Sue Ann Lorenz Wallace, artistic director of The Old Forge Ballet Com-pany, has recently added hip hop classes to the dance school’s list of available instruction opportunities.
The classes are led by Abhishek “Abhi” Sharma, a native of Pehowa, India who currently resides in Old Forge.
Abhi’s love of hip hop was sparked at a young age.
With limited opportunities for dance instruction in his small town, he learned hip hop from watching television programs and through the internet.
Before long the self-taught dancer began performing in public and formed his own dance group.
He started participating in competitions on the state level, and at the age of 17 received his first award in dance.
Later, he opened his own dance studio, Abhi Dance Point. Among his students was his younger sister, Prerna.
Realizing that it would be difficult to make a living from dancing, he enrolled at Kurukshetra University in Haryana in Northern India to study Software Engineering.
While at the university he was captain of the Cricket team and continued to perform.
After earning his masters degree, he took a job with a local software company, which allowed him to continue to dance and instruct at his studio.
When the company transferred him to Kathmandu in Nepal, he had the opportunity to work at the Nepal Break Dance Foundation, a widely recognized school of Break Dance.
Upon his return to India, he began to work with D Mania X, one of India’s top Dance Crews.
Abhi, 29, eventually moved to the United States, finding employment as manager at the Runway Convenience Store on Route 28 in Thendara.
He learned of the Old Forge Ballet School from a poster announcing upcoming classes, and called Lorenz Wallace for information.
She invited him to visit a class, and soon he enrolled in the company’s ballet classes. Engaged by his love of dance and talent, she and her husband David soon developed a friendship with the young performer.
“The quality of his expertise in hip hop made me think that it was a beneficial style of dance to include in the school curriculum,” Lorenz Wallace said.
She also cast him in the school’s upcoming production of The Nutcracker, where she has decided to replace the traditional Arabian divertissement with North Indian choreography.
Ahbi was invited to choreograph the dance with the traditional Tchaikovsky music.
He will also dance the Russian divertissement, employing his energetic hip hop moves and fast footwork, she said.
Thursday hip hop classes at 7 p.m. are currently on-going for males and females ages 10 to adult. Tuesday classes may be added upon demand.
The Old Forge Ballet School is located in the North Woods Community Center on Crosby Bou-levard.
More information is available by calling (315) 369-8721 or email: oldforgeballet@roadrunner.com.