Schools

Naz Student to Dance at Festival in China

Deanna Crouchelli, a junior at Nazareth Academy, dances for the Wesoly Lud Polish Folk Dance Company, the representative dance ensemble of the Polish Roman Catholic Union of America.

The following is a release from Nazareth Academy:

Burr Ridge resident Deanna Crouchelli, a junior at Nazareth Academy, will travel to Shanghai later this week to participate in the 2012 International Folk Festival.

Deanna dances for the Wesoly Lud Polish Folk Dance Company, the representative dance ensemble of the Polish Roman Catholic Union of America. The dance ensemble will perform multiple times at the festival, sharing their talents and cultural pride, while representing the U.S. in China.

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Crouchelli has danced her whole life.

“It’s sort of a family tradition,” she says. “My sister and I have always done Polish Folk dancing. Even my brother tried it.”

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As a member of the top-level group at Wesoly Lud, Deanna has traveled to Poland and Hungary as well as domestically, but never anywhere like China.

“I am really looking forward to such a different cultural experience. We are stopping in Beijing to visit the Great Wall before going on to Shanghai. And, at the festival, I know I will meet people from all over the world.”

Missing two weeks of school during junior year is a challenge, but Deanna has worked with her teachers to secure assignments in advance.

“The good thing about a 14-hour plane ride is that it leaves plenty of time for school work.”

Nazareth Academy, a Catholic, coeducational, college preparatory high school serving families from 55 communities and over 100 grade schools in Chicago and the western suburbs, established in 1900 and sponsored by the Congregation of St. Joseph, values scholarship, service, spirit, and unity. 


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