The Landrum School of Dance honored one of their former dancers with a dance scholarship during their year-end recital on June 6.
Noelle Fabbricante, who had studied at Landrum’s for 17 years, passed away last year due to heart failure. Despite her congenital heart disease, her mom said that she was always active and that dance was an important part of her life.
Noelle and her sisters studied at Landrum and even after Noelle graduated from the school, she maintained contact and even taught there for a time.
“Noelle truly considered Annette to be a role model and inspiration,” said her mother, Rosemarie Fabbricante.
Director Annette Vallone-Rocchio created the scholarship to honor Noelle, who Vallone-Rocchio described as “an incredible, incredible girl. She was always happy, always joking, always wanting to bring out best in people.”
Melissa Miranda was the first recipient of the $500 scholarship, which Vallone-Rocchio said would be awarded annually to the student who emulated the positive qualities of Noelle.
“She was a cheerleader for the group, encouraging fellow students and when she danced, she always put 110 percent into the performance,” said Vallone-Rocchio.
“We were extremely pleased. For Annette to remember Noelle in this way is a real tribute to her life,” said Rosemarie.
The recital, which took place in the Kupferberg Center at Queens College, featured about 350 students, performing numbers in musical theatre, modern, lyrical, tap, ballet, jazz, acrobatics, rhythmic gymnastics, preschool ballet and preschool tumbling. It was also the second year that all-boys classes were featured, in which they performed hip-hop, tap and musical theatre.
“It’s amazing to see the children so excited to show their parents and family everything they learned on such a big, beautiful stage. Just to see that excitement; it made all the hard work for me and the staff totally worth it,” said Vallone-Rocchio.
