- by Anne Finlay-Stewart

Many young locals have found the joy in dancing with the help of Ann Milne in Owen Sound. Now one of those has come home in every sense of the word to run the Owen Sound Dance Academy.

I met Adela Cleverley and one of her classmates from the York University dance program at a local coffee shop to talk about the new adventure.

"I always wanted to come back to Owen Sound," says Adela and her friend Charlene nods – this is clearly something she spoke about at school. "The arts – not just dance but music, theatre and the visual arts – are all around you here," she says, "So accessible to everyone."

Adela was dancing around the house by age three, but started taking lessons in ballet at 9 and Highland the following year. By high school she was also taking contemporary dance and participating in competitions,  and Ann Milne had invited her to help with her dance studio's summer camp. By 16 she was teaching, and continued to teach at the studio on all her school breaks as she studied dance in the Faculty of Fine Arts at Toronto's York University.

Now that she has received both her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance and her Bachelor of Education, Adela is back in Owen Sound to become the owner, and ballet and contemporary Program Director, of the newly re-named Owen Sound Dance Academy,

Ann Milne is the reason, according to Adela, that she is a dance teacher today, and she is delighted that Ann is staying on as the Highland Dance Director.

Preschool classes at the Academy introduce 3 and 4 year olds to the foundations of dance, and later they choose the kind of dancing they would like to learn. Ballet, highland and contemporary dance are offered for all ages and levels, as well as cross-training for ages 12 and up for strength and flexibility for all dance disciplines.

Adela says anyone can dance – whether they do it for the health benefit, discipline and strength or the focus and team work; to be part of a competition or just for the joy.

Registration at the Academy at 807 3rd Avenue East continues on Thursday, September 7th from 5pm to 7pm, and all the information you need is on the website.