SALISBURY — Looking to provide fun and holiday spirit for the whole family, the Boys & Girls Club of the Lower Merrimack Valley Dance Team will be performing as part of the club’s upcoming annual Christmas party.
“They are very excited. They started rehearsing in September,” program director Katie Beal said.
The party will be held Dec. 6, from 6:30 to 8 p.m., at the Boys & Girls Club located at 18 Maple St.
In addition for The Believers – the name of the dance team – to show off their skills, the event serves as a fundraiser. A $3 donation at the door is suggested, and folks will have the opportunity to enjoy a bake sale.
“All the money we raise from the program just goes right back to getting new costumes and tap shoes for them,” Beal said.
She said there will also be a raffle.
“There will be anything from Christmas decorations to plants, all sorts of things, so you can buy raffles and maybe go home with some prizes,” Beal said.
Kids will be walking around selling them during the event.
“We’ll announce a few raffle winners in between each little changing session,” Beal said.
Beal explained that the program is run by volunteer Samantha Stanton, who has been organizing the show for 13 years.
“The kids love going to dance class with Mrs. Samantha,” Beal said.
She said they have two shows a year, one in the winter and one in the spring.
“There are 12 kids in this show, I believe,” Beal said.
Asked what she most looks forward to from the show each year, Beal said she loves seeing how excited the kids get the day of the show and feeling the sense of accomplishment they have once they finish.
“They get all nervous right before the show, they’re like, ‘oh I don’t know, there’s a lot of people here.’ And then at the end they’re so happy and proud of themselves,” Beal said.
She said Stanton typically follows the same formula for her performances.
“Usually there’s some Christmas songs, one patriotic song and then the kids get to pick a few of the songs,” Beal said.
She said the team was excited to display new costumes they recently received.
“We just had new ones donated to us by the Pettengill House,” Beal said.
In terms of turnout, she said that the event usually brings in between 50 and 70 people.
“It’s a lot of their family members, grandparents, cousins. We have them set up at tables in the gym,” Beal said.
She spoke about the importance of providing events like this for kids around the holiday season.
“A lot of our families can’t afford things like dance classes, and this is free as part of their membership, which is just the $50 a year,” Beal said.