Friday, April 20th 2018, the second day of 10th Okinawa International Movie Festival, saw bright sunshine and a tropical atmosphere at the Naminoue Umisora Park. It was filled with onlookers who were there to enjoy dance performances by students from the newly formed Laugh & Peace Entertainment School Okinawa and students from the Hinton Battle Dance Academy. The show was titled “The Greatest Showman Greatest Laugh & Peace Show” and was a based on numbers from the Hollywood movie The Greatest Showman.

First-year students from the Laugh & Peace Entertainment School took the stage and danced to “This is Me,” a tune from that hit Hollywood movie. The young dancers from the Department of Performing Arts in the Performer Course acquitted themselves admirably in this ambitious piece. Hinton Battle, a Broadway legend who has won 3 Tony Awards, produces the dance program at the school.

Hinton Battle appeared stage and announced 1st year students who were training in ballet, hip hop, modern and tap at his school, the Hinton Battle Dance Academy, would perform. 20 First-year HBDA students danced a 7-minute jazz piece and demonstrated their remarkable technique. Hinton noted, “I personally teach the students once a week and I observe all the classes.”

Hinton was asked “Can I dance as well?” and he said enthusiastically responded “YES!” He announced, “There is one project we have coming up. In August, Dance Off, which are classes and a competition, will be held in Tokyo for people 7 years old to adult in hip hop, ballet, modern, tap.”

In the end, he mentioned about the second-year students, “We decide to accept 13 new kids and just started from last week. When we get back to Tokyo they will start taking classes.”

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