NTDT — A Tradition Of Outstanding, Safe Dance Instruction!

“The Nutcracker” is in its 22nd Dance Theatre of Tampa season, and this year will be held Friday-Sunday, December 17-19, at the USF Tampa College of Arts Theater 1.

Whether you or your child likes to dance for fun or dreams of a career on stage one day, the New Tampa Dance Theatre (NTDT) offers dancers a world-class, professional experience that is unmatched in the Tampa Bay area.

Located on Cross Creek Blvd. (across from Heritage Isles) in New Tampa, the 7,500-sq.-ft. NTDT is the largest professional dance training facility in the New Tampa/Wesley Chapel area. Owner and artistic director Dyane Elkins IronWing is in her 27th season of creating dance memories and futures for her students, many of whom have gone on to study dance in college and/or dance professionally.

“As always, I’m so proud of our students,” says Elkins IronWing. “Our dancers become excellent college students, with their impressive time-management skills, perseverance and creative thinking. Our hearts are bursting with excitement, seeing our beautiful students again. We are continuing to give back to the community during this pandemic with our “Pay It Forward” program and offering all new students $25 per month tuition for every class!” 

NTDT’s complete schedule of classes is being offered with in-person classes. Elkins IronWing says that the safety of her students has always been her top priority, so social distance guidelines, extra disinfecting nightly with hospital-grade products and wearing masks are all required at this time. 

“Our students are extremely excited being back dancing at the school again and spending time with their dance family,” says Elkins IronWing. “We’re extremely proud of our faculty and students’ dedication and perseverance during this pandemic. They are all truly living up to the NTDT motto of ‘Respect, Responsibility and Teamwork.’”

A Chance To ‘Do As I Have Done’

Elkins IronWing says she started dancing at age 5, later trained in New York City and performed with Ballet Metropolitan in Columbus, OH.

She moved to Tampa in 1995 and immediately opened NTDT in the Pebble Creek Collection. In 2002, she purchased the current NTDT property on Cross Creek Blvd, and moved her school to the new building in January 2006.

With the bigger location, Elkins IronWing was off and running, offering smaller class sizes and larger, more varied schedules.

She says NTDT also has a larger pool of students today, with the ongoing explosive growth in Wesley Chapel, as well as in New Tampa.

“Our name might say New Tampa,” she says, “but our location is much closer to Wesley Chapel than one might assume. We are extremely convenient to all of the current growth (there). Wesley Chapel families are shocked to discover just how close we are and are excited because of how quickly they can drive to our school.”

All Ages & Experience Levels

NTDT caters to both the recreational dance lover as well as the devoted pre-professional — and every level in between.

The studio’s leveled curriculum offers multiple art forms for students to explore. Through personalized attention and professional expertise, NTDT’s professional faculty strives to provide a positive educational experience.

Children ages 3-4 can participate in the school’s Early Childhood Program, ages 5-8 can take part in the Children’s Program and ages 9-18 are invited to join NTDT’s Youth Program.

Located on Cross Creek Blvd. in New Tampa, the 7,500-sq.-ft. New Tampa Dance Theatre is the largest professional dance training facility in the New Tampa/Wesley Chapel area.

In addition to classical ballet, NTDT offers full programs in creative movement, modern, jazz, tap and hip-hop.

Each program has its own directors and specific syllabuses guiding students in a structured manner through their studies.

The facilities at NTDT are as top notch as the instructors, and include maple flooring for the tap classes, 20-25-ft.-tall mirrored walls, student locker rooms and a large studio space that can accommodate up to 200 people. 

Sprung floors provide shock absorption to protect the dancers’ joints and an on-site physical therapist ensures the health of the dancers. NTDT also features a café offering light meals, snacks and drinks.

The Training You Need

NTDT has developed a reputation for creating strong, professional dancers with alumni who have moved on to highly respected dance companies, Broadway productions, national tours and even the Walt Disney Company.

Because NTDT students learn to be proficient in multiple art forms, these students have an edge in the competitive world of dance and many of them have been accepted into prestigious summer intensive programs, including the School of American Ballet and American Ballet Theater in New York City, The Harid Conservatory in Boca Raton, the Joffrey Ballet in Chicago and the Boston Ballet.

“With just passing our milestone 25th 2.0 anniversary celebration season, it’s a time for reflection with extreme gratitude and love for all the amazing people who have been a part of our dance programs and family,” says Elkins IronWing.

One local former student certainly agrees with that assessment.

“I credit all of my success as a professional dancer to the foundational training I received at NTDT from ages 6-18,” says Victoria DeRenzo, who today is a professional dancer and choreographer who has toured internationally in 28 countries on four continents, most notably with the renowned Pilobolus Dance Theatre in Washington Depot, CT.

“I loved every second of my experience growing up there,” DeRenzo adds, “but I had no idea how spoiled I was until I graduated. Not many people receive a top-notch dance education in multiple artforms during their lifetimes, let alone at the age of 6.” 

If a student doesn’t choose to pursue a career in dance after high school, they can still reach a level of artistry to be accepted into many college dance programs, says Elkins IronWing.

“Believing in yourself, respecting the process of working towards a goal, and having a well-rounded dance education give our students the tools and confidence to continue discovering new passions throughout their lifetimes,” she says.

Great Productions, Too!

All students have the opportunity to perform in NTDT’s “Spring Production” and — through the studio’s nonprofit partner, the Dance Theatre of Tampa (DTT) — in the winter production of “The Nutcracker,” as well as the “Summer Concert Series,” held in June at the University of South Florida’s Tampa campus.

DTT provides more than 300 free tickets to NTDT’s corporate sponsors, local community supporters, alumni members and students. A small costume rental fee for productions is the only cost over the tuition that parents have to pay at any time — Elkins IronWing says there is never a requirement to buy advertising or pay performance fees.

New Tampa residents Gary and Charity Hartley relocated here in 2018 from Virginia, and enrolled their daughter Hope at NTDT. 

“The New Tampa Dance Theatre and the entire staff were the linchpins for our transition into the New Tampa area,” Charity says. “The warmth of the studio, quality of instruction and wonderful students have made us feel right at home. We especially love the way (NTDT) manages the educational aspect of their DTT company members, ensuring they have exposure to various dance forms in their weekly training, master classes and dance performances they attend as a group.”

Every holiday season, Elkins IronWing says local residents look forward to the community’s largest and longest-running interpretation of Tchaikovsky’s classic ballet, “The Nutcracker,” now in its 22nd DTT season. This year, it will be held Friday-Sunday, December 17-19, at the USF Tampa College of Arts Theater 1.

“It’s all about the children at NTDT, always has been and always will be,” she says. “We are a company that enables children to succeed. The key is setting high expectations, all while having fun and building self-confidence. With the transition season ahead of us, we would like to thank all of our trusting and loyal families over the years and the organizations that continually support our vision. Without their recognition and time, NTDT wouldn’t be the magical place it has become!”

The New Tampa Dance Theatre offers year-round free trial classes for prospective dancers of all ages. To tour the facility or to rent it for a meeting, party or function, visit NTDT at 10701 Cross Creek Blvd. For more information and to check out the exciting lineup of fall 2021 classes, visit NewTampaDanceTheatre.com, call (813) 994-NTDT (6838) or see the ad on page 27. You also can follow NTDT on Facebook and Instagram at “New Tampa Dance Theatre.”

Nibbles and Bites: Sweet Party closing.

Sweet Party owner Maher Alagal

Very soon, New Tampa will have no party stores, as the Sweet Party store located at 20310 Trout Creek Dr., west of Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. (behind Burger 21) will close, most likely sometime immediately after Halloween (Sunday, October 31).

Owner Maher Alagal says that although Sweet Party is still making money, he is ready to retire and spend more time with his family. He also has been looking to sell the store, which became the only party store in New Tampa after the Party Scene store in the Pebble Creek Collection on BBD closed in 2017.

“People said I put Party Scene out of business when I opened, but I actually tried to buy that store from its owner before it closed,” Maher says. “I honestly believed that there was room for two party supply and costume stores in this area.”

But now, with Halloween less than six weeks away as this issue arrived in your mailbox, Maher says that everything in his store must go, including his huge selection of Halloween costumes for men, women and children. And yes, at our press time, the selection of available costumes at Sweet Party was still pretty sizable, but moving fast, especially with the entire inventory of costumes up to 70% to 80% off their regular prices.

Maher says similar savings are available on party supplies, balloons and other unique merchandise — but don’t blame me if anything mentioned here is gone before you get there!

For info, call Sweet Party at (813) 994-4900 or visit SweetPartyTampa.com. — GN

Jeremiah’s To Expand To Wesley Chapel

Congrats to partners Pete and Dru Patel, who opened their first Jeremiah’s Italian Ice franchise earlier this month at 7936 Gall Blvd. in Zephyrhills.

Jeremiah’s Italian Ice, which was opened at its original location in Winter Park, FL, in 1996 by founder and Philadelphia native Jeremy Litwack, now has 60 locations in Arizona and throughout Florida.

The good news for Wesley Chapel isn’t just because of Jeremiah’s unique gelati (Italian ice layered with soft-serve ice cream), but also because the partners also plan to open two Wesley Chapel locations. Visit JeremiahsIce.com or call (813) 438-5754 for more info. 

Education Notes — Heroes, The Road To Success & Flying High!

Deputy William Mellana (left) and Wharton High nurse Alicia Robertson helped save a student’s life at the school on Aug. 17 (Photo courtesy of Hillsborough Schools)

Saving A Student’s Life: All In A Day’s Work

On any “normal” day on a high school campus, the most extraordinary things can happen.

On Aug. 17, a Wharton High student started experiencing a medical emergency, and the school’s resource officer and nurse are credited with jumping in to save the student’s life, working together until paramedics arrived.

Video from Deputy William Mellana’s body camera was released by the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, showing him performing CPR on the student with the assistance of an automated external defibrillator (AED), which he continued until paramedics arrived. Prior to his arrival on scene with the AED, school nurse Alicia Robertson already had started CPR.

Thankfully, the student has since returned to school.

Alicia deflects any praise directed toward herself and Deputy Mellana, saying it was a team effort to aid the student.

“Several educators and a student who sought out an adult, who initiated help, all played roles in responding in a timely manner to assist the student that day.”

Hillsborough County Public Schools released a photo of the pair and said, “We could not be more proud and thankful to have these two incredible people at Wharton High School to protect our students and staff.”

King High Seniors From New Tampa Collect, Disperse School Supplies 

Three King High seniors from New Tampa have launched the Road to Success School Supply Drive to support students and teachers in their school and throughout the wider community.

Toluwa, Onella and Emma launched the drive with collection boxes at businesses, including Mahana Fresh in New Tampa, Staples and The Salvation Army in Wesley Chapel, and the Ice Dreammm Shop in Lutz.

Their goal is to support students who need tools to be successful in school, and supplement teachers who often have to pay out of their own pockets to keep their classrooms stocked with basic supplies.

The drive was to benefit the Hillsborough Education Foundation (HEF), a local nonprofit that distributes school supplies to the county’s schools and students with the greatest needs, with some of the collected supplies directly benefiting King High, where the students attend.

Although their collection for the drive has ended, the teens invite supporters to donate to HEF online at EducationFoundation.com/programs/donate/ and note that it’s part of the “Road to Success School Supply Drive” in the instructions section. 

For more information, visit RoadtoSuccessDrive.com and see the latest news about the drive on Instagram @roadtosuccessdrive.

Wharton Physics Experiments Soar To 80,000 Feet

Wharton High physics teacher Christopher Hart says his AP Physics C class jumped at the chance to develop an experiment that could be tested during the launch of a weather balloon up to 80,000 feet at an educational event held at Tampa’s MOSI (Museum of Science and Industry) on Aug. 28.

The launch was organized by Space Trek, an educational company based out of the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Merritt Island, FL, and was part of a Hillsborough County Public Schools (HCPS) event encouraging students to get excited about STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) concepts.

Hart says HCPS executive director of science education Larry Plank invited his students to design and place and experiments in the balloon, knowing of Hart’s previous experience with the type of programming required to execute them.

AP Physics C is one of four Advanced Placement physics classes offered at Wharton, and Hart says the students in the class have previously had at least one or two years of physics prior to entering the class.

But, it still wasn’t an easy feat to start school on August 10, and have everything designed and ready to launch less than three weeks later.

The class brainstormed a wide range of ideas and came up with two different experiments. One used four ultraviolet sensors to test different brands of sunscreen, while another measured how the size of different volumes of foam insulation changed with temperature changes as the balloon rose.

Hart says 80,000 feet is teetering toward the edge of space, where the highest-flying spy aircraft fly.

“There are pretty dramatic temperature changes, from below zero in some layers of the atmosphere, to spike really high when leaving the atmosphere,” Hart explains. 

He says he told his students that the items they touched in designing the experiments would go to the highest point away from earth, farther than anything they’ve ever touched.

“They outsmarted me,” he laughs, saying that one of his students touched a moon rock at MOSI just to prove him wrong.

He says opportunities like this can be inspirational for students.

“It shows them the real world application of what they’re learning in the classroom,” says Hart. “They’re taking something that is very math-oriented and sometimes very abstract, and they can see it, feel it and touch it. It shows them how that math is applied, and hopefully encourages them to continue their education in this path.”

The students who participated in the event include Dillon Cao, Alex Lopez, Sean Grass, Adriana Salazar, Alex Devers, Dane Devers, Timothy Norwood, and Harshavardan Yuvaraj.

AdventHealth Care Pavilion Now Open In Hunter’s Green!

The 50,000-square-foot AdventHealth Care Pavilion at Hunter’s Green is now open in the former LifePoint Church building on Bruce B. Downs Blvd. at Hunter’s Lake Dr. (Drone photo by Charmaine George)

Going to the doctor may never be described as a fun experience. From the dreary waiting room to being shuffled in for the poking and prodding to the inevitable stop at the pharmacy on the way home or, even worse, a separate trip to another dreary waiting room at an imaging center or somewhere else for more tests, it’s an experience many people aren’t thrilled to go through.

However, AdventHealth Care Pavilion is opening on Sept. 14, and is happy to try and change some of that.

Located on Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. at Hunter’s Lake Dr. in front of Hunter’s Green, the area’s newest facility also is its most innovative. The emphasis was on taking everything that patients find most frustrating about going to see a doctor and improving it.

That means easier and more convenient registration, modern waiting rooms and in addition to being home to eight primary care physicians, there will be no need for additional trips elsewhere in most cases because the new facility boasts in-house labs, imaging for x-rays and MRIs to name a few, and even a pharmacy.

“We tried to think through some of the little things that make it easier and more convenient and comfortable for people,” says John Johannessen, senior executive officer for non-acute services in the West Florida division of AdventHealth. “That’s the mindset of what a care pavilion is. We make it easier, make it comfortable and add a higher level of service so it’s just simply a destination location that you want to come to for your care and to stay healthy.”

Johannessen says AdventHealth is so serious about making it a pleasant experience, they hired a longtime Disney hospitality employee who will be specifically dedicated to the building’s consumer experience.

In fact, Johannessen doesn’t call it a reception desk that greets you upon entering, he says it’s more of a concierge-level welcome center.

“Obviously nobody likes registering,” he adds. “You register for the doctor and then when you have to go for the lab, you have to register for the lab, and then when you need to go get an image you have to register for the imaging. It’s a nightmare. It’s easy for people to say, ‘Why don’t you already have this information, why do I have to tell you this 10 times?’”

In addition to primary care, there will be other offerings, like subspecialties offered, such as cardiology, gastroenterology, obstetrics and general surgery. By the end of the year, Johannessen expects to have a pediatrician on staff as well.

While it is not labeled as an urgent care, the pavilion will accept walk-ins and can provide emergency care.

The facility is roomy, going more for an open-air mall type of feel than your traditional doctor’s office. A lot of thought has been put into the light, the music and even the colors, according to Johannessen, so a better mood and tone can be set.

When you are brought to your exam room, that’s where everything, even bloodwork, will happen.

When you are brought to your exam room, that’s where everything, even bloodwork, will happen (unless you need an X-ray, which is just a short walk away).

The focus is on connecting services for the convenience of patients.

Another convenience – a kids club for families who have children and can’t find a babysitter. The hours at the Advent Health Care Pavilion are Monday-Friday 7 a.m.-7 p.m., and 8 a.m.-5 p.m. on Saturday, so parents have flexibility and don’t have to schedule their doctor visits around childcare or work.

‘We try to make it easy,” says Johannessen , who adds that the pavilion will initially be closed Sundays but the goal is to add enough to make it a seven-days-a-week facility.

The pavilion also offers a café, although it won’t be ready on day one at the New Tampa location. But, until it is ready, there will be a refreshment center.

The on-site Imaging Center will offer a separate women’s suite, focused on services that are important to them, like mammograms.

Imaging also has a large-bore MRI, which is the same as a traditional MRI but has a larger bore opening that adds more comfort and less stress for those who may suffer from claustrophobia. 

“We tried to think through (many) of the little things that make it easier and more convenient,” says Johannessen.

The Hunter’s Green location actually is the second Care Pavilion center opened by AdventHealth. The first one opened in Westchase in June, to great response , according to Johannessen. But, the New Tampa location, which is roughly 50,000-sq.-ft. compared to its 20,000-sq.-ft. counterpart across the county, has more room to offer and room for expansion as well.

AdventHealth had been looking for a site somewhere along BBD for a year, and had all but settled on one when the previous owners of the property, which was most recently home to LifePoint Church (and Winn-Dixie before that) elected to sell.

The new site was perfect — close to an intersection, linked to a large community like Hunter’s Green, and was the right size with plenty of parking. “It checked all our boxes,” Johannessen says. 

And, that is exactly what he hopes the AdventHealth Care Pavilion at Hunter’s Green will do for those looking for quality, innovative and easy-to-navigate healthcare.

The AdventHealth Care Pavilion at Hunter’s Green (8702 Hunter’s Lake Dr.) is now open. For more information, call (813) 467-4700 or visit AdventHealthCarePavilion.com.

Tampa Palms Blvd. Repaving In Line For A Budget Boost

When City of Tampa Mayor Jane Castor presented her $1.8-billion fiscal year 2022 budget to the Tampa City Council on August 5, it did not include any money for one of Council member Luis Viera’s sought-after projects — the repaving of Tampa Palms Blvd.

Viera, who represents District 7 (which includes most of North Tampa and all of incorporated New Tampa), was crestfallen. But, while he understood some of the budget constraints, he didn’t give up hope.

With the urging of community activists and Tampa Palms residents — many of them the same folks who fought for the funding for the New Tampa Recreation Center (NTRC) a few years ago — as well as plenty of Viera’s own door pounding, Mayor Castor announced on August 24 that an additional $3.3 million would be added to the budget to repave and rejuvenate Tampa Palms Blvd.’s south loop.

“That is a really, really, really big thing,” Viera says. “It’s a big win for our area.”

For the south loop, or segment 1, the price tag is $2.3 million. The north loop, which runs from Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. to Ebensburg Dr., will cost is $1 million.

The final public meeting on the budget is scheduled for Tuesday, September 28.

Luis Viera

Money for the Tampa Palms Blvd. repaving was originally expected to come from the $500 million raised via the All for Transportation one-cent surtax. However, the penny surtax was struck down by the Florida Supreme Court in February, ironically a day after Viera met with Tampa Palms residents at a town hall.

“I promised the residents that night that if the penny sales tax failed that I would fight really hard for it in this year’s budget,” Viera said. “Flipping it into the budget when it wasn’t originally there was a big ask.”

 Viera pushed for the money, with an assist from local activists — who made phone calls and sent emails to Mayor Castor.

One Tampa Palms resident, Mike Marlowe, wrote to Castor on Aug. 21 that his community had been promised repaving of the road “which now looks like a quilt instead of a roadway” — last year. He added that in 22 years of living in New Tampa, he has “never seen the road this bad.”

A week later, Brandie Miklus, the city’s infrastructure and mobility program coordinator, responded to Marlowe with the good news — that the city’s mobility department was moving forward with resurfacing plans.

In her address to the City Council, Castor seemed determined not to let the Florida Supreme Court decision freeze her efforts to improve the city’s infrastructure needs.

“I won’t sugar coat how big a blow it was to lose the All for Transportation money that was so overwhelmingly supported by our constituents,” Mayor Castor said. “I will provide a path to forge ahead on our own, one that includes a citywide mobility plan.”

Castor’s budget includes $22 million for road safety and maintenance. “We’ve all heard the calls from our community to make our streets, sidewalks and trails safe and to improve our road maintenance,” she said.

A refreshed Tampa Palms Blvd., which Viera says is presently “a failed road,” is currently in the design phase (the money for which was in last year’s budget), with actual construction occurring in two phases and expected to begin within the next year. 

According to Miklus, it will include resurfacing, multimodal and safety improvements, traffic calming, enhanced crosswalks with Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacons (RRFBs) and separated bicycle lanes.

After years of complaints about being ignored by the City of Tampa, this could be a year in which New Tampa’s cup runneth over, as a number of New Tampa projects are in the city’s plans to receive money. In fact, after the first public hearing on Sept. 13, Viera was pleased enough to say this year’s budget could be the best for New Tampa in recent memory, if not ever.

The budget has $1.67 million scheduled for the long-awaitd inclusive playground, which will have play elements, wheelchair access and autism-friendly features, to be built near the New Tampa Recreation Center (NTRC).

The FY 2022 budget also includes $650,000 to begin the planning and design of  Tampa Fire Rescue Station No. 24, which will be located in the K-Bar Ranch area. Another $11.5 million is expected to be allocated in the FY 2023 budget for construction of what would be New Tampa’s fifth fire station.

Until then, Viera says he also is working on the construction of a possible road off Morris Bridge Rd. that would allow for quicker access into K-Bar Ranch to help reduce some of the response times of the two fire stations on Cross Creek Blvd., both of which rank among the slowest in the entire Tampa Bay area.

Viera also said the budget includes $50,000 to design New Tampa Blvd.’s future renovation ($50,000), hopefully leading to its repaving in the next year or two. Like Tampa Palms Blvd., New Tampa Blvd. was initially slated for improvements using All For Transportation money. 

As backers of the NTRC know, just because the money is in the budget for a project doesn’t mean it can’t be moved or taken out. 

The budget has to be approved by Friday, October 1.