in Paget, nine tiny bodies stretch and reach and pull to the commands of their modern dance instructor, American Kim Grier, a principal soloist with the Rod Rodgers Dance Company in New York City.

Off in a side room, seven even tinier souls are tapping their various hearts out as another American, native Philadelphian Jaye Allison, urges them on.

At first sight, the whole scene is reminiscent of something out of "All That Jazz'' or "A Chorus Line'' -- only in miniature.

But there is, in fact, some serious business going on here at Keya Neal-Frick's second annual dance workshop for children -- dance instruction, yes, but also a form of confidence-building, and the moulding of future characters.

"They're doing things now that just a few days ago they were crying about,'' says Ms Neal-Frick of the students, who range in age from four to 12.

"It certainly builds their self-esteem, and it boosts their confidence to know that they've achieved certain levels.'' Clutching her infant son Kyllid as she surveys the students' activity -- her other son, six-year-old Kristofer, is just then being schooled in some complex Lester Horton movement -- Ms Neal-Frick, who started "Keya's Fun Approach'' to dancing some seven years ago, knows whereof she speaks.

Having wanted to be a dance instructor "since I was 12'', the young teacher and mother of two is a graduate of the High School for the Creative and Performing Arts in Philadelphia, majored in ballet at that city's University of the Arts and has danced on the high seas and on land as a former member of the well-known Bermuda Follies.

Ms Neal-Frick's stint in the Follies naturally occasioned frequent visits to the Island, where she ultimately married a Bermudian, started her family and established the "Fun Approach'' in 1988.

While the marriage didn't last, the business is still going strong, currently providing dance lessons to both boys and girls some five days a week from September to June and branching out since last year to include an intensive week-long workshop for young dancers in which professionals from abroad are flown in to coach Bermudian students in modern dance, tap and jazz.

This year's workshop, which concluded on Friday, saw at least 16 students sign up for the week, and included the participation of three of Ms Neal-Frick's busy fellow Americans as teachers: Ms Grier (a native New Yorker who graduated with Ms Neal-Frick from the University of the Arts), Ms Allison (a fellow student at the Performing Arts High School in Philadelphia and director-choreographer of the Philly-based LEJA Theatre dance company) and Leon Evans (a former Broadway dancer and partner of Ms Allison's at LEJA).

In fact, as soon as Ms Grier, who has also appeared in the New York production of "Porgy and Bess'', had finished putting her Bermudian pupils through some strengthening and stretching exercises on Friday, she was to be whisked off to the Airport for her flight back to the US.

Mr. Evans, who according to Ms Neal-Frick gave particular attention to the male students in the workshop, had already left the Island by that time, while Ms Allison departed yesterday.

"I certainly feel,'' Ms Neal-Frick said as the 1995 programme was drawing to a close, "that we need more workshops like this, more teachers from elsewhere to come to Bermuda to make sure that these dancers can go anywhere in the world and succeed.'' On the subject of the current dance scene in Bermuda, Ms Neal-Frick was more than optimistic, citing the impressive work of dancer- Keya's students are building confidence teacher Suzette Harvey and particularly the Jackson School of Performing Arts as evidence that the level of dance training on the Island was "broadening, getting better''.

And on the capacity of young Bermudians for the actual art and technique of dance, Ms Neal-Frick, who prides herself on being "more than just a teacher -- it's important for them to get to know me as a friend,'' was effusive.

"They (her students) hold up very well,'' she says. "The ones I've had for seven years used to come in here crying and be like this (she cowers and cringes in mock terror) on the stage, but now they smile and enjoy it and exude so much for the audience. It's beautiful.'' "Dance,'' the former Follies girl adds, "can be a good life -- it really can. It travels well, and you can make of it what you want -- you can be a dancer, you can be teacher.'' If the enthusiasm and skill of the students in the Arts and Fitness Academy on Friday are any indication, you might also expect to see a number of young Bermudians in a real chorus line someday.

STRETCHING THE LIMITS -- Modern dance specialist Ms Kim Grier guides young workshop participants through a stretching exercise.

DANCING GIRLS -- Keya Neal-Frick of "Keya's Fun Approach'' (centre) with Jaye Allison (left) and Kim Grier.