This July the Cazenovia School of Ballet traveled to Walt Disney World to participate in the Dance the World parade through Disney’s Magic Kingdom and performed on stage at “World Showplace” in Epcot.
The group of 14 dancers, ranging in age from 8 to 20, had begun the process of being involved with the Dance the World performance opportunity nearly 10 months prior to their departure.
Cazenovia School of Ballet Artistic Director Joanne Rinaldo was responsible for teaching and rehearsing the parade choreography from Disney as well as choreographing the routine for the dancers’ on-stage performance in Epcot. Rehearsals began in the fall of 2017 with the goal of April 1, 2018 for their DVD audition submission to Disney. With the acceptance of their audition, the dancers continued to perfect their routines adding in extra rehearsals plus their weekly dance classes, academic and sporting obligations.
During the three phases of the Dance the World event, more than 3,000 dancers from around the world participated in the experience. In all, over 30 dancers and family members traveled from Cazenovia to Orlando.
“There are many people who helped our dancers along the way,” Rinaldo said. “I am continually amazed by the support of our community for our children. We would like to thank Josh Smith, Denise DiRienzo, and Todd Macreery who helped arrange rehearsal locations for filming the parade routine and stage practices. And, of course, the parents of the dancers, it couldn’t have been accomplished without their help. This was truly a commitment of time and resources with countless hours devoted to rehearsals and meetings. The dancers would like to add a special thank you to the Cazenovia Public Library for their support.”
Cazenovia School of Ballet plans to premier its Disney choreography during the annual Village of Cazenovia Christmas Celebration held during the first weekend in December. “We are really excited to share our performance with everyone here in Cazenovia,” Rinaldo said.
For more information about The Cazenovia School of Ballet, visit their website at cazballet.com or call 315-655-5509.
