By: Mars Bourke

Does your little one like to boogey? Do they like a good story? Then Dance Me a Story, an up-and-coming event at The Library, may be for you! Samantha Pasquarette, dancer, business owner, and frequent Dauphin County Library patron, will be holding this event at the Alexander Family Library. Dance Me a Story follows Samantha, owner of Studio 22, and her dancers as they guide young patrons through the story of the Nutcracker, teaching them how to tell a story through dance.

Tell me a little bit about yourself and Studio 22.

I’ve been teaching at the studio for over 10 years, and I started out as a teacher. From there I worked my way up to artistic director, and then three years ago, I became the owner.

I am the head director for our Nutcracker performance. Studio 22 is located right in Hummelstown. We offer a variety of classes starting from the ages of two years old all the way up through adults. And this is going to be our fifth Nutcracker performance. We started in 2020 and every year it’s just gotten kind of bigger and bigger, and we’ve been able to really spread the word to our community.

What do you look forward to most about doing your upcoming event with The Library?

What I look forward to the most is having the kids engage in the story of The Nutcracker and having them interact with the characters, especially towards the end of it, and getting their picture taken, and just watching them watch the dancers is what I look forward to the most. And it’s really one of the main reasons we do this, is to involve the children.

How does one tell a story through dance?

Well, we always have music on. Music allows the dancers to, you know, keep track of their dancing and choreography, and a lot of it is through dancing and facial expression, and we use props and costumes as well so people can see the characters and who they are. Their dancing also reflects their character as well. There’s also a couple of times where dancers are expected to act in order to get the storyline across.

In your opinion, what’s your favorite thing about The Library?

My favorite thing about the library is the involvement of the children. I have twin boys, and we actually are in the Born to Read program, so I also love that there are things for all different age groups at the library for children to attend.

Are you planning on doing any future events with The Library?

I would love to. I don’t have anything on my calendar, but we do performances throughout the year. So yes, I would definitely be interested in collaborating again.

If you and your family are interested in participating in Dance Me a Story with Samantha and her dancers, please visit https://dcls.libcal.com/event/12828117 to register and join in on the fun!