NORWAY — A Norway dance circus is hosting a free monthly summer series on the fourth Saturday of June, July and August where dancers, actor and circus performers will participate in unique productions at Longley Park Square on Main Street.

Nettie Gentempo, who founded the Nevaeh Dance Circus with her sister, Hannah, and now runs the Nevaeh Dance Studio on Main Street, said that the first production of the summer series will take place at 6 p.m. Saturday, June 24, in Longley Park Square.

She said that the performance is titled, “Let It Grow,” and will help “recognize the beginning of summer, the beginning of our (dance) studio, and the beginning of the summer series itself.”

The June 24 performance will feature a performance by Janoah Bailin, a comedic circus performer, as well as performances by members of the Nevaeh Dance Circus, including Gentempo and her sister, Tegan Bullard, Hillary Perry-Allen, Claudia Laguardi and Garcia Leavitt.

The June series will be hosted by Jack Gentempo.

Gentempo said that last summer, the Nevaeh Dance Circus did a single summer show with a sword swallower, members of Circus Maine and other dancers.

“It was a pretty big production,” she said. “It was my husband that suggested this year, we do a monthly summer series, instead of just one show.”

Gentempo said that the Nevaeh Dance Circus started 12 years ago, when she and her sister were in high school.

Together, they formed a dance group that bounced from venue to venue. While they didn’t have a set place to practice their routines, Gentempo said that sometimes they would rent a space, while other times, people would donate space to them.

“This past year, we finally were able to get a space of our own for the Nevaeh Dance Circus to practice,” Gentempo said. “We figured that it makes sense to teach in this space, too, so we also made it a dance studio.

“I love performing and creating, but a big part of dancing is bringing it to others,” she continued. “If I didn’t have dancing, I don’t know what I would do. It’s important for me to bring that to others.”

Following the June performance, Gentempo said that on July 22, the Nevaeh Dance Circus will hold a “Mayhem Circus,” with appearances from sword swallower Nick Penney and Fred Garbo’s Inflatable Theater Company.

At 7 p.m. Aug. 26, the Nevaeh Dance Circus is choreographing a production called “Dark Side of Somewhere,” where a group of dancers perform a routine to Pink Floyd’s 1973 album, “The Dark Side of the Moon.”

Gentempo said that she was trying to keep the August performance under wraps, but said it will be “very fun.”

Gentempo said that “pretty much every performance we do has no cost.”

“It’s really important for me to make our performances readily available,” Gentempo said. “We want to bring new people in. It’s kind of life-creative missionary work: bringing the arts to people who otherwise may be playing on their phone.”

For more information on the Nevaeh Dance Circus summer series, or to sponsor or donate to the summer series, visit their website at nevaehdancecircus.org.

mdaigle@sunmediagroup.net

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