studio’s Dec. 15 Toy Drive is unopened gifts for Toys for Tots
By KATHERINE LACAZE
FOR COAST WEEKEND
E
ncore Dance Studio’s annual Toy
Drive and Holiday Showcase, taking
place in Seaside on Friday, Dec. 15,
is lovable for numerous reasons.
Not only does it merge the magic of the
holiday season with the enchantment of
dance, but, at its heart, the recital is about
“kids helping kids,” Assistant Director Tia
Van Slyke said.
The talent of about 200 dancers, 2-year-
olds to teens, will be on display as they
perform an hour-long production of holi-
day-themed dance routines at the Seaside
Civic & Convention Center. In lieu of admis-
sion, the studio requests attendees bring new
unopened toys, which will be donated to the
local Toys for Tots chapter to distribute to
children and families in Clatsop County.
“It gets everyone in the mood for the
holiday season a couple weeks ahead of
time,” said Van Slyke, who joined the
studio in 2005. “The kids really feel good
about the literal mountain of toys they see
when they walk in, right before they go
on stage. They have a buzz of excitement
about it … It’s enjoyable for everyone, it’s a
great outcome for the charity.”
The recital will showcase an array of
genres, including ballet, jazz, lyrical, hip
hop, musical theater and tap. Even the
instructors will jump onstage for a number,
and one group will perform a cheerlead-
ing/hip hop mash-up they did during the
pre-game show for a Portland Trail Blazers
game in November. Only the tumblers will
not perform at the recital.
IF YOU GO
WHAT: Encore Dance
Studio’s Toy Drive and
Holiday Showcase
WHEN: 6:30 p.m.
Friday, Dec. 15. Doors
6 p.m.
WHERE: Seaside Civic
& Convention Center
(415 First Ave., Seaside,
Ore. 97138)