Teaching the performance arts with a Touch of Class
Whether you’re a preschooler or a pre-professional, get your toes tapping this year at Touch of Class Dance Studio.
The performing arts studio, founded by Debbie Apalucci, offers all types of dance, including ballet, tap, jazz, modern, acrobatics, theater, hip-hop and more for ages 2-and-a-half and up, co-owner Debi Kineavy said.
Opening day this year was Sept. 12, but registrations will be taken until mid-October, she said. The semester runs through May, followed by a recital in early June for students to showcase their work.
Touch of Class also holds seasonal programs, including Baby Dance for ages 2-and-a-half to 3-and-a-half and a mini hip-hop class for 6- to 8-year-olds, Kineavy said. The school — with centers in Broomall, Folsom and Downingtown — offers an experienced and professional staff trained through Apalucci’s own program. Employees train for an entire year before becoming certified teachers.
That training includes performances and studying current trends in dance — some of which have taken center stage thanks to popular televisions shows, Kineavy said.
“The shows are making it obvious how difficult dance is and how it’s evolving,” she said. “It’s not ‘step, together, step, clap’ — it’s like, ‘Whoa, a human body just did that.’” Through Touch of Class’s many levels of instruction, it’s never too early or too late to start finding your footing in the dance world, according to Kineavy.
“The best thing I’ve heard is to look at the person who’s having the most trouble in class, and that’s how good your class is,” she said. “You might have your stars who pick up everything fast, but, as a teacher, you need to make sure everyone knows what they’re doing.”
Classes can be used for fun or more serious training, Kineavy said.
“Some people come in once a week, learn some steps and use it when they go out to dance,” she explained. “On the flipside, we have girls and boys who are here 24-7, take multiple classes and are usually competition students.”
The school’s award-winning competition teams attend both regional and national dance conventions throughout the year; the teams recently performed in Walt Disney World and the Resorts Casino Theater in Atlantic City.
Students learn community service when volunteering in the Dancertainers — the studio’s traveling troupe that dances at nursing homes, parades and tree–lighting ceremonies during the holiday season.
“This gives the students another way of performing,” Kineavy said. “When you’re dancing or competing, you work all year long for the recital, but this gives them fun, little things in between.”
Students also can participate in an annual holiday show: This year, Touch of Class will perform “The Nutcracker” at Saint Joseph’s University Dec. 12 and 13. Training for that production begins this month.
Touch of Class also is the home of the Philadelphia 76ers’s mini-, junior- and pre-pro dance teams, which perform during the basketball team’s games.
Students from the studio will soon gain national recognition, as they will be featured in the upcoming motion picture, “Standing Ovation,” produced by James Brolin. Apalucci worked as a choreographer on the film.
All three partners in the business — Apalucci, Kineavy and Tara Liberatore —have been involved with dance all their lives.
Kineavy took classes under Apalucci, earned her degree in education at West Chester University and returned to the studio to teach. Liberatore — Apalucci’s daughter — recently became a junior partner in the business.
Many of the students at Touch of Class spend their entire young lives at the studio and stay close with the staff as they grow older.
“We teach these kids from 3 to when they graduate high school, and one of the hardest things is watching the seniors go at the end of each year,” Kineavy said. “Now, we’re starting to see former students of [Apalucci] bringing their little ones to dance. It’s spanning generations.”
A number of students have gone on to do Broadway and off-Broadway shows, perform on cruise ships and in amusement parks and more, but the lessons they’ve learned at Touch of Class resonate no matter what their career, said Kineavy.
“Even if they’re not working in the dance field, dancing makes them more confident and gives them the self-esteem needed to do whatever job they want to do,” she explained. “It’s about discipline. They put their minds to things and whatever they decide to be, they’re very successful.”
Call Touch of Class at any time to learn more about the programs or to register. Online registration is available at the Web site at www.touchofclassdance.com.
The performing arts studio, founded by Debbie Apalucci, offers all types of dance, including ballet, tap, jazz, modern, acrobatics, theater, hip-hop and more for ages 2-and-a-half and up, co-owner Debi Kineavy said.
Opening day this year was Sept. 12, but registrations will be taken until mid-October, she said. The semester runs through May, followed by a recital in early June for students to showcase their work.
Touch of Class also holds seasonal programs, including Baby Dance for ages 2-and-a-half to 3-and-a-half and a mini hip-hop class for 6- to 8-year-olds, Kineavy said. The school — with centers in Broomall, Folsom and Downingtown — offers an experienced and professional staff trained through Apalucci’s own program. Employees train for an entire year before becoming certified teachers.
That training includes performances and studying current trends in dance — some of which have taken center stage thanks to popular televisions shows, Kineavy said.
“The shows are making it obvious how difficult dance is and how it’s evolving,” she said. “It’s not ‘step, together, step, clap’ — it’s like, ‘Whoa, a human body just did that.’” Through Touch of Class’s many levels of instruction, it’s never too early or too late to start finding your footing in the dance world, according to Kineavy.
“The best thing I’ve heard is to look at the person who’s having the most trouble in class, and that’s how good your class is,” she said. “You might have your stars who pick up everything fast, but, as a teacher, you need to make sure everyone knows what they’re doing.”
Classes can be used for fun or more serious training, Kineavy said.
“Some people come in once a week, learn some steps and use it when they go out to dance,” she explained. “On the flipside, we have girls and boys who are here 24-7, take multiple classes and are usually competition students.”
The school’s award-winning competition teams attend both regional and national dance conventions throughout the year; the teams recently performed in Walt Disney World and the Resorts Casino Theater in Atlantic City.
Students learn community service when volunteering in the Dancertainers — the studio’s traveling troupe that dances at nursing homes, parades and tree–lighting ceremonies during the holiday season.
“This gives the students another way of performing,” Kineavy said. “When you’re dancing or competing, you work all year long for the recital, but this gives them fun, little things in between.”
Students also can participate in an annual holiday show: This year, Touch of Class will perform “The Nutcracker” at Saint Joseph’s University Dec. 12 and 13. Training for that production begins this month.
Touch of Class also is the home of the Philadelphia 76ers’s mini-, junior- and pre-pro dance teams, which perform during the basketball team’s games.
Students from the studio will soon gain national recognition, as they will be featured in the upcoming motion picture, “Standing Ovation,” produced by James Brolin. Apalucci worked as a choreographer on the film.
All three partners in the business — Apalucci, Kineavy and Tara Liberatore —have been involved with dance all their lives.
Kineavy took classes under Apalucci, earned her degree in education at West Chester University and returned to the studio to teach. Liberatore — Apalucci’s daughter — recently became a junior partner in the business.
Many of the students at Touch of Class spend their entire young lives at the studio and stay close with the staff as they grow older.
“We teach these kids from 3 to when they graduate high school, and one of the hardest things is watching the seniors go at the end of each year,” Kineavy said. “Now, we’re starting to see former students of [Apalucci] bringing their little ones to dance. It’s spanning generations.”
A number of students have gone on to do Broadway and off-Broadway shows, perform on cruise ships and in amusement parks and more, but the lessons they’ve learned at Touch of Class resonate no matter what their career, said Kineavy.
“Even if they’re not working in the dance field, dancing makes them more confident and gives them the self-esteem needed to do whatever job they want to do,” she explained. “It’s about discipline. They put their minds to things and whatever they decide to be, they’re very successful.”
Call Touch of Class at any time to learn more about the programs or to register. Online registration is available at the Web site at www.touchofclassdance.com.
