Acclaimed Dance Company Prepares for Scholarship Show

3/7/14 - Dancing may have gone mainstream with the success of TV shows like Dancing With the Stars, but for about 50 young dancers in a Livingston County company, it’s a passion and an art form. On a recent weeknight, members of the Performing Arts Dance Theater in Howell were working through a routine as they prepare for an upcoming show. Many consider the troupe a local hidden gem, providing top quality dance instruction for those dedicated to the craft. Among them is Howell High School Senior Kathleen Laituri, who is in her 9th year with the company and planning on studying dance at Pace University in Manhattan in the fall. "Dance is my entire life. It's my outlet...it's basically my form of therapy." Most of the company members have been dancing since they were young children. Howell Senior Bella Nalepa started when she was three, and is preparing to tackle pre-med at MSU. She says the lessons she’s learned from her dance career have been life lessons as well. "Definitely the dedication from it. You come to dance everyday and you do it everyday. I think the time management its taught me will really help in school." The performance the company was preparing for is called "Walk With You" and will be held March 15th and 16th at Howell High School. The award-winning dance company has nurtured and trained hundreds of top dancers over the past 20 years, garnering national acclaim at various performances through the years, while remaining relatively unknown locally. But for the dancers who put their heart and soul, and the numerous hours, into their art, public acclaim isn’t the motivation. Holly Borla of Commerce Township is a high school senior who will be studying dance in the fall at Point Park University in Pittsburgh. She’s been dancing since she was three years old and says it is far more than just an extra-curricular activity. "A lot of people say dance is an escape from reality, but for me it is my reality...It's a part of who I am. I view myself as an artist and dance is my language." Danyel Boss is a Howell High School Senior and says in some ways the company is like a sports team, but at its core is a very personal experience. "It's a passion, it's honestly a passion. I can come here whenever I'm mad or upset about anything and it helps you get away from it all. It's like another home." Proceeds from the "Walk This Way" performance will help raise college scholarship money for the dancers. Video courtesy of Lindsay Root. (JK)