From the CEO: Mirror, Mirror on the Wall
This blog post first appeared on ArtsWestchester CEO Janet Langsam’s blog, This and That By JL.
My granddaughter, as a child, always loved to go for dance lessons at Steffi Nossen School of Dance (SNSD). Not for the lessons necessarily, but she loved to laugh at herself in the floor-to-ceiling mirrors. I always wondered why dance studios had so much “look/see“ space. Shelley Grantham, Executive Director at Steffi Nossen, explained to me:
“The reason for floor-to-ceiling mirrors in dance studios is for two reasons: First is so the dancers can see themselves and other students while learning. It helps them to be able to follow along, see what side they should be using, and if they are on tempo. The other reason is to help the instructors to see the full group at one time, both the front of their bodies and back, allowing for better corrections and communication between teacher and student. The reason the mirrors are so tall is because of dancers lifting each other and needing the ability to see it in the mirror.”
So SNSD’s parents, teachers and students will get together next Saturday night, March 25, to celebrate their professional achievements, and to let the community know the importance of dance. The event will take place at the White Plains Performing Arts Center.
photo credit: Ellen Crane Photography
About ArtsWestchester
For more than 50 years, ArtsWestchester has been the community’s connection to the arts. Founded in 1965, it is the largest private not-for-profit arts council in New York State. Its mission is to create an equitable, inclusive, vibrant and sustainable Westchester County in which the arts are integral to and integrated into every facet of life. ArtsWestchester provides programs and services that enrich the lives of everyone in Westchester County. ArtsWestchester helps fund concerts, exhibitions and plays through grants; brings artists into schools and community centers; advocates for the arts; and builds audiences through diverse marketing initiatives. In 1998, ArtsWestchester purchased the nine-story neo-classical bank building at 31 Mamaroneck Avenue which has since been transformed into a multi-use resource for artists, cultural organizations and the community. A two-story gallery is located on the first floor of ArtsWestchester’s historic building on Mamaroneck Avenue. artsw.org