More Than Just Dance

Performing Arts Academy of Jupiter

The Performing Arts Academy of Jupiter is truly a labor of love. During the summer of 2013, Atlantic Arts Academy, which had been in existence for 10 years, suddenly went out of business. en, Trina Ginossi decided to take action. For 8 of those 10 years, her own children had taken classes there, in everything from guitar to dance and acting. ey loved it, so when its doors closed, Ginossi decided to keep it alive for them and the hundreds of other kids in the community who loved to perform. For the next 11 months, the almost 10,000 square foot space sat vacant. Ginossi began to round up the previous teachers and seek out investors. She nally teamed up with another mom, Monica Leonhardt, whose children had also taken classes at the previous studio. Together with their families, they brought the studio back to life. ey chose the name Performing Arts Academy of Jupiter. “We are about all of the performing arts and community,” Ginossi says.

Trina and her husband, Alex, along with Monica and her husband, Erich, teamed up over the summer to prepare for a grand opening in the Fall of 2014. “ at was a long year,” says Ginossi. However, Performing Arts Academy of Jupiter is going strong and now, several years later, not only have previous Atlantic Arts students returned, but they also have many newcomers.

What makes the Performing Arts Academy of Jupiter di erent? ey are about more than just dance. ey o er private voice and music lessons, including drums, piano, ute, and guitar. ey also provide acting instruction and improv, along with dance classes including jazz, hip hop, aerial silk, tap, musical theater, contemporary, and ballet. is studio is the perfect t for families with children who are interested in the arts. e concept is when siblings come in, one can do a dance class while another can do a guitar, piano, or acting lesson. ere is something for everyone. Students

By Wendy Conrad

range in age from 2 years old and up. “Our oldest student is about 75 years old”, Ginossi says.

e Performing Arts Academy of Jupiter is a family-owned and operated studio that welcomes all levels of students’ interests, from professional to recreational. Some students are there to become a professional one day, while others come for fun. “We’re about embracing the love of the arts. We promote that to our students. Everybody supports each other,” Ginossi says. e Performing Arts Academy of Jupiter is less about competition and more about nding and embracing a love for the arts.

e teachers, who are all working professionals, also have a love for this place. e head of their dance and musical theater department, Elizabeth Brockwell, has a degree in musical theater and is a working actress herself. Jesse Furman, head of the acting department/acting coach, has been on several TV shows and commercials, and is a working actor, as well as a founding member of a very popular Improv troupe, e JOVE. Je Harding, head of the music department and a guitar teacher, has a band and performs locally. “ ey all work professionally in their area,” Ginossi explains. e students come for the teachers. “ ey each have their own following,” she adds. e Performing Arts Academy of Jupiter also o ers many special events. Each year, they put on a dance showcase, two music showcases, two acting shows, and two musical theater shows. e musical theater department has performed many shows, including Grease Bye Birdie department has performed many shows, from the Christmas Carol members perform in community events like Arti Gras, Italian Fest, and Turtle Fest. ey also attend dance competitions within the state of Florida. e state-of-the-art facility also boasts a 150-seat theater that is home to the locally famous comedy improve troupe e Jove. Many well-known comedians perform at the facility as well, such as Bobby Collins and Mark Price, to name a few. Recently, the studio hosted the rst album release concert for the local acoustic guitar duo Leafy Greens. ey also host the Oceanagraphic acoustic guitar concert every year. Enthusiasts from all over the state of Florida attend to see this sold-out concert. “ e intimate, blackbox theater is a great venue and there is not a bad seat in the house,” a rms Ginossi. She adds, “It is a great community theater, a staple in Jupiter.”

When asked what her favorite thing is about the Performing Arts Academy of Jupiter, Ginossi has a hard time choosing just one thing. “Everything,” she exclaims! She also states that all of the owners brought the studio back to life out of a shared love for the arts. “I grew up dancing my whole life and when I had my own children, I wanted them to have a love for the arts as well.” She goes on, “What do I love the most? Watching all of these kids from the community embrace the arts and call this place their home.” need to work together for things to run smoothly. ey each have their own special skills that they bring to the table. “I could have never done this by myself,” Ginossi explains, continuing, “Everybody is working for one goal. We truly have a great team!”

Ginossi was born and raised in South Florida, while her husband Alex is from Southern California.

Why do they do it? “It’s truly a labor of love,” Ginossi explains. “When I see all those children and teens and adults moving from class to class, I always stop and think, ‘this is awesome!’ Because those students would have had nowhere else to go, or maybe would have gone somewhere less special.” She adds, “If I had it all to do over again, I would