For Lizz Pimentel, In Motion School of Dance’s annual recital is about more than steps and costumes. “I always say it is about dance family and dance community,” Ms Pimentel said. The dance school owner and director is about to hold Art in Motion, the school’s 29th showcase. This year, with one teacher on maternity leave, Ms Pimentel turned to the In Motion dance family for help.

At the same time, In Motion graduates Jada Pearman and Hannah Taylor were preparing to return to the island for a visit after time working and studying abroad.

Ms Pearman had just wrapped up a spring tour with the renowned Paul Taylor Dance Company in New York. She has been with the company since 2019, performing across Europe and the United States.

“We started off in London,” she said. “Then we went to Italy and Switzerland and then we did some tours stateside. We just came back from Oklahoma.”

Ms Taylor had just finished up her first year at York University in Canada, where she is studying acting and performance.

Ms Taylor and Ms Pearman both reached out to Ms Pimentel to see how they could reconnect with their old dance school.

“I know this is a time where it is very busy,” Ms Pearman said. “It is great to come back and help In Motion students be the best they possibly can on stage and develop a beautiful show.”

Ms Taylor said her first year in university was a really good experience.

“I am really, really grateful that I got to go,” Ms Taylor said. “Without In Motion, I don’t think I would have had the confidence to actually pursue something in the arts.”

Coming back to the studio where she studied dance for years felt like a full-circle moment.

The In Motion graduates are helping to choreograph and refine recital pieces and are also assisting students with rehearsals.

Ms Taylor has been loving coaching students. “I was a student teacher at In Motion in my last year of high school,” she said.

She is considering teaching as a possible career, whether it is teaching acting, dance or singing.

“My favourite part of teaching is when I give a correction to a student and they actually apply it,” she said. “I am filled with so much pride.”

The friendships she sees between dancers at In Motion remind her of her own time there.

“Some of the best friendships I have made in my life are through dance,” she said. “It is really nice to see the community growing and building and everyone getting closer.”

Ms Pearman said there is a lot that goes on behind the scenes that many people never see.

“It takes a village for any show to go on the stage,” she said. “It is great to be able to help the process become smoother.”

Ms Taylor has also discovered a new appreciation for the production process.

“It is definitely interesting to be behind the scenes rather than on stage,” she said. “I don’t usually get to do much of the admin stuff and behind the scenes work so it is definitely something different. I have actually really enjoyed it more than I thought I would.”

Ms Pimentel likes to remind the youngsters at In Motion that Ms Taylor and Ms Pearman were once dance students just like themselves.

“They are inspiring the next generation of performers,” Ms Pimentel said. “It is really sweet to see the children looking up to them with wonder. There is a sense that wow, that could be me one day.”

Ms Pearman often receives messages on her social-media feed from dance students from schools all over Bermuda.

“I never hesitate to give all the advice I can,” she said. “You should never feel alone.”

This year’s recital is called Art in Motion.

She does not want the show to be “just” a small, casual recital.

Ms Pimentel joked that there are so many children in this year’s recital she almost needs a bigger theatre.

“I want people to understand that this is performance and a production,” she said. “This is what a show should be. Many locals don’t get to travel to see big productions, so this is a way of giving back to the community.”

Each year she tries to make it different, bigger and better.

For Art in Motion, she is inviting visual artists to display and sell their work in the lobby.

Ms Pimentel said as artificial intelligence becomes more prevalent, the arts will become more important, rather than less.

“We are going to be looking for something outside of screens, technology and AI,” she said. “We will need something that is more organic, raw and has emotion.”

Ms Taylor also sees a line that technology cannot cross.

“It’s impossible for technology to replace the feeling that you get when you’re on stage or watching a performance,” Ms Taylor said. “I don’t think dance can ever be replaced.”

Ms Pimentel agreed, saying that even with a rehearsal video, you don’t get the same feeling from a rehearsal video as you do from being present in the theatre.

• Art In Motion will be held from June 11 to 13. Tickets are $55 general admission, available through www.ptix.bm or through In Motion’swebsite