OGLEBAY INSTITUTE’S SCHOOL OF DANCE HOLDS OPEN HOUSE
& “MUSIC TOGETHER” DEMO

Wheeling, W.Va. (August 14, 2009)- - Dance is vibrant all year long at Oglebay Institute. The School of Dance is now accepting new students and will host an open house from 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. Saturday, August 29 at the dance studios, 1330 National Road in Wheeling. The event is free and open to all students and parents interested in learning more about the School’s dance programs.

Attendees will meet dance instructors, tour the studios, talk with current students and learn about the variety of classes offered for all ages and skill levels. Everyone who attends receives a free gift and will be registered to win a free class.

“We want to open our doors and invite new students to join our dynamic program and experience the many benefits dance can bring to their lives,” Oglebay Institute director of dance Cheryl Pompeo said. “Dance is so much more than entertainment, it’s fitness, self-expression, poise, confidence, and freedom. I’m proud to encourage people of all ages and genders to dance and move.”

Dance has been offered at Oglebay Institute for nearly 80 years. The program continues to grow and includes everything from classes in the classics like ballet, tap and jazz to belly dance, modern dance and hip-hop. Fitness classes offered at the Institute include yoga, Pilates and tai chi.

In addition to classes, Pompeo said, Oglebay Institute dancers have numerous opportunities to perform publicly. During the 2009-2010 school year the Oglebay Institute Dance Troupe will perform in “Hansel and Gretel,” “The Nutcracker,” which includes two performances with the Wheeling Symphony Orchestra and a spring dance concert, which includes a variety of ballet and modern dance numbers selected each year.

Dancing at local schools and in public shows, the Oglebay Institute Dance Troupe is open to all serious dance students who study at Oglebay Institute’s School of Dance. The troupe has been invited to take part in National Dance Week Celebrations in both Wheeling and Charleston and performs at the West Virginia Dance Festival.

Oglebay Institute is a nonprofit educational organization begun in 1930, which operates six sites in Wheeling: the School of Dance; Stifel Fine Arts Center; the Schrader Environmental Education Center; the Mansion Museum; the Glass Museum; and the Towngate Theatre and Cinema.

For more information, call 304.242.7700.

FREE “MUSIC TOGETHER” DEMO CLASS

WHEELING, W.Va (August 14, 2009) - - The Oglebay Institute fall class schedule now includes a class of music and movement for parents and children ages birth through kindergarten.

Titled “Li’l Sprouts Music Together,” the eight-week class provides a rich musical environment that encourages infants, toddlers and preschoolers to explore the joy of music.

Area residents can participate in a free, 45-minute demo class with their children on Saturday, August 29 at Oglebay Institute’s School of Dance. Two sessions – 10:30 a.m. and 11:30 a.m - are being offered.

Based on early childhood development research, Music Together is designed to enhance learning and creativity through musical play. Parents and/or caregivers actively participate in the class and are shown ways to stimulate their children’s music development regardless of their own musical background.

For more information, call 304.242.7700.