RBR Spring Dance Concert Sends Its Seniors Off to College and Other Dancing Adventures

Little Silver, NJ – The Red Bank Regional (RBR) Visual and Performing Arts (VPA) Dance Majors will present their Spring Dance Concert on Thursday, April 26, at 7 pm and Saturday, April 28, at 2 pm in the RBR Theatre at 110 Ridge Road, Little Silver. Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for students and senior citizens. The spring show features 42 dance majors presenting 30 numbers in a mix of dance styles including hip hop, modern, jazz and contemporary numbers.

Pictured are several of the RBR Dance Majors rehearsing for their upcoming Spring Dance concert. They are (left to right) (standing) Kendall Van Winkle, Little Silver, Bella Caputi, Red Bank, Samantha Lore, Red Bank, (seated) Phoenicia Butler, Red Bank, Jessica Adderly, Union Beach, Dillion Jackson, Little Silver. 

The program is choreographed primarily by the student dancers with several guest choreographers including Gabrielle Barnett, a dance teacher and founder of a dance company, and RBR dance major alumni who have pursued dance and dance education careers including Jamie Baptist, Kali Drake Jessica Berube, Gwen Baum, and Anthony Tiedeman. Jessica is student teaching at RBR this year in the dance classroom.   

The spring concert also represents the last time the talented six senior dance majors will perform together.  In their honor, Jessica Berube, choreographed an apropos dance for the seniors entitled, Off I Go.

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Kendall Van Winkle of Little Silver strikes an arabesque in rehearsal for the RBR Spring Dance concert on Thursday, April 28, and Saturday, April 28.

RBR’s dance teacher Dorianne Murray comments, “This year’s seniors have always worked so well together. The bond they have developed enabled them to have such a successful year.”

This year’s dance students performed in many venues including RBR’s own Black History Month program as well as the Monmouth County Superior Court Black History Month Celebration. They delighted the senior citizens at the Wesleyan Arms with a vignette from their holiday program. They also ventured to Broadway in NYC to see Wicked and take a dance workshop with the cast.

Senior Phoenicia Butler of Red Bank, who choreographed three pieces for the Spring Dance Concert, is pursuing a career in dance education at the University of North Carolina in Charlotte. Senior Dillon Jackson of Little Silver, picked a big football college hoping to make their dance team and will be soon auditioning for that competitive position at Virginia Tech. Kristin Balve of Little Silver will be studying psychology in a college in Rhode Island next fall. She would like to incorporate dance therapy into a future practice she hopes to build. Colleen Strazdas of Neptune City, is still deciding between colleges in Boston or Florida. The student of the Peter Smith School of Irish Dance has performed her step dancing here and abroad, traveling to Europe for performances seven times. Boston University’s step dance club could figure into her final decision for her college career. Alexis Hines of Union Beach has shared two passions throughout her high school career playing sports as well as dancing each day. She will be attending Salisbury University in Maryland where she will major in physical education and play softball. While Kendall Van Winkle is still undecided on a major at Lehigh University, she intends to look for ways to be involved in dance and acknowledges that she will miss the program that allowed her to dance every day.

RBR’s Senior Dance majors will perform one last time together in their annual Spring Concert. All have choreographed numbers. They are pictured (left to right) Alexis Hines, Union Beach, Phoenicia Butler, Red Bank, Kristine Balve, Little Silver, Kendall Van Winkle, Little Silver, Dillon Jackson, Little Silver, and Colleen Strazdas, Neptune City.

Perhaps Kristin Balve summed up her peers feelings by stating, “This program provided me with such a comfortable place. Everyone here is family.”

Pictured (right) are several of the RBR Dance Majors rehearsing for their upcoming Spring Dance concert. They are (left to right) (standing) Kendall Van Winkle, Little Silver, Bella Caputi, Red Bank, Samantha Lore, Red Bank, (seated) Phoenicia Butler, Red Bank, Jessica Adderly, Union Beach, Dillion Jackson, Little Silver.

(Left) Kendall Van Winkle of Little Silver strikes an arabesque in rehearsal for the RBR Spring Dance concert on Thursday, April 28, and Saturday, April 2