Young dancers rise to the occasion

Ava Butler, Quinton Stanley, and Olivia Trevillyan will perform in Piccolo Spoleto's Rising Stars performance.

Cheryl Merschen, owner of Magnolia Dance Academy, will have three students featured in the "Rising Stars" performance at Piccolo Spoleto. Find more information at piccolospoleto.com/rising-stars.

REGAN: You have three local dance students (Ava Butler, Quinton Stanley, and Olivia Trevillyan) who won the chance to perform at the May 28 Piccolo Spoleto’s “Rising Stars 2018” event in Charleston, one of the premier arts festivals in the nation. How did that come about?

MERSCHEN: “Rising Stars” recognizes outstanding young artists in music, dance, vocal, theater, creative writing, and visual art. This is an extremely competitive program that provides artistically talented youth of the US Southeast with a high profile performance venue which recognizes their exceptional artistic talent, so this honor is huge! Ava and Quinton will perform a contemporary duet entitled "Give Me One Reason." Ava is a freshman at Summerville High School, while Quinton is a junior there. Olivia will perform a classical ballet piece, the Bluebird variation from "Sleeping Beauty." Olivia is just an eighth-grader over at the Rollings Middle School of the Arts.

R: How long have they all been dancing and performing? What does it mean to Ava, Quinton, and Olivia to dance? “Why” do they dance in terms of what they’re trying to express?

M: Olivia has been dancing for 11 years while Ava has been dancing for 13 years and Quinton has been dancing for14 years. Dance gives Olivia the opportunity to express herself without words. Quinton dances to express his emotions and personality. Ava began dancing for her mom but then fell in love with it.

R: Are any of them planning to go into dance professionally? What are their future plans with dance?

M: Olivia has dreams of moving to New York City and becoming a Rockette and continu(ing) her education. Quinton wants to head to Broadway and then he is going to further his education to become a biochemist. Ava wishes to major in English and minor in dance and perhaps teach in a studio capacity.

R: Can you tell when a dancer has that “special something” early on and did these three definitely have that quality? What do you think it takes to be a wonderful dancer?

M: That special something is the passion for dance and this can happen at any time. I have had dancers and teachers who found their love of this art at a very "late" age. That special something is that "drive, ambition, the inner burn" that is not always seen by everyone. I had students who have quietly catapulted themselves into a dance future all the while quietly awaiting that moment.

For me personally I have always admired those that possess modesty about their abilities and this attitude shows a strong work ethic and a continued emphasis on consistently improving. These dancers have many more success stories than dancers who feel they have "hit the top of their game".

R: Tell us about your Magnolia Dance Academy, how you started, and all you offer young people.

M: Magnolia Dance Academy started in 2008. It was a dream of mine to open a family-oriented studio with an emphasis on morals and values. We continue today with a structure much different than what one may see on television. Our studio is very conservative in our dress code, our music, and our style of dance. We offer ballet, tap, jazz, musical theater, modern lyrical, contemporary and hip hop. We emphasize technique as our main objective.

R: What do you feel dance does for kids (in terms of their development, creativity, etc.)?

M: I find that dance today lets children show their creative sides. It helps them to be confident, learn time management, how to interact with people, take corrections and be self-motivated all while having fun and exercising. I feel this is something that doesn't happen on a phone. It still amazes me to watch a child come in that has never danced or is continuing dancing and actually be able to see improvement within a six-to-nine month period. It truly is very rewarding.

Mary E. Regan, columnist, is a publicist with her ProPublicist consultancy.

Story ideas? Email: Mary@ProPublicist.com

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