Manship offers pay-as-you-can dance classes – Monday’s classes focus on musical theatre and modern contemporary dance

Renee Chatelain knows how former dancers trying to get back in the swing of things might feel.

The Manship Theatre’s executive director has a background in dance and has taught across the area. She says she would love to continue, but doesn’t want to have the strains of going to a class where she has to keep up with 18-year-olds.

Noticing these feelings throughout the community, Chatelain created the pay-as-you-can dance classes at Manship last year. The classes are designed for adults as well as those who are even a little interested in dance.

“Sometimes you want to try something and you say, ‘I want to go see what it’s like, but I don’t want to commit,'” she says. “With our classes, we want to give people that entrée. If there’s enough of a following, we want people to value the class in the future. I don’t want money to be an inhibitor at the beginning. If you come and pay nothing, we won’t say anything. If you pay $10, that’s fine, and the money goes to paying the teacher.”

Last year’s classes were improvisational dance jams, she says. However, this year is a little more formal. Monday’s 6:30 p.m. classes are tailored toward musical theatre, led by Mary Bayle. The 7:30 p.m. modern contemporary dance classes are led by Mina Estrada. Both sessions take place in the Hartley/Vey Workshop at Manship Theatre.

With good response, this type of program could have legs, Chatelain says. Right now, Manship is looking to see if the pay-as-you-can classes could run to the end of the year. By next year, more formal classes might be available with a limited pay-as-you-can element installed.

So far, Chatelain has enjoyed seeing who has participated.

“It reached some people I hadn’t seen in a couple decades who love dance but are doing other things,” she says. “It was great to see kids who still have that love for it and want to take a class to keep up. It was an eclectic group.”

For more information, click here or call 1-866-451-2787.