Ten-year-old Claire Boucher loves to teach as much as she loves to dance, so it was only natural that she combine these two interests by forming her own dance troupe. Claire primarily studies ballet, but has also learned hip-hop, tap and jazz, and has been performing with the Camden group “People to People” for more than six years.
Claire first decided to start a dance troupe three years ago, soliciting members through word of mouth. Her first group – consisting of six dancers – met in her bedroom. This year she has 12 students, ranging in age from pre-school to third grade, and they meet in her family’s spacious basement. After Christmas, the troupe gets together once a week, to work toward a spring recital.
Claire starts her sessions with traditional ballet warm-ups, followed by free-form dancing, and then divides her students into two or three groups to work on original dance routines. Claire has an assistant this year, Allie Durkee, to lend a hand monitoring troupe members during practice.
Claire, who plays the clarinet and piano, uses classical music to inspire the choreography of the group’s performance pieces for their yearly recital. The recital is held at the Boucher home, followed by a potluck dinner. Each year Claire comes up with a theme that guides her members in their interpretive dance. The first year centered on the theme of the Broadway musical Annie. The second year it was Fairies, and this year the theme was Dreamland. The group performed three dances dressed as gumdrops, angels and dolls. Costumes are devised and constructed by troupe members’ parents, and Claire also choreographs several solo pieces for herself to perform in each recital.
This year’s recital, held on April 9, was attended by parents and friends who were greatly entertained by the young Islesboro troupe’s performance.