Holidays to keep dance students on their toes

For almost 40 years, the Fern Adair Conservatory of the Arts, 3265 E. Patrick Lane, has been teaching students the art of performance.

The center offers a wide range of physical and performing arts. Instructors teach gymnastics, aerial acrobatics, dance, martial arts, modeling and theater.

The conservatory is getting ready for its busiest time of the year, the holiday season, when groups gather to perform festive shows. The shows feature youths ages 7 to 18, who are set to start performing in November.

“I’ve been here for about 20 years, and the Christmas performances have always been one of my favorites,” said Victoria Hetey, a martial arts instructor at the conservatory. “The kids love doing it, and there’s a lot of liveliness at those performances.”

An open house at the conservatory is also scheduled the last week before Christmas, with more information to be provided on its website once it gets closer to the date. There, parents will have a chance to browse the building and watch performances from every department.

“We try to give our students as many positive experiences and performances as possible,” Hetey said. “Some of our students have even gone on to perform at several shows in Las Vegas.”

Hetey added that many of the children have been performing since they were age 3. As part of the dance group, children learn ballet, jazz, tap, lyrical and contemporary dances.

“This is a really big commitment for most kids,” Hetey said. “They’re here four to five times a week working hard. You can see how dedicated they are with their performances.”

The first holiday performance is scheduled at the 25th annual Festival of Trees & Lights, planned at 2 p.m. Nov. 23 at the Paris Las Vegas, 3655 Las Vegas Blvd. South.

The performance, planned inside the Rivoli Ballroom, will benefit the Down Syndrome Organization of Southern Nevada. The black-tie-optional celebration will include dinner, entertainment, holiday displays and live auctions. Tickets for the event are $275. For more information, visit dsosn.org.

On Dec. 7, a holiday performance dance group is set to hold its annual bus tour to local nursing homes. Hetey said the conservatory has been visiting nursing homes during the holidays since it first opened almost 40 years ago.

Children will be dressed in festive shirts and plan to perform a short jazz and ballet-themed holiday dance.

“We do our holiday show for (people at the nursing homes), and after we finish, we go out and shake their hands,” said Mackenzie Piascik, 16, who has been performing at the conservatory for 13 years. “The audience loves it. Some of them cry or they’ll clap their hands for us. It’s nice to see that we’re doing something good for the community.”

After touring to a few nursing homes around Las Vegas, children are set to put on a 30-minute performance at the Galleria at Sunset mall in Henderson, 1300 W. Sunset Road. Afterward, they plan to perform at Town Square Las Vegas, 6605 Las Vegas Blvd. South.

“It’s such a warm and comfortable environment,” said Haleyann Hart, 16, who has been performing for eight years. “We’re all like a family. The conservatory is my home away from home, and dancing is my passion. Being able to dance with friends is definitely a blessing.”

Times are still being scheduled and are set to be posted on the conservatory’s website once it is closer to the date.

Hetey added that the conservatory is always open to people in need of performers for a show. According to Hetey, the conservatory does not charge for its performances.

The biggest holiday performance of the year is scheduled at the Children’s Theatre Workshop at the Fern Adair Conservatory of the Arts. Children plan to perform “A Fairy Tale Christmas,” directed by Sharon Chadwick. The Christmas play is scheduled at 2 p.m. Dec. 14 and 15 in Studio D. Tickets are $3.

The show is scheduled to feature many well-known fairy tale characters, such as the three little pigs, the big, bad wolf, Cinderella and the fairy godmother. The show will focus on a villain trying to stop holiday cheer by using poisoned mistletoe and the fairy tale characters trying to save Christmas.

Residents can call the front desk at 702-458-7575 to reserve tickets.

“Kids will be preforming from their hearts and sharing their love of dance with other people while sharing the holiday spirit of the season,” Hetey said. “The owner, Fern Adair, wants to give the kids as many opportunities to share their talents with others.”

For more information, visit fernadair.com.

Contact Sunrise/Whitney View reporter Sandy Lopez at slopez@viewnews.com or 702-383-4686.