The American Ballet Studio in Bayport opened the “Emily Finn Performing Arts Space” on May 16 with a dedication show to benefit the Emily Finn Foundation, an up-and-coming nonprofit organization that aims to raise awareness for domestic violence and youth mental health.
Friends, family, and colleagues of Emily Finn, the 18-year-old SUNY Oneonta freshman from West Sayville, who died last November after police said her former boyfriend shot her, gathered around under completely clear skies late Saturday afternoon to celebrate Finn’s lasting impact on her community and the arts.
The American Ballet Studio, where Finn danced for several years and led volunteer projects, hosted its annual “Dance for a Difference” fundraiser for the Emily Finn Foundation to transform “tragedy into art through live dance performances that inspire healing, connection, and hope.”
“Emily was someone who brought light, kindness, and joy to everyone around her,” said Kathy Kairns-Scholz, director at the American Ballet Studio. “She loved to dance, she loved to connect, and she had a gift for making people feel seen and valued. While she is deeply missed, her spirit continues to live on in this studio, in this event, and in every person that’s gathered here tonight.”
The dance students performed pieces ranging in emotion, from upbeat celebrations like “Man, I Feel Like a Woman,” by Shania Twain, to more contemplative songs like “Eye in the Sky” by The Alan Parsons Project.
No matter the mood or subject, though, each piece put the young aspiring dancer and teacher at centerstage. Finn’s uncle, Derek Miller, performed an instrumental piece titled “Emily,” which he wrote soon after her birth in 2007 because he “knew she was something special.”
And the young dancers, many of whom graced the stage alongside Finn throughout middle and high school, closed the show by dancing to another tribute song titled “Emily,” written by her cousin, Troy Cyphers, and performed by her cousins Troy, Sabrina and Sawyer Cyphers. The song reflected the young dancer’s aspirations to change young people’s lives through education while shining as a beacon for others to follow.
For four weeks leading up to the show, volunteers from throughout the community, including parents of dancers at the studio, rolled up their sleeves to build the performing arts space, which features a large stage surrounded by gravel, mulch, and pink and white pansies and petunias donated by the Bayport Flower Houses.
“The lumber was donated, the food was donated, the flowers were donated, the mulch was donated. I mean, everything that you’re looking at was donated 100 percent by the community,” said parent Lanora Truglio, who helped lead the organization’s effort. “It’s a testament to the community that we live in.”
Truglio said parents were eager to chip in, helping to construct the stage, plant holders, and lighting. Fathers like Emily Finn’s dad, Ryan, put everything into building the space, sometimes staying at the studio for “ungodly” hours to do so.
Source: - Latest Stories
