Expressing creativity through the arts

BY CATHY MOLITORIS

upgrades to the building’s HVAC system. New programming for residents includes guest vocal performances, Ladies’ Tea Time, Men’s YouTube Club, an indoor garden cart on wheels and outings to community events. Proceeds from the chicken barbecue will help support all of the programming at Mt. Hope.

Preorders for the chicken barbecue will be saved under the name provided when ordered. To preorder or for more information, call Wilson at 717-682-8026 or email advancement@mthope nazarene.org by Sunday, April 30. Extra meals will be available on-site while supplies last. No handling of money will occur on the day of food pickup. When picking up meals, customers may put payment in a drop-box in the form of exact change or checks made payable to “Mt. Hope Nazarene Retirement Community.” The cost of the meal is $17. Additional donations for resident care needs will be accepted, and a tax receipt will be sent. For more information on giving opportunities, contact Wilson.

When Jill Thomasson decided to start her own performing arts company, she took inspiration from Zechariah 4:10: Don’t despise small beginnings. ExHaLTT Performing Arts Academy began in January of 2021 with eight students, but the program has been growing steadily ever since.

The organization, based in Elizabethtown, will host a silent auction on Saturday, April 29, from 6 to 9 p.m. at 222 S. Market St. Proceeds will help Thomasson raise funds as she prepares to expand her class offerings and renovate her new home space in the ballroom on the second floor of The Marriage Hub, 18 N. Market St., Elizabethtown. The auction will include baskets, gift cards to local restaurants and weeklong vacation home stays.

For almost 15 years, Thomasson was a dance teacher at the Milton Hershey School. She left that job to pursue ExHaLTT, which stands for Expressing Hearts and Lives To Touch. “I truly believe lives can be changed by the arts,” she stated. “My mission is coming from a deep place in me to reach into people’s lives, whether they are a viewer of the arts or a participant, and change their lives with the arts.”

Her performing arts academy is a faith-based nonprofit organization that has been offering classes from several locations in Elizabethtown as Thomasson gets ready to open her permanent studio this fall. ExHaLTT operates under the tagline, “Where the arts thrive, the soul comes alive.” Thomasson offers classes in all styles of dance for 4-year-olds through adults.

“I believe that the arts lead to the development of confidence,” Thomasson shared. “I want my studio to be a place where kids can grow and engage in a safe space. I want it to be a place for everyone to find a way to create something beautiful and impactful. We all need some way to navigate through the challenges of life, and we all need a place of release. The arts help us intellectually, physically and emotionally.”

ExHaLTT students will present a spring performance on Saturday, May 27, at 7 p.m. in Leffler Chapel and Performance Center at Elizabethtown College. Thomasson encourages people to come to the performance to see what the studio is all about.

She will also offer a musical theater camp this summer for children in fourth grade through rising seniors. The campers will present “The Little Mermaid Jr.” Auditions will be held on Tuesday, July 11, and the camp will run on weekdays from Monday, July 24, through Thursday, Aug. 3. A performance will be held on Aug. 3 at 6 p.m. at Elizabethtown Area High School, where the camp will take place.

As she looks to the future, Thomasson sees only bright things ahead. “I want to offer music, dance, theater and art to serve Elizabethtown and the surrounding communities,” she said. “My vision for the studio is for it to have a feeling of an arts mecca, with something for everyone.”

For more information on ExHaLTT Performing Arts Academy, visit www.exhaltt dancecompany.org or call 717702-6633.

Manhattan near iconic sites like Central Park, Broadway, Rockefeller Center and the Empire State Building.

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July 17-21

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