Franklin School for the Performing Arts Presents Spring Concert Tonight, 5/19

Franklin School for the Performing Arts (FSPA) presents its annual Spring Concert tonight, May 19 at 4:00 and 7:00 p.m. and on Sunday, May 20 at 1:00 and 4:00 p.m. at Franklin's Thomas D. Mercer Auditorium, 224 Oak Street. The four Spring Concert performances feature FSPA students in all levels and disciplines of dance and musical theater, as well as the FSPA Youth Choir, performing troupes, dance ensembles, Groovemasters percussion ensemble, Jazz Krewe, and the international touring ensemble Electric Youth.

FSPA's Spring Concert is presented in an audience-friendly, 90-minute format. "All styles of music are represented, along with many different disciplines of dance," notes FSPA Director Raye Lynn Mercer. "The shows will feature the work of more than a dozen choreographers and directors from the FSPA faculty."

This year, Spring Concert marks the stage debut of Man Tap, showcasing 15 adult students from FSPA's weekly beginner tap class just for men. Weekend performances also include jazz dancers from FSPA's Boys' Dance classes, with choreography set to the title song from the musical 42nd Street. Additionally, Spring Concert features a performance by the School's Friend in Me Theater Company, a distinct program that pairs FSPA teens with students with special needs to provide weekly musical theater experiences. Student musicians from FSPA's Saturday Sessions program will also take the stage. Saturday Sessions provides an exceptional opportunity for students of all ages and instruments to jam to varied genres of music with faculty members Kenny Hadley and Arnie Krakowsky ? renowned musicians who've worked and toured with the iconic Dizzy Gillespie, Van Morrison, Tony Bennett and Ray Charles, among others.

Both Saturday Spring Concert performances present an innovative collaboration featuring six advanced students from FSPA's Ballet Conservatory Division and six Taekwondo students from
Franklin's MuHan Martial Arts studio. "Although ballet and martial arts represent different disciplines, they share the same underlying philosophy," notes FSPA Ballet Mistress Cheryl Madeux Abbott. "Both require discipline, muscle memory, rigorous training of the body and a commitment to extensive and years-long practice." Students will perform an original piece choreographed by Madeux Abbott and MuHan Master Jin Oh, titled "Um Yang," loosely translated from Korean as "Arts Kicking."

Tickets to each Spring Concert performance are $18 or $20 and may be purchased in advance at
The Spotlight Shop, 34 Main Street, (508) 528-2887, or at the door.

In the weeks following Spring Concert, prospective students are invited to visit FSPA and try a complimentary class. Classes continue at the school through June 18 and registration for summer and fall sessions is ongoing. For more information regarding FSPA programs or to schedule a trial class or evaluation, call the school at (508) 528-8668 or visit online at www.fspaonline.com.

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