CARIBOU — For 21 years The Maine Dance Academy has been thrilling audiences with its talented dancers and tumblers ranging in age from 2 through 18. This year was no exception, as the academy took to the Caribou Performing Arts Center stage for its annual dance recital on Mother’s Day weekend.
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Mini Troupe members of The Maine Dance Academy perform a contemporary dance as Queen Elsa “freezes” the scene on the Caribou Performing Arts Center stage. The academy presented its annual recital, featuring the theme of Disney’s “Frozen,” on Mother’s Day weekend.
With creative choreography by Colleen DuPlissie, owner of TMDA and popularly known as Miss Colleen, and her staff of equally talented instructors, Clarann Floyd, Danielle Peterson, Jessica Wishart, Krista Albert, Karie Ouellette and Jordyn Rossignol, a lively rendition of “Frozen” came to life.
Three days of sold-out crowds enjoyed dancers and tumblers from all over The County, who performed against a colorful, twinkling set created by local carpenter, Bryan Saucier, and local artist, Heather Harvell.
The graduating seniors danced as the characters from “Frozen”: Emma Jandreau, Jenn Chapman, Brittany Hernandez, Emma Langille, Courtney Parent, Morgan McCarthy, Marisa Clark and Kaitlyn Ring.
The youngest Temple dancers sparked laughter amongst the crowd, while the older dancers showed intricate precision with their crowd-pleasing Celtic tap.
The show began with a display of tumbling from TMDA’s new tumbling school, which then flowed into the bevy of dancers of all ages who brought the feel of Broadway to Caribou, from classical ballet, to hip hop, to contemporary, to tap, to Celtic and lyrical dance.
In Act II, the castle lit up in rhythm to music and was magically transformed into a beautiful ice-like structure.
“Just because you are from a small town doesn’t mean you cannot do big things, and that is what the TMDA dancers and tumblers did on the big stage,” said DuPlissie, noting that crowds gave standing ovations after each performance.
DuPlissie added, “The entire cast brought to life the meaning of true love. What a wonderful message for Mother’s Day.”
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Temple dancers, from left, Madlyn Kinney, Anna Griffeth and Emma Graves take the stage during The Maine Dance Academy’s recent dance recital, which featured interpretations from the popular Disney musical “Frozen.”
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Vivinene Prashaw and Renee LaPointe play the parts of the young Princesess Anna and Elsa during the academy’s annual dance recital.
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Queen Elsa and Princess Anna, played by Jenn Chapman and Emma Jandreau, glide across the stage during The Maine Dance Academy’s recent production of “Frozen.”
