New classes now offered

Tapestry Dance Company has many reasons to dance in celebration with fall classes having started, a new team member on board and new programs for boys available.

Tapestry's programs aim to help develop self-confidence and self-expression. The experience levels of attendees range from professional dancers to those seeking a good workout, Executive Director Etta Sanders said.

"The main thing is the noncompetitive aspect of Tapestry," Sanders said. "Most studios are geared toward competition— we're not. What Tapestry does is we teach and train dancers; we don't teach you a dance. There's not a lot of choreography learning; it's skill-based. It's a true dance academy."

The company's classes began Aug. 25, but anyone can enroll until February. Sanders said there are classes for dancers ages 6 to 65.

Opportunities for boys ages 6–12 are expanding this fall beyond tap dancing to include boys-only jazz, ballet and hip-hop. The classes are offered at a discount to incentivize young boys to get started with those techniques earlier.

"We're trying to get the boys to join when they're young because the girls do," Sanders said. "When the boys come in at [age] 6 or so to tap, the ballet and jazz just isn't as appealing to them right now because it's all pink and tutus. So we decided we need to look at those [classes] as a way to get the boys in there."

Rebecca Whitehurst also joined the company right before classes began as the new academy director.

Tapestry Dance Co., 2302 Western Trails Blvd., 512-474-9846, www.tapestry.org