Flight Dance Team

The 2023-2024 Flight Dance Team, Photo By: Melanie Heard

2024-2025 Auditions will be held June 8th. For details, click HERE.

“Until you spread your wings, you have no idea how far you’ll fly.”
-Anonymous

About The Program:

Flight was created in 2017, as a way for young dancers of the OR coast to improve technique, expression, and precision in a fun and supportive atmosphere.

Flight dance team members must pass a rigorous audition, and receive a personalized jacket upon acceptance into the team.

Flight's ultimate goals include local and regional performances, competitive dance, and providing the community with entertaining and thought provoking works of art, through the power of movement. The Flight Dance Team performs in the annual Holly Jolly Follies, and in a Spring Dance Showcase on the mainstage of the Florence Events Center. They are also frequently cast in C.R.O.W.'s Spring Youth Musical.

Auditions are held annually, and the dancers must re-audition each year to keep their spot. To be considered, dancers must have and maintain strong dance technique and be an excellent all around performer. Dancers who are accepted to the team are required to take additional dance classes to build stamina and skills. Priority is placed on teamwork, cooperation, motivation, and overall work ethic. Dancers who do not meet team requirements may be asked to leave the team.

If you have questions, please email: crowtheatrekids@yahoo.com

Photo By Melanie Heard

The 2023-2024 Flight Dance Team

Meet The Dancers:

Zhade Beers

Zhade is 12 years old and has participated in many CROW classes, musicals and camps. Her favorite color is green, and her favorite food is Lumpia. She loves to dance because "it makes me happy and it's really pretty."

Chloe Bilbrey

Chloe is 12 years old and is an apprentice on the team. Her hobbies and interests include reading, diamond painting, and writing. She loves the color dark blue and her favorite movie is "The Hunger Games."

Kelsi Ferkey

Kelsi is 16 and has danced for many years. Her favorite movie is "Drop Dead Fred," and she loves to eat chocolate chip banana pancakes. Her favorite type of music is 90s-2000s hip hop.

Sylvia Hand

Sylvia is 16 years old and has been dancing her entire life. Her favorite food is ravioli and her favorite color is green. She loves the movie “National Treasure.” She also loves martial arts and writing. She says that dance is her “Favorite thing in the world.”

Abigael Hummel

Abigael is an apprentice and is 12 years old. She also loves soccer, football, writing, and photography. She loves the movie "The Waterboy," and she says dance is "a way to express my emotions."

Reanna Houlihan

Reanna is a principal dancer on the team. She is 17, and her favorite color is purple. She loves rap music and she says "I like how expressive and creative dance is. It allows me to let go of all of my worries."

Emma Meier

This is Emma's second year on the Flight Team, and she is 14 years old. Emma loves to read, write, dance, play basketball and run. Her favorite color is lavender, and she loves to eat Mac and Cheese. She loves Taylor Swift, The Smiths, and Indie music.

Addison Stewart

Addison is an apprentice and is 11 years old. She has studied ballet, hip hop, and contemporary dance and she loves singing and gymnastics. Her favorite food is baked potatoes. Addison says "dance makes me happy!"

Elyse Stewart

18 year old Elyse is a principal dancer and has been in many musicals and performances with C.R.O.W. She loves to crochet. Elyse is a dance teacher and assistant choreographer and admin assistant as well. Elyse says her "determination" makes her unique.

About The Director:

Melanie Heard, Director of Flight

Melanie's first love is and always has been....dance. At age 2.5, she tap danced with an oversized Raggedy Andy doll and from there her dance career took flight. She focused on classical ballet throughout her youth, going on to study with the prestigious Joffrey Ballet Trainee Program of New York, followed by a full scholarship to the Kirov's Universal Ballet Academy in Washington DC. She also studied with Houston Ballet and Ballet West. Eventually, Melanie branched out to other forms of dance through the wonderful world of musical theatre. She learned jazz, tap, swing, salsa, ballroom, character, lyrical, modern, and many other genres. She performed in over 60 mainstage musicals, playing every role from a tap-dancing chorus girl in a West Coast Premiere of Crazy For You, to Sally Bowles in Cabaret, to Evita Peron in Evita. She loves to choreograph all types of dance and won several awards for her work including an ACTF Meritorious Achievement Award for Outstanding Choreography. Melanie is a credentialed teacher with a MAed and Reading Specialist Certificate.

Melanie strongly believes in the power of dance to shape the future for our young people, and to enhance their quality of life. She is tremendously grateful to her family for the dance background that they provided for her, and loves that she can now share that gift with generations of young dancers through C.R.O.W. Melanie hopes you'll celebrate and applaud the successes of the Flight Dance Team. She is immensely proud of each and every young dancer.