DECEMBER 14, 2017 // 11
In preparation
On the road
This year is the third for the Toy Drive and
Holiday Showcase. The concept was born
“kind of by accident” while staff was brain-
storming how to get more involved in serving
the community, according to Van Slyke.
“When we came up with this idea of gath-
ering toys at the door we were like, ‘Well,
that’s it. It’s perfect,’” she said. “We thought
it would be neat for the kids to go onstage,
perform and help out other local kids in the
community by collecting toys for them.”
For the past two years, the studio has
collected hundreds of toys — from stuffed
animals and dolls to art supplies and video
games — that gradually build into a large
pile in the entrance as attendees arrive for
the show. Instructors remind the young
performers that the donated bounty is due
to their initiative and participation.
“They really feel accomplished, that
they’ve done something and helped,” Van
Slyke said.
Michelle Lee, the performing arts pre-
school teacher and mother of two 9-year-
old performers, said she’s moved by “see-
ing all the hundreds of toys the community
is willing to go out and purchase and bring
and share.”
“They just do it so lovingly,” she said.
Students start rehearsing the holiday
routines — 19 in all — in October, perfect-
ing the dances up until performance week.
In general, the pieces carry over from year
to year, with the same age groups or skill
levels performing them.
“The kids are excited because they get
to sort of level up into the next routine that
they watched the big kids do the last year,”
Van Slyke said.
Encore has long cultivated a tradition
of spreading holiday cheer with seasonal
performances.
For the past 20 years, groups of students
have spent several days around Christmas
traveling to retirement and assisted-living
facilities in Clatsop County. Encore’s owner
and executive director Denele Sweet grew
up doing the same with her studio, and
she wanted to offer this opportunity to her
students, according to Van Slyke.
This year was no different. In the four
days leading up to the recital, instead of
classes, the students are taking their show
on the road, conducting mini performances
with selected routines and promoting the
holiday spirit. Students who take classes in
Warrenton go to the facilities in Astoria and
Warrenton, while the Gearhart classes go to
South County facilities.
Residents at the homes are eager for the
performances, Van Slyke said. When the
room fills with them, the young performers
and their parents or guardians, “it’s a big
holiday party, for sure,” she said.
She is an avid proponent of dance as a
practice and art form.
“It lifts your spirits,” she said. “It’s a
natural boost for your endorphins. It makes
for a happy people, and happy people make
for a good community.”
At the recital, doors open at 6 p.m. and
the performance starts at 6:30 p.m. The
show is open seating, and the past two years
have been standing room only; attendees
are encouraged to arrive early.
For more information, contact the studio
at 503-717-1637 or visit getyoudancing.
com. CW
COLIN MURPHEY PHOTOS
ABOVE: Students take a break while others rehearse at the Encore Dance Stu-
dio in Gearhart ahead of the toy drive recital. BELOW: Dance students strike
a pose at the Encore Dance Studio in Gearhart in preparation for the annual
Toy Drive Dance Recital on Dec. 15 at the Seaside Civic & Convention Center.
COLIN MURPHEY PHOTO
COURTESY ENCORE DANCE STUDIO
A class at the Encore Dance Studio in Gearhart performs a routine ahead of the third annual
Toy Drive Dance Recital in Seaside.
Encore Dance Studio presents a holiday dance recital at the Seaside Civic and
Convention Center.