Langlois School of Dance celebrates 65

PLATTSBURGH | Since 1955, three generations of one family has taught thousands of students in the North Country to dance. Mothers and daughters, adults and children alike, dance in time while following in each other's footsteps - its students reflecting the women who work behind the scenes. The Nancy Langlois School of Dance is celebrating its 65th anniversary as Susan Gerace Mossey and Kyra Mossey continue their family legacy while continuing to evolve. PAVING THE WAY Nancy Langlois Gerace, more commonly known as "Miss Nancy," started her 63-year-old career in her original 49 Elm St. studio by teaching at 15 years old. Gerace continued to teach after graduating from Dance Educators of America in New York City and studying at Arthur Murray School of Dance in Montreal, Quebec. Students of ages 3 to 18 or older learned under Gerace as she established annual routines that became crowd favorites like the "Plattsburgh Rockettes" and "Hula Babies." When starting out, Gerace taught students to music on piano played by her sister Irene Bridge in the studio. Although she isn't too heavily involved in the daily studio work these days, her daughter and granddaughter said they continue to remember and instill the lessons Gerace taught them in their own students. "There's so much behind-the-scenes work that people don't really think of to stay organized and keep the students challenged," Gerace Mossey said. "She was a hard worker, and she instilled that in us that this is a full-time job." CARRYING THE TORCH Susan Gerace Mossey always knew that she wanted to work in her mother's studio. Starting dancing at 3 years old, she started exploring disciplines of tap, ballet, jazz and gymnastics. Gerace Mossey studied dance at the Broadway Dance Center and Bronx Dance Theatre while also studying English and fine arts at Manhattan College in New York City. Gerace Mossey returned to the North Country in 1995 and decided to bring hip hop lessons with her. She said introducing the new style of dance wasn't much of a challenge because of how quickly the classes were met with enthusiasm. "It was a lot of fun from the get-go," Gerace Mossey said. "A lot of people didn't even know about, I was surprised. It continues to grow, and I just try to keep it cutting edge." Gerace Mossey said this anniversary has made her reflect on her youth and all of the generations of students that have been with the company for decades. She said she remembers having a student who originally started lessons when her mother, Nancy Gerace, was pregnant with her and continues to take lessons with her children. Bobbie Jo Provost started dancing with NLSD after enrolling her two daughters, Dana and Raelyn. Provost's eldest, Dana, joined at 3 years old, and after her daughters got older, she decided she had to try it. Provost has been dancing for three years, Raelyn has been dancing for seven years and Dana for 10. Her eldest daughter started dancing with Gerace, and "The friendships you make in dance class are like no other," Provost said. "Those are your lifelong friends. You know, it's no different for my daughters. They've had the same friends growing up in their dance classes, so they get to meet kids, not just from their district but from all over." NLSD features the dancers who have been enrolled in classes for more than 10 or 20 years in the "Decades of Dance" section of the recital program. Another feature the company that revolves around longevity and family is the Mother-Daughter tap dance routine. "To say that we have over 50 students that have been with us for over a decade, I think is amazing," Gerace Mossey said. Provost said the instructors' legacy impacts the students because kids love to do activities with their parents. "To me it's [dancing] just a family thing," Provost said. "Once I started I couldn't stop. I made sure that I would be able to do that with them, because that is our once-a-week thing that we could do together." CONTINUING THE LEGACY Also growing up in the studio, dancing has been Kyra Mossey's life since starting at age 3. She started helping her mother and grandmother with instructing at 9 and came on as a full-time instructor at 19. "Dancing has been my entire life," Mossey said. The classes currently offered differ by type, age group and difficulties. NLSD offers the following: Preschool Level One (Hula), Preschool Level Two, Tap and Tumble, Tiny Tots Hip-Hop, Ballet Belles, Junior Hip-Hop and Contemporary Jazz. Ballet for younger children and contemporary jazz for ages 10 and higher are the latest additions to the class list, but Gerace Mossey said adding them to the program last year was natural and the classes continue grow. "A lot of the dancers who do it have been with us for years, but they find it completely different and unique," Gerace Mossey said. "It's great for every dancer to be well-rounded." Classes are $10 an hour for children and teenagers and $11 an hour for adults. NLSD offers monthly and weekly payments plans. There is only one session of classes per year, running from September until June, that ends with a four-day five-show recital event. Gerace Mossey said the best part of her job is continuing to challenge her students and watching their self-esteem grow throughout the season. "Watching everything come together when they're on stage and seeing their eyes light up, that's the most rewarding part for sure," Gerace Mossey said. "Also the fact that students I've had for years continue to feel challenged and come back." ■

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Langlois School of Dance celebrates 65

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