Kids are putting on The Lion King
- Charles Reams
- Jun 30
- 2 min read
The Lion King is coming
Summer camp dancers prep for play in August
At the Phillis Wheatley Center
Antoinette Hall, who oversees the youth’s arts program, puts her students through the paces as they prepare for The Lion King on August 1 at 5:30 pm at the Phillis Wheatley Center.
The troupe has been rehearsing all summer.
Performers at this rehearsal are from front to back:
Kyran Mayfield, Chloe Gaskin, Abbigail Littlejohn, EB Brown, Zoey Hailstock, Kristen Gilmore, Cameron Smith, Kirstan Gilmore, Kenya Peterson, Kadin Stokes.
Finding entirely free lessons in dance elsewhere is challenging, but students who show talent can occasionally snag scholarships and sponsors. Getting started is a challenge.
The Phillis Wheatley Center, on the other hand, lets the children learn the basics, spread their wings, and dance.
The choreographer is Vaughn Newman, a noted name in dance here, nationally, and abroad. Newman has studied dance in Philadelphia, Miami, and Africa. One look at his effortless moves tells you that this guy is a consummate pro.
Observers have to smile while they see the children doing their stuff on stage, pirouetting, jumping, gyrating, twirling with joy, grace, and strength. While watching this rehearsal, you have to ask, where would these children be without this dance program? How will this start impact their future? Where could some of these students be tomorrow?
Talent speaks a universal language. No interpreter is needed.
Newman, the choreographer, fuses muscular consciousness with cultural diversity, music, and art. The results are stunning in him and for the children. If a start looks this good, what will the maturation resemble?
Newman's dancing journey started at William Penn Arts Charter in Philadelphia, PA. He then trained at Freedom Theater, PHILADANCO, & New World School of the Arts in Miami, FL. In Miami, he performed with Momentum Dance Company and Brazz Dance Theater. In 2009, he moved to Upstate SC and began collaborating with local studios and theaters.
Children this committed have earned the support of the community. Check out their collective effort in The Lion King.
