Pat's School celebrates 40 years of dancing

Recitals in ballet, tap, jazz, and hip-hop by past and current students — including many award-winners — will bust out four different shows over an entire week for the community to enjoy.

“I truly believe Pat’s School of Dance is one, big family,” says Pat Shepherd. “I have always lived by the saying ‘It takes a village to raise a child’ — I hope I’m part of my students’ village.”

Past students from Pat’s School of Dance — some traveling from as far away as California and New York — are returning to Hendersonville to dance with their beloved teacher for the 40th Celebration Show on June 18.

“It’s sort of a variety show,” Pat Shepherd says of the 40th Celebration Show that will cap a series of shows during the week of June 12.

All shows will take place at Hendersonville High School’s auditorium.

Hendersonville mayor Barbara Volk is expected to make an appearance as well as a proclamation at the June 18 show.

To embrace past students as potential performers, one dance slated for the 40th Celebration Show has been posted on Facebook, so participants can learn the dance.

Two past students — professional performers Matthew Glover and Allison Nock will emcee the evening.

Glover and Nock, who have been best friends together through Apple Valley Middle School, North Henderson High School, and at Elon University, will perform in the number “The Lady is a Tramp.”

The two will sing and dance throughout the upbeat piece that they chose to highlight their individual performing styles.

Glover, who took classes at Pat’s School of Dance from 2002 to 2005, has performed on cruise ships in the Southern Caribbean and was recently a cast member in the touring show of “Cats.”

A past performer with the Flat Rock Playhouse, Glover will be leaving Hendersonville soon to join the Mill Mountain Theatre in Roanoke.

“It’s going to be a fun night,” says Glover.

After putting on a series of dance shows at home, Nock’s mother enrolled her at Pat’s School of Dance when Nock was just four-years-old.

“On a professional level I owe [Pat] so much of my career,” says Nock. “She helped me find myself in a positive way.”

Nock has experience performing with regional music theaters throughout the eastern U.S. as well as on cruise ships in Asia and Australia. While in Hendersonville, Nock will be teaching theatre camp and will begin auditions in fall, to decide her next performance job.

Gotta Dance Faculty and Staff | Gotta Dance, Inc

A native of Lexington, KY, she was educated at the University of Kentucky and the University of Arkansas. Her dance training began at an early age with Mary Jo Holland and continued with Diana Evans School of Dance, Lexington Ballet, and the University of Louisville Ballet. She has continued her study of dance in NYC, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Dallas, New Orleans, Cincinnati, and Tulsa. Her advanced studies include Dance Masters Teacher’s Training, Dance Educators Teacher’s Training, and she is an accrediated member of Dance Educators of America. Miss Dawn has also studied and received accreditation in the area of Children’s Protocol from the Protocol School of Washington, DC.

Her awards and recognitions include: featured dancer for “Salute to Teens” and Lafayette High School, model and member of the McAlpins Teen Board for four years, and professional model for Casual Corner. She is a past member and performer of Lexington Children’s Theatre and Lexington Musical Theatre. While residing in Arkansas and managing a studio, she was also a performing member of Solid Gold Dancers. At UK she was Top Winner of the UK Fraternity/Sorority Performance Dance Contest.

Currently she remains a sustaining member of the Junior League of Lexington where she was recipient of the Unsung Hero Award. She is past Chair of the Junior League “Kids of the Block” performing puppet group and past Trophy Chair of the Summer Junior League Horse Show. She is a member of Southern Hills United Methodist Church and is a regular volunteer in the Childrens’ Minsitry and Hope Center for Women. She is currently chairing the 25th Anniversary Committee for Walnut Hill Day School.

In January 2003 and February 2003, Miss Dawn was was featured in Dance Teacher Magazine .