Rehearsals For ‘If I Cry’ Just Part Of The Tampa City Dance Center Story 

Members of the Tampa City Ballet (TCB) company rehearse for their upcoming performances of “If I Cry” (see promotional poster below), which will be performed at the Straz Center for the Performing Arts in downtown Tampa May 4-5. The rehearsal was held at the Tampa City Dance Center in the Shoppes at Amberly in Tampa Palms. (Photos by Charmaine George)

It’s been a while since we last checked in with Paula Nuñez, the founder and artistic director of what previously had been known as America’s Ballet School (located since 2002 in the Shoppes at Amberly plaza in Tampa Palms). But, not only has Paula now merged with the Tampa City Ballet, she has changed the name of her ballet school, which is still at that location, to Tampa City Ballet School (TCBS). 

In addition, in January of this year, she opened a new studio adjacent to the ballet school called the Tampa City Dance Center (TCDC), in order to offer both children and adults the opportunity to explore a variety of dance disciplines. Although TCBS still focuses on classical ballet variations, pointe, repertoire and contemporary ballet, and has its own outstanding faculty, TCDC offers classes (and private lessons) in Acrobatic Dance (or “Acro”), Contemporary, Flamenco, Hip-Hop, Salsa, Tango and even “Mommy & Me” (for kids ages 1-4, with their parent or grandparent). 

Top right, l.-r.) Jayron Perez (who choreographed some of the ballet pieces in “If I Cry”), TCB founder & artistic director Paula Nunez and musician & composer Nick Ewing. 

“It is exciting to offer a dynamic dance program designed to provide a platform to explore creativity and discover new ways to move,” Paula says. “Dance is a fantastic way to release stress, gain confidence and help with concentration and balance. This program fosters a supportive and fun environment for all ages. It definitely creates a community.” 

Paula notes that, at the Tampa City Dance Center, her long-time friend and TCDC executive director Claudia Correa and her staff, “offer a captivating selection of classes to suit all ages and interests. Paula says that Claudia was not a dancer herself, but adds, “She shares my passion for the arts.” 

Each of the dance disciplines at TCDC are taught by different professional faculty members. The pointe/ballet instructor is Vashti Walters. The contemporary and jazz dance and choreography lessons are led by Shelby Russ, who earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) degree from the University of South Florida (USF). Aynsleigh Morehouse, another USF BFA graduate, teaches stretching, tap, contemporary, pointe and the “Mommy & Me” classes. John Delgado teaches salsa and contemporary dance. 

More About Paula Nuñez 

Paula, who has many years of professional experience as a dancer and choreographer, is on the dance faculty at USF. She is a former principal company member of the International Ballet of Caracas (Venezuela), Ballet Nuevo Mundo and the Cleveland Ballet, San Jose. In 1992, she co-founded the well-known “Fundación Ballet de las Americas” now in residence at the Teresa Carreno Cultural Performing Arts Center in Caracas. 

In 2008, she established a nonprofit organization with the goal to provide scholarships to talented youths and to foster discipline in others who desire to dance. Some of these students are currently national and international dancers, educators and choreographers. 

(Above, l.-r.) Aynsleigh Morehouse, Maria Fernanda Papa & Shelby Russ rehearse for “If I Cry.” Aynsleigh & Shelby also teach at the Tampa City Dance Center. 

Paula also launched a community engagement program (in 2012) called “On Your Feet,” which has offered scholarships and high-quality dance education in collaboration with well-known organizations such as the University Area Community Development Corp. and their research-based prevention and diversion program for youths ages 5-18. 

Then, in 2018, she created Tampa City Ballet (TCB), a nonprofit professional contemporary dance company with an innovative repertoire that focuses on, and is invested in, connecting communities. TCB serves the community by providing high-quality arts education, to facilitate research and to create a space for dancers seeking professional experience. It also encourages interdisciplinary collaborations, while also offering unique, immersive and engaging experiences. 

Since 2022, Paula also has been part of the collective art space at the Historic Ybor City Kress Building in the new Gas Worx District. She says her mission is to create a collaborative model that integrates intergenerational and intercultural productions, demonstrating the alchemy that occurs between disciplines, creators and performers. 

Paula has made a significant impact on the cultural landscape of Tampa Bay. She has received numerous awards for her teaching, choreography and contributions to the arts in our area. She also has been nominated for the City of Tampa’s prestigious Hispanic Heritage Award. 

“If I Cry” — May 4-5 

Although many recent TCB performances have been and will continue to be held at the New Tampa Performing Arts Center, the ballet company recently used TCDC as a rehearsal space for its upcoming performances of “If I Cry,” which is described as “A surreal dance journey through the mind of renowned Mexican artist Frida Kahlo,” based on the artist’s personal diaries. Neighborhood News photographer Charmaine George attended that rehearsal, where she took the pictures on this page. 

The performances of “If I Cry” (see poster, below) will be held May 4-5, at the Straz Center for the Performing Arts in downtown Tampa. Tickets are available through the Straz Center Box Office. Call (813) 229-7827 or visit StrazCenter.org for tickets and more information. 

For more information about the Tampa City Dance Center or Tampa City Ballet School (both located at 15367 Amberly Dr.), call (813) 558- 0800, visit TCDanceCenter.com or TampaCityBallet.org.

The New Tampa Dance Theatre Is Not Just For Future Professionals 

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 29th 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 very proud of our students,” says Elkins IronWing. “Our dancers become excellent college students, with their impressive time-management skills, perseverance and creative thinking. Each season, our hearts burst with excitement creating with our beautiful students again. We plan to continue giving back to our community with the ‘Pay It Forward’ program by offering all new students $25 per month tuition for every class!” 

Follow In My Footsteps? 

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 the current growth (there). Wesley Chapel families are shocked to discover just how close we are and excited how quickly they can drive to our facility.” 

Not Just For Future Pros! 

NTDT caters to both the recreational dance lover (even adults, photo left) 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 studio’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. 

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 for a break, meal, or homework. 

World-Class Credentials 

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 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. 

“Reflecting on 28 years in our community, it’s beyond words the gratitude and love for 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. 

Participating In Productions 

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. 

New Tampa residents Brian and Trisha Mangan enrolled their daughters Mattie and Mikayla at any early age with NTDT. 

“New Tampa Dance Theatre holds a special place in our hearts, as our daughters’ second home since the age of three, guiding them into their teenage years,” Trisha says. “What began as tentative steps has blossomed into a journey of incredible growth, thanks to the dedicated and caring instructors. NTDT has not only shaped them into skilled dancers, but into confident and determined young women embodying the values of hard work and perseverance, attributes that extend far beyond the studio.” 

Every holiday season, Elkins IronWing says local residents look forward to the community’s largest and longest-running interpretation of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s classic ballet, “The Nutcracker,” now in its 24th DTT season. This year, it will be held Friday-Sunday, December 15-17, at the USF Tampa College of Arts Theater 1. 

Prior to the performances at USF, DTT also will perform “The Nutcracker Suite” Saturday & Sunday, December 2-3, at 6, 7 & 8 p.m., at The Shops at Wiregrass. 

“It’s all about the children at NTDT, always has been and always will be,” Elkins IronWing 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 new season ahead of us, we would like to thank all of our trusting and loyal families over the years and 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 2023 classes, visit NewTampaDanceTheatre.com, call (813) 994-NTDT (6838). You also can follow NTDT on Facebook and Instagram at “New Tampa Dance Theatre.”