Flagler County, FL (April 15, 2022) A dozen seniors from Flagler Palm Coast High School graced the stage for their final performance as part of the FPC Dance Company on Thursday evening to an enthusiastic audience of family and friends.
Twenty-seven acts choreographed by students and their peers ranged from solo dance and vocal performances to duets, trios and group ensembles, expressing the joy, angst, triumph and feelings of Flagler’s youth.
Amping up the energy with hits from Salt-n-Pepa, Kanye West, Rhianna, Drake and Billy Eilish’s spoken word ‘Not My Responsibility’, performances offered dance students a chance to show their versatility and skills as they closed out the dance season.
“We have 13 graduating seniors, many going on to wonderful colleges with scholarships,” said dance teacher Janice Monsanto. “Many of them do come back and support as you can see, and I’m really proud of that.”
“We have an array of different styles that we are so proud to put on this evening, and making her debut this evening is Amaris Rodriguez who just won the ‘Do Be Nice’ Award and we’re so excited about that as well. The students and staff recognized her as the person to put a big smile on their face. She is the star of our opening dance,” noted Monsanto proudly.
Driving four hours from south Florida to watch her niece perform, Linda Hall was happy to share the moment with her sister Teresa Andrews.
“I’m so excited. I drove four hours to get here. I got out of my scrubs and got here,” said Hall. “I love her and I’m so happy for her.”
Andrews was touched to have her sister in town for the evening.
“We just love her and we’re so thankful to have family here to support Ava,” she said. “She is a sophomore, she’s been working so hard, and I’m so looking forward to this,” said Andrews.
“She didn’t get to compete in the last show, so this is a big deal to her.”
Carrying flowers and joining dance mom Evelin Matsikh, the trio chatted excitedly before the show.
“She has been dancing for many years. The school’s dance team is amazing and she’s been working hard. They practice every day and I’m always excited to see them,” said the mother of sophomore Veronica Matsikh.
The show is one of several end of year productions by Flagler Palm Coast High School’s arts programs according to Flagler Auditorium director Amelia Fulmer.
“Next Thursday we have the Starlets (April 21) which is an entirely different type of dance, then the Flagler Youth Orchestra (April 25) and Screenagers (April 26), so it’s very busy at the Auditorium this time of year,” she said.
Fulmer has worked to connect the students to their professional counterparts throughout the season. In addition to serving as the school’s dance teacher Janice Monsanto is the director of the FPC Dance Company, and says the professional connectivity is a priceless opportunity for the students.
“It’s fantastic. It gives them something to look forward to,” she said. “It gives them a connection to real people who are in show business that they can talk to about life and pursuing their dreams. There aren’t a lot of dance positions open out there right now, so to meet people who are performing worldwide professionally is a fantastic asset for them.”
Preceding the evening’s show, Fulmer announced the addition of the State Ballet of Ukraine to the 2022-23 season lineup which includes an opportunity for local dance students to audition as part of the ‘Sleeping Beauty’ ballet on January 4, 2023.
“They have a Ukrainian couple that lives here in Florida and is going to come here and hold auditions for our students that want to be on the stage in Sleeping Beauty with the professional ballet of Ukraine,” said Fulmer. “We’re really excited. We’ve had them before but this is really special.”
