GREEN COVE SPRINGS — A group of young performers presented heel-tapping routines at the Augusta Savage Arts and Community Center’s first dance recital on Thursday, May 8. 

The evening was filled with upbeat tunes, sparkly costumes, light twirls and aerials, as dancers of various ages took to the stage at the Village Improvement Association. 

Dance teacher Leslee Bryan said that for the majority of the dancers, it was their first time performing. 

“I think they are doing fabulous,” she told the audience. 

Bryan has been instructing dance classes at the center for two years with the assistance of her daughter, who also performed during the recital. The non-profit organization prides itself in offering ballet, tap, cheerleading and jazz classes for youth in the community. 

With a crowd of proud parents, family members and supporters alike, each girl’s striking flip and graceful glide across the floor was met with loud cheers and applause. 

Following the performance, each dancer was able to show off one final dance move and receive a certificate from Bryan. 

The center's president Henrietta Francis acknowledged how well the recital turned out, in addition to the work that the community put in to make it happen.

Francis said that with donated funds from the Magnolia Point Women’s Club, the girls were able to shine in a range of glistening costumes. And with the help of the local chapter of the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc., she said that the organization was also able to book the venue.

The center's president Henrietta Francis acknowledged how well the recital turned out, as well as the work that the community put in to make it happen.

STAFF PHOTO BY KYLA WOODARD

“This [is] how it happened. It takes all of us working together,” she said. 

City Manager Steve Kennedy was also in attendance and briefly spoke about how far the center has come and the exceeding lengths they plan to go in the future. 

He said the city has plans to refurbish the building west of the mentoring center on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard into a vast auditorium designed to support the community’s growing involvement with the arts. He said it will have a stage and seating for as many as 200 people. 

“It will serve also other community needs, but it was designed and planned for dance performances, as well as art shows,” Kennedy said. 

After hearing that sentiment, Bryan exclaimed she may, in fact, need to add a few more dance teachers to her roster. 

The evening was filled with upbeat tunes, sparkly costumes, light twirls and aerials, as dancers of various ages took to the stage at the Village Improvement Association.

STAFF PHOTOS BY KYLA WOODARD