Shely Pack Dancers open new studio in Harbor Village

The Chamber of Commerce will hold a “Ribbon-cutting” ceremony at Harbor Village to celebrate the opening of the new Shely Pack Dancers studio. J.P. Viernes, recently starring in Billy Elliot in San Francisco and a member of the Shely Pack Dancers, will perform the actual cutting. The event starts at 5:00 PM and continues to 6:30 on Wednesday September 7th, 2011. The actual ribbon-cutting will be at 5:45 PM. After a seventeen year association with the Half Moon Bay Parks & Recreation Department, the Shely Pack Dancers have moved into their own studio space at Harbor Village in picturesque Princeton-by-the Sea. The studio was named one of the top fifty studio’s in the country by Dance Spirit Magazine and draws students to the San Mateo Coast from as far as Fremont, San Jose, and Livermore. Two students with the studio have won the Beach Blanket Babylon Scholarship for the Arts $10,000 prize for their dancing abilities.

Many students of this local dance studio have gone on to careers in the performing arts including John Peter (JP) Viernes(Half Moon Bay), who at age 15, has starred as Billy Elliot in Chicago, Toronto, and now San Francisco.

After opening on Broadway in Spiderman the Musical, Kristen Oei(Fremont) is made an understudy for the leading role of Mary Jane Watson (the female lead) and  goes on in early August when Jennifer Damiano goes on vacation! This is the second Shely Pack Dancer to appear in a starring role!

Shely Pack Dancer Peter Chursin(Pacifica) was cast in the Broadway revival of West Side Story and danced with the world renown contemporary ballet company “Complexions” in New York City before sustaining an injury. Chursin had spent a number of  years in the Los Angeles and San Francisco production of “Wicked” working along side Kristen Oei.

Having their own space allows the studio to offer more classes including a new adult program that will not only offer ballet and tap but salsa and swing dancing as well.
 
Current students and their parents as well as past students and parents are invited to attend. The general public is also invited to attend. Various demonstrations will be performed along with beverages.