Franco de Vita from the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School of the American Ballet Theatre bidding farewell to a group of students from The Dance Workshop.

Theresa Lungaro-Mifsud, principal of The Dance Workshop, accompanied 19 students to an international summer school at Ateneo Danza, Forlì, which is under the artistic direction of Stefania Sansavini.

Here the students studied with dance experts, including Franco de Vita and Raymond Lukens from the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School of the American Ballet Theatre, Oliver Matz  and  Ivan Dinev from Tanz Zurich Academy, Marie-José Redont from the Paris Opera Ballet School and Bella Ratchinskaia from the Vienna State Opera Ballet School.

At the end of the week, the students took part in a performance held at Teatro Fabbri in Forli, following which six Maltese students were awarded ‘special mentions’.

Ms Lungaro-Mifsud has been accompanying students to international courses and competitions for the last 20 years. This is an excellent way to develop the students’ passion for dance and also helps them to become more independent.

“When we work with three-year-olds, we introduce dance techniques and also focus on their physical and cognitive development. We work on imagination, musicality, discipline and group skills – the children hardly realise that they are actually working on posture and technique. This infallible system has enabled us to develop young dancers ready to study and compete in international events.  Attending high-level international summer schools is the next step.