Princesses Behind Cynderella

Every year the Q puts on a show at the conclusion of summer camp. Nearly all of the children enrolled in camp participate in the show. Last year, the show was Ann-ee.

130 children ages 5-18 attended dance instruction daily, and learned choreography for the 10 different dances for the show.

They performed to a full house at Dunbar High School auditorium which has a capacity of 735 people. Ten dances in 8 weeks. That’s a lot of dances.

I know what you are thinking: how is this possible? It’s a lot of work by a lot of people. But there’s no show without these three ladies.

Keesha Allen: Director/Choreographer/Dance Instructor

The driving force is Ms. Keesha. She’s been at the Q since 2002. Although her degree is in childhood education, she has worked in a variety of capacities. She has taught dance and created and put on performances for over 12 years. In the last 7 years, the productions have become bigger and more elaborate. She has played a key role in all of the performances as an instructor and choreographer.

Keesha has been dancing and choreographing dances since she was 14 years old. She attended LaGuardia High School of the Performing Arts, and trained and performed with Harambee in New York. She worked in several movies and commercials until relocating to Fort Myers and came to work at the Q. As Performing Arts Director, Keesha has created partnerships with a variety of professional dancers to give the children of the Q exceptional dance exposure and instruction.

Angela Franklin: Writer

Angela Franklin’s daughter attends the Q and dances, so she is very familiar with the programs, and the performances. With a degree in broadcast journalism, Angela worked at Waterman Broadcasting before making the shift to teaching. She taught ESE classes for 12 years, and now teaches ACT and SAT prep at Lehigh Senior High School. Angela was asked to help write a script four years ago, and she’s been the official script-writer for the show ever since.

Monicke Bell: Music and Drama

Ms. Monicke was hired part-time to help with music for the Wiz Meets the Wizard of Oz. Her beautiful voice earned her a full scholarship for music at Edison College (now Florida SouthWestern). Like Angela, Monicke is also a Lee County School employee, so the Q is able to utilize her talents in the summer. She has abilities in so many areas – music, drama and dance – she also quickly became a full-time summer employee.  Monicke said she enjoys being a part of the Q summer production because it is unique: “I have been involved in other shows, but never anything like this. The Q puts it all together, and includes all of the kids. It is an experience.”

This year’s performance, Cynderella, is an updated version of the classic story of a girl persisting in the face of difficult circumstances and believing in herself. The show will take place on July 21 at 6 p.m. at Dunbar High School. Tickets are $5 for adults and $2.50 for children, and are available at Quality Life Center.*

Where else are you going to get all this?

*To purchase tickets on-line, hit the "Donate" button on the Q's website (qualitylifecenter.org), and put: Cynderella, the number of adult tickets, number of child tickets and the name you would like them to be listed under at Will Call. They will be ready for you at Dunbar HS on the day of the show.