Rita Beaulieu's 60th Annual Revue Around the Corner

Rita Beaulieu Dance and Gymnastics Center is celebrating 60 years of a successful family business and is proud to be presenting their 60th Annual Revue, “Déjà Vu and Something New” at Coventry High School, Coventry, RI.  The shows will be Saturday, June 14th at 7 p.m. and Sunday, June 15th at 5 p.m. Tickets are $17 and available at the studio, located at 963 Tiogue Avenue, Coventry, RI. The show will feature dancers and gymnasts of ages 3 to adult implementing the artistic skills they have worked hard learning all year. Following along with the theme, the show will incorporate new and old routines, as well as older routines with a new, modern twist and a new group of dancers than before! For their third year a row, alumni dancers of all ages will take the stage to prove yet again, once a dancer, always a dancer! 

The year 2014 marks many milestones for Rita and her business. Rita formally opened and advertised her studio in 1954 as the Rita Beaulieu Dance Center. In 1982, she took the family business to their current location in Coventry. Furthermore, this year marks 25 years for Child Care Plus, the learning and daycare center that is a division of the studio. Less than a week after the 60th Annual Revue, on June 20th the preschool and toddler students will graduate in front of their families, fellow students, teachers and staff of the center.

In addition to running a business, Rita and her family have continued to remain a leader in the community. She was awarded Coventry Citizen of the year in 1983 for the work she was doing with and for her students. The center participates in numerous charity events around the year to teach their students the importance of giving back to the community. The dancers perform for the Coventry Senior Center every December for the holidays and the children participate in their annual “Trike-a-thon” held in April to raise money for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

Dancers come and go year after year, little ones just starting their lessons and some graduating from high school and moving on to college. There are five dancers and three gymnasts graduating high school and the studio this June. Rita says, “If there is anything I want them to walk away with, first of all I want them to figure the years they spent with us were fun, but I want them to feel they enjoyed learning, it is an education. And, to recognize they have derived the physical, social and psychological benefits of their classes.”

If you have any questions or wish to receive further information on the center, please do not hesitate to contact us. We hope you will consider sharing our event as a feature story or in some form of advertisement.