Chester Valley Dance Academy is proud to offer students with not only quality dance training at the studio, but also the opportunity to travel and participate in conventions, competitions, and master classes. The studio produces an annual Senior Showcase that gives the graduating class an opportunity to showcase their talent and have the spotlight to celebrate their years with CVDA. At this year's Senior Showcase, we celebrated the Class of 2020 and all of their accomplishments. The dances were beautiful and the messages shared through Senior Speeches were so heartfelt. This year, the audience was limited and those who would normally have attended the showcase missed out due to Covid-19 limitations.  We are proud to share with our studio community the Speeches our Seniors gave at the show, reminiscing on their time at the studio, and inspiring the underclassmen to savor every minute of their time at Chester Valley.

Senior Speech - Emily Plichta

"I grew up at Chester Valley, I was enrolled into preschool ballet and just never stopped. I am grateful to all my teachers from my very first, to all the wonderful teachers I have this year. They have been by my side through so much, all the highs and lows! Especially now, I am feeling the loss of my “lasts” of high school and getting to say goodbye to my second home, but I can’t help thinking about how lucky I am to have something so hard to say goodbye to. It means the world to me that I have had the privilege of knowing and learning from all the staff that have seen me grow up in and out of the studio. Also, special shout out to my family and most especially my mom for always being my biggest fan and I know these moments are just as special to you as they are to me.

Chester Valley fosters a safe haven to get away from the daily pressures of life, although your social life comes and goes with recital and Nutcracker season. The girls that we have chosen to surround myself with are the most caring, funny, and accepting people I have ever had the privilege getting to grow up with and spend more time with than my own family sometimes. This year was especially fulfilling to see how powerful the love and community is at the studio, with spearheading the dance siblings program with Emma. I’m sorry we could not continue doing fun events with you all, but my hope is that you all incoming seniors take charge and continue this new tradition well after Emma and I have left. Bridging the age gap and coming together like a true family, I think, is the most important part of this program and it aligns so uniquely to how much value Chester Valley has to all of us.

I know in my heart that although this showcase may be a little different and there may be some very special people missing from the audience, nothing takes away from the last fifteen years and everything that came with it; the good and the bad. At our last rehearsal for the showcase, we were talking just about the show and Miss Kim said that Story of My Life was a great way to start the show and we all nodded our heads and I was excited because I love One Direction, but I also thought of how much this showcase is a representation of The Story of Our Lives, and how every decision we have made in the past has led to this very moment. No matter if we continue dancing in the future, even if it is just in our bedrooms, we cannot deny the impact of what dance did for us, The Chester Valley family is forever. We have to be resilient and tackle whatever challenges are thrown at us next year, and I know that we will with grace, just like we were taught."

~ Emily Plichta
CVDA Class of 2020
Quinnipiac University, Physical Therapy