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By SEAN ROCCA

For The Washington Daily News

The Le Moulin Rouge De Danse is a dance school in Washington, NC. They pride themselves on welcoming everyone, regardless of dancing skill. They live by their motto which is “Everyone deserves the chance to dance.”

“We want everyone to feel welcomed here,” Artistic Director and President Shannon Reising said. “Everybody can participate or watch. We make sure everything is reachable by the community, whether it be performances or classes our doors are open.”

Reising has been dancing her entire life. She began at age three and continued through college at ECU before dancing professionally in New York. She came back to Washington where she grew up to lead and teach Le Moulin Rouge.

The school offers 28 different classes. These range from ballet, hip-hop, jazz, musical theatre, and many more. Different levels for each class start at beginner and move to advanced.

Reising said the classes are very popular. “We opened registration for fall classes, which begin in September, and two of them are already full. Our ballet and tap combo class is very popular for three to four-year-old kids,” Reising said.

The school makes sure the performers have the best behind-the-scenes team. They bring in degreed lighting and sound producers to make the stage look as professional as possible. They do the same with hair and makeup, ensuring their performers look their best while on stage.

Reising said it can be expensive, but they offer scholarships to combat this problem. “We offer two scholarships that make the cost more affordable. We do this so people who want the opportunity to dance are not hindered by the cost,” Reising said.

They have two teams that specialize in competition. They compete against other studios in North Carolina and from other states. Reising said they went to nationals which were held in New Bern. They brought 20 pieces, including multiple group routines and duets.

At nationals, they finished in the top ten in the recreational duo/trio and recreational small group performances. Mollie Cook-Coltrain finished third in the recreational solo performance.

The school does other performances besides just dancing. Reising said they hold fire-spinning shows in downtown Washington that everyone is welcome to enjoy. “There are no tickets for the fire spinning, it is free to come watch. For our other performances, tickets are never more than $5. We want everyone interested in dance to come watch and enjoy our students’ performances,” Reising said.