In the first seasons of the Chesapeake School Dance program, students and parents have been able to experience a variety of different dances from local schools.
Some schools have performed choreography from the 1970s and 1980s while others have taken inspiration from contemporary styles of dance.
Now, thanks to an online fundraising campaign, more than 2,000 people have contributed to the Chesnutts’ Dance Project.
The goal of the campaign is to create a new class for 2018.
The class, called Chesapeake Dance, will be created through a partnership between the Cheshire Academy of Arts and Sciences, Chesapeake High School, and the Chesbury Community College District.
Each school has partnered with other schools to create the class.
The program will focus on music and dance from Chesapeake’s schools.
Cheshire Arts and Science will be the school of choice, as it has the largest and oldest high school in the state, and is home to the nation’s oldest ballet company, the Chesire.
The school’s first class, which began on January 20, is led by senior student Shira Davis, a dance student from North Carolina.
Davis said she came up with the idea for the class after watching the Chesumas’ School Dance team perform in New York City in October.
Davis has performed in the program for three years and said she is excited about the opportunity to bring a Chesapeake school experience to the District.
“I think it is a lot of fun,” Davis said.
“I think this is a way to have a group of people that are not necessarily in the same dance, but they’re dancing to different styles.
I think it’s really fun.”
The class will be comprised of students from three schools: Cheshire High School; the Chesimore Community College district; and the North Carolina High School of Arts.
All of the classes are held at the Chesome High School.
For Davis, the program will be a chance to explore her own style of dance as a way of connecting with the people in the class and developing new friendships.
The Cheshire Dance Team has performed at Chesapeake dances for the past three years, Davis said, and she is hoping that the program helps her students get a head start on their career.
“We’ve got a lot to learn,” Davis added.
“It’s important for them to get exposure to people who can be a resource.”
The Chesumens Dance Project has raised more than $2,500 of its $5,000 goal, but the team is still searching for the right teacher to bring Chesapeake students to Cheshire.
For students like Davis, she hopes that the opportunity will allow her to expand her style of dancing.
“Hopefully I’ll be able to bring more of the dance into Cheshire, so that I can bring some new people in to dance, and hopefully some of the people I bring in will have their own styles and can get a better education,” Davis concluded.
Chesapeake public school students are encouraged to come participate in the Chesun Dance Project through the Chesure school’s online fundraising page.
For more information about Chesapeake, visit www.chesapeake.gov.
Follow Elizabeth Bowers on Twitter @beckysmoody.