Finding Their Wings
It was Mother's Day weekend at the Montrose Pavilion. Backstage, hundreds of kids in glittering costumes were moving in and out of the wings. Parents were running costume racks. Volunteers were counting tiaras.
This was Cinderella — the spring show from Weehawken Dance, the Uncompahgre Valley's community dance and aerial arts program. More than 350 kids enrolled. Seventy-five classes combine into six performances over one weekend.
A Place Where Shy Kids Come Alive
Ask the parents why they keep coming back and you hear a version of the same story. Kids who used to hide behind their moms, who wouldn't talk to a stranger, who didn't know where they belonged — and what happened to them after years on Weehawken's stage.
"When we found Weehawken, it just brought out the most confidence that we didn't even know was in her," said Nikki Korn, whose daughter danced the role of Fairy Godmother in Sunday's performance.
For some families, the program has become more than an extracurricular activity. Jessica Fox started as a scholarship parent, then joined the staff so her kids could take more classes. Her son — who danced in his first Cinderella with Weehawken years ago — is now dancing at Colgate University.
What's Next for Weehawken
Artistic director and lead choreographer Natasha Pyeatte has been building this program for nineteen years. This fall, Weehawken moves into a new 10,000-square-foot facility in Montrose, bringing all of its classes under one roof for the first time.
Pyeatte says the goal has never been to produce professional dancers. It's bigger than that. "I feel like things like this bring people together," she said. "The more we can do to bring people together than have them be pulled apart, the better."
Weehawken Dance offers youth dance, aerial, and adult classes in Montrose, Ridgway, and Ouray. Summer and fall enrollment is open now at dance.weehawkenarts.org.
