Saturday’s final shows for the Yvonne O’Connor School of Dancing drew the curtains on the school’s 48th year.
Owner/teacher Mrs O’Connor said it was the accumulation of a lot of hard work by teachers and the 120 students involved.
Students danced in a range of styles, including classical ballet, tap, jazz, hip hop, contemporary, national character, Scottish and Irish.
Mrs O’Connor started dancing when she was four and after completing her training in Sydney, returned home to Wagga to open her own dance school.
Her focus is on teaching a wide array of dance styles to produce well-rounded dancers.
“I think it’s necessary if anyone wants to do anything with it to have all styles,” she said.
“When you get to 14 that’s when they decide what they want to do.
“They are more likely to succeed.”
The school performs twice a year at nursing homes and ballet exams and Irish exams are held towards the end of the year.
Mrs O’Connor said children get excited to perform on stage and dress in costume for the final Christmas concert.
Staff, students and parents celebrated the end of the year with a Christmas party at Collins Park yesterday afternoon.
