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Click on photo to enlarge |
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Dinah was born and raised in the Irwin
/ North Huntingdon area. She began dancing at the age
of three. She graduated from Norwin High School and
then earned a BA in Dance and Performing Arts from Point
Park College. She is the only dance teacher in the area
with this level of education and experience. After graduation
she worked in a pre-school learning how to teach dance
to very young children.
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| • Teaching is Dinah's Passion |
| Teaching has always been Dinah's main interest,
and her goal while growing up was to have her own dance
school. Her ballet master, Petrus Van Muyden, however,
told her to perform before she settled down to her dance
school so that she could pass on firsthand information
to her students about the performance side of the business.
As a result she danced with the Cleveland Ballet (where
she broke her foot), the Florida Ballet (where she lost
her glasses), and the Cincinnati Ballet (where she just
danced). The Dinah Mason School of Performing Dance has
produced a full-storyline show every spring since "The
Wizard of Oz" in 1987. By selecting the full-story
option, rather than a recital theme, there is only one
costume to buy because each student plays a part and no
matter how many dances he/she does it is always the same
character who dances. |
| • Preparing Our Students for a Professional
Future |
| We did a competition only once and though we did well,
we felt the victory was hollow because the judges were
political rather than dance-worthy. After that we concentrated
on preparing our students for a professional future though
anyone wanting just fun and games was not ignored. As
a result we have many young people earning their livings
in the entertainment field or in college preparing for
such a future, and many others who tell us they look back
on their years with us with pleasure. |
| • Develop Other Skills |
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On the other hand, we have never had a girl try out
for cheerleading who was not chosen. This is because
Dinah's girls can all do splits in the air and her warm-up
routine builds the stamina needed for many athletic
activities. That same warm-up routine helps prepare
young athletes for almost any sport that interests them.
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