Dance company ends seasonal reading program

 

SOUTH POINT — Flowers were blooming inside the Briggs Lawrence Southern Library at South Point as the summer reading program wound down with a special dance performance

The Jeslyn Dance Gallery of Huntington, W.Va., recreated Dr. Seuss’s “O Say Can You Seed” through interpretative dance before an audience of young readers.

“You know what ballet is like,” Jessica Fox, director and founder of the Jeslyn Dance Gallery, said. “Interpretative dance isn’t anything like that. You know about tap? Interpretative dance isn’t anything like that.

“We love Dr. Seuss and you are going to hear the story and see it come to life and see us dance it. You are going to see us be very silly and have fun.”

Then as a member of the company read the children’s classic her colleagues gave the lessons on how a seed turns into a plant.

Fox chose the Seuss classic to fit in with the theme for this summer’s library program, “Dig Into Reading.”

“We want to inspire them about dance and the joy of reading,” Fox said.

This was the third year for Jeslyn to close out the reading program for Briggs.

“The first year they did a wonderful job and the response was really positive,” Jan Gullett, a librarian assistant, said. “They never disappoint.”

The long-running reading program is designed for children to maintain what they have learned through the school year.

“This keeps their skill level up and they have fun,” Gullett said.