A special

dance concert this weekend is designed to show how much

Gym South in Fayetteville has grown over the past few

years.

The school

of gymnastics now offers much more than a traditional gym

center and people from the community are responding in

kind.

In February

1999, the Gym South Dance and Performing Arts program was

launched. The program has doubled in size since then and

participants are set to debut their talents in

"Debut - A Dance Concert." DAPA features

dancers ages 3 to adult and all of the students are

dedicated to making their inaugural concert one that

audiences will remember.

"Debut"

features much more than traditional American styles of

dance. Audiences will enjoy classical Indian dance,

hip-hop, Irish step and swing. Several guest artists also

will be featured, including Atlanta Dance Experience and

Moving in the Spirit. Henry Hearns, director of ADE,

choreographed the finale of the concert, "Celebrate

Africa," and will teach traditional and contemporary

African dance to all of the performers.

"We

are so excited to bring this artistic diversity to

Fayetteville," said Jennifer Archer, director of

DAPA at Gym South. "The community will be able to

experience different forms of dance all in the same

show."

The program

is not only breaking new ground for dance supporters in

Fayette County, it is also recognized for its

multi-cultural, multimedia, collaborative efforts.

Students are encouraged to use imagery, props, spoken

word and pictures to further fine-tune their artistic

endeavors.

"Debut

- A Dance Concert" will run two shows at Sams

Auditorium in Fayetteville on Saturday, May 27 at 2:30

p.m. and 7 p.m. Tickets are on sale at Gym South or can

be purchased at the door the day of the show. Tickets are

$7 for adults and $5 for children 12 and younger. For

information, phone 770-461-5528.

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