Abernethy Performing Arts
My next locally owned business I wanted to feature this month is, Abernethy Performing Arts. I picked the perfect time to give them a shout out as this week as they are offering a few FREE zoom classes that you can join. But we will get to that in a bit.
APA is located here in Oregon City and our family has been a part of this studio for almost 5 years (I think? Time flies by). Both my kids and I take classes. Yes, you did indeed read that right, I take classes too. There is an adult ballet class as well as I take a contemporary dance class with the “kids”. I say this so you will understand one of the really big things that I love about this dance studio. We can ALL dance. The studio is welcoming to anyone, no matter your age or level. While I have a dance background (although ZERO ballet) when I started I had not danced in about 15 years. Now…several years later I can not even imagine my life with it. I have made friendships that will last a lifetime and have had the most wonderful dance memories already.
The second reason I LOVE this studio is there is no such thing as a recital. Which, Can I get an AMEN? Sorry, for those that have had to suffer through recitals. I know they are adorable BUT they can equally be painful LOL. I’m not a fan. Instead of a recital APA has two FULL ballet performances each year (one in Dec and one in June). The cast works tremendously hard on these ballets and put on beautiful performances. And of course don’t forget my previous note, as this also applies. There is a part for everyone in the performances! The kids typically steal the show (along with the beautiful principal dancers) but even I have a part on stage and get to perform. Imagine how this looks through a child’s eyes? So many positive lessons they learn as they watch their own mom (and other adulst) dance on stage. My kids LOVE it when we have parts that are on stage together which is incredibly special. I have had moments with each of my kids that I will never forget.
So you are probably wondering how I can be featuring a dance studio during this “He who must not be named” virus? Well, because they have found a creative way to navigate this utilizing ZOOM! I could not be more thankful that we are all still able to continue our classes online while at home. My favorite class to watch is the littles (Lennox’s class). Miss Chirsty teaches the class while Keith pops in with fun little things to keep the kids engaged and giggling.
In the above photos you will see Lily’s zoom ballet class (in which they were actually signing her Happy Birthday) and then Mr. Keith adding stickers to his face at the end of Lennox’s ballet class. He puts one sticker for each kiddo (insert a million giggles here).
This week, APA is offering a few free ZOOM classes that you guys can try out. If you are an adult wanting a little workout, I will be taking the Thursday Contemporary Class. It is my favorite class! Here is this weeks FREE zoom class schedule:
Monday - Story Book Ballet with Princess Bernadette 5:45-6:30 (ages 3-7)
Tuesday - Musical Theatre Jazz 4:30-5:15 (ages 8-12)
Thursday - Contemporary Dance 6:30-7:30 (ages 12+)
Friday - Tap/Musical Theatre (intermediate) 4:00-5:00 (ages 9+)
To sign up for a class please email kwalls@apadancetheater.com to get the zoom link for the class of your choice.
I hope you guys liked today’s local business feature! I have really enjoyed writing them and still have a couple more in store for you this month. If you are a local business or have one you love that you would like to see featured please email me!
Even if you are not going to sign up for a class, I encourage you to give APA a follow on one (or ALL) of their platforms below:
Abernethy Performing Arts
APA Facebook
APA instagram
APA youtube
Life Out Loud~
Whitney
www.blissstudio.net
www.lifeoutloudblog.com
instagram @blissstudiopdx
* All images and opinions in this post are my own. I am not being paid or compensated. As a small business owner I want to celebrate and support other locally owned businesses. I hope you will support them too.
