TJC lets children become Disney Princesses with Frozen Dance Camp

Published 7:45 pm Friday, June 16, 2017

Olivia Conley, 3, and Claire Clabrook, 3, roll on the floor laughing during a break after rehearsing choreography at Tyler Junior College's Frozen Dance Camp Friday June 16, 2017. The next dance camp session will be held August 14-18. (Sarah A. Miller/Tyler Morning Telegraph)

Do you want to build a snowman? It may be summer, but that isn’t stopping the little princesses enrolled in Tyler Junior College’s Frozen Dance Camp from singing and dancing to the movie’s familiar lines and celebrating all things “Frozen.”

The camp, open to children ages 3 to 6, is a weeklong introduction to different styles of dance, all choreographed to the beloved children’s movie.



Sarah Mahoney peeked through the door as her daughter, Riley Buchanan, bounced and frolicked around the studio in a tutu and fairy wings.

“She’s been in dance, and she’s loving it,” Mahoney said. “She dances around the house in her little princess dress.”

Mahoney said she found a flyer for the dance camp when she took Riley to the Apache Belles Spring Show, and she knew it was a perfect fit.

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Instructors Cynthia Ojeda and Michaela Hutchins are both preparing to transition in teaching dance full time and the camp provided them a perfect opportunity to connect with their young students.

“I like that we get to interact with them a little more than you would in a regular class,” Ojeda said. “We have to be able to keep their attention for a lot longer because they’re so young. We have to know when to alternate from dancing to games or arts and crafts.”

Hutchins has run “Frozen” camps before, but this was her first time working on the project with TJC. Her entire class was made up of 3- and 4-year-olds.

“It’s just really fun working with the kids,” Hutchins said. “It’s a lot of fun for any age that wants to come, and they get to meet new friends.”

Between the giggling and frolicking and the joy the instructors took from the lesson, it is hard to tell who was having more fun.

TJC’s Frozen Dance Camp will return Aug. 14 to 18. For more information on the camp and others, visit tjcsummercamps.com.

Twitter: @TMT_Cory