Come dance with us . . .
In Him they live and move and have our being. Acts 17:28
According to Sunny Hannum, the Artistic Director and an Instructor at Hosanna Dance in Pierre, 
South Dakota what causes Hosanna to stand out from other studios is that Hosanna specializes in storybook and biblical productions. They also do some full length story ballets like Midsummer Nights Dream, Sleeping Beauty and Nutcracker. They are the only studio in Central South Dakota that offers Cecchetti Certified Ballet Instruction. (Cecchetti training is a rigorous method which pays careful attention to the laws of anatomy. It develops all of the qualities essential to the dancer: balance, poise, strength, elevation, elasticity, “ballon”, etc. It is classic in its purity and clear-cut style.) They provide worship dance for outdoor and indoor community concerts whenever asked but do not participate in competitive dance. Although they emphasize ballet training, they also offer jazz, tap, pointe, modern, and pas de deux.
Sunny’s proudest moments as an instructor is seeing young dancers accomplish the difficulties of pas de deux work and rise to new levels of technical ability while learning solos.
The biggest mistakes Sunny sees dancers make when performing is not completely stretching their feet, their having a lack of formation awareness, and not being aware of where the wings, exits and entrances are located. Another mistake is looking down instead of looking out at the audience.
Our experience with Bailar Dancewear is fairly new. We ordered skirts from Bailar Dancewear for our 
Christmas show in December, 2013. Our experience was positive and I’m sure we will be ordering again.
Sunny’s goal for Hosanna Dance for this year is a revised performance of their Nutcracker, The Greatest Gift of All on December 5 & 6. They last performed it 4 years ago and since have done other Christmas shows like Narnia. Their performance next Spring will be The Deliverer (The Story of Moses).
Sunny had previous experience as a professional dancer and dance had always been her passion. Because she wanted to inspire others to experience the freedom that dance brings and the physical, spiritual, and mental benefits of dance, she decided to start her own studio. She believes that graded classes are the best way to help dancers attain technical proficiency and can only be taught in a studio venue.
Hosanna Dance just completed a performance of He Lives In You: Lion King. As a professional dancer, she had the privilege of performing with Radio City Music Hall Ballet, Ballet Russe de Monte 
Carlo, and Ballet Repertory Company and the Broadway show, Come Summer, choreographed by Agnes de Mille. As a scholarship student at Jacobs Pillow, she studied with Margaret Craske.
She emphasizes that Hosanna Studio’s teaching program consists of responsible training with caring, skilled, professional instructors, faculty and assistants. They strive to create a fun, encouraging studio environment with personalized challenges for individual growth. Sunny believes it is important that they have family-approved lyrics, clothing and music selections. She said they are a studio that uses and teaches dance vocabulary and technique. Sunny believes that technique is very important.
They provide all of this in an atmosphere of mutual respect and proven mentoring programs.
Please post a comment if you have had any experience with Sunny Hannum or Hosanna Dance.
For further information about Hosanna Dance, check out their website at http://hosannadance.blogspot.comor message them through Hosanna Dance on Facebook. You could also call Sunny Hannum at 605-945-1044 or e-mail her at hosannadancepierre@gmail.com.
