Lisa's Story...
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I truly believe our dream all started with the mini-shows in
the basement. There were the stage-like toy boxes, the
pretend microphones, the audience attendance of 2 (poor
Mom & Dad), and the two of us pretending to be Donnie &
Marie…for those who do not remember the Donnie & Marie
Show well, yes…we’re THAT OLD!! Together my brother
and I began our experience with the arts at young ages,
and still have that deep seeded love to this day. I am not
quite sure what has kept us so dedicated the performing
arts; however, I am sure it has to do with the direction from
our parents and their low pressured, yet very high
expectations they had for us.
Premier Centre for the Arts was formed 5 years ago, not
for the sole purpose of employment for both my brother
(Fred Munzert) and I (Lisa Munzert Bonacquisti), but to
give others the life experiences we both obtained in the
world of the performing arts and competition. Our
extensive facility provides arts education and opportunities
in the areas of: Theatre, Music, Dance, Noncompetitive
Baton Twirling and my love Competitive Baton Twirling.
Premier Centre for the Arts (PCA) is located in the heart of
Middletown, DE – a once farming community, now home to
the suburban sprawl in Delaware. PCA is not just another
corner dance studio, but a place where children and adults
come to fulfill their dreams of being a star.
Our theatre program is like no other program in the state.
PCA’s onsite black box theatre allows students to perform
in the familiar setting in which they rehearse. By having
our own theatre we give our students a chance to share
their gifts with the community. Our upcoming 2007-08
season will provide stage experiences for those 3 – 18
years old, with performances in the hundreds. PCA’s
unique Musical Theatre Ensembles are also hoping to take
their talents to Orlando, FL this winter, to take part in
Disney’s Magic Music Days. This performance group is by
audition only and requires commitment and dedication by
all performers.
PCA’s music and dance departments provide instruction to
both, students wishing to explore the arts, and those
wishing to seriously pursue their performance dreams. In
June 2008 PCA’s annual “Recital of the Arts” will feature
dancers, baton twirlers, actors, singers, and a live band –
all made up of PCA students. Currently 2 of PCA’s recent
high school grads are pursuing their arts education at
major area colleges.
My number one desire with the inception of PCA was to
bring competitive baton twirling back to the state of
Delaware. As we all know, our sport utilizes the art of
dance and theatre – so why not incorporate competition
into our “arts” centre. I knew that in order to do so I had to
take baby steps – and that’s what I did. At the close of our
1st season we had 6 twirlers – all twirling for the first time in
their lives, all twirling on a noncompetitive level
(noncompetitive classes are still an integral part of PCA’s
baton twirling program). Now in our 5th year we host a
street parade corps of 32 twirlers, 3 competitive dance twirl
teams, and 9 solo competitors – talk about amazing. The
progress and desire of the twirlers has proven to be one of
the most rewarding experiences for me (being a Mom is
#1). As an educator/coach, I stress to my students that the
life experiences gained through competition at a young age
are priceless. Competitive twirling forced me (in a good
way) to be more independent, focused, goal oriented, and
outgoing. Even though not every student I teach/coach is
competing to win (which at times is the difficult part of
coaching) they are all attaining personal goals that may not
have been achieved without a little push from a source
other than one at home.
In July 2006 I was able to take the Premier Twirlers Jr.
Dance Twirl Team (7 members – some of which were
soloists as well) to AYOP. It had been 20 years since I last
attended AYOP, and although the caliber of twirling had
increased – AYOP was still the same, even after 20 years.
It was such an incredible feeling to be there as a coach – I
was relieved to know that I no longer had to perform in
front of the judges!! The team members and parents were
amazed, as I remembered on my first exposure to such a
glorious competition, and many of my students spent hours
in the arena watching the solo twirlers, teams, and corps
perform throughout the week. Although I was not a
champion advanced twirler, I was still very proud to have
had the opportunity to compete at AYOP, and more so to
provide this opportunity to my students. This year the
Premier Twirlers will have 3 teams and 8 soloists in
attendance at AYOP made up of second timers and many
newbies. My hopes for all attending are that they will
continue to grasp the life lessons that are openly provided
to them through this experience. I thank NBTA for
continuing the AYOP experience for all levels of baton
twirling. As well, I thank all of the familiar faces I saw last
summer for giving me the confidence to continue PCA’s
quest in the competitive sport of baton twirling.
the basement. There were the stage-like toy boxes, the
pretend microphones, the audience attendance of 2 (poor
Mom & Dad), and the two of us pretending to be Donnie &
Marie…for those who do not remember the Donnie & Marie
Show well, yes…we’re THAT OLD!! Together my brother
and I began our experience with the arts at young ages,
and still have that deep seeded love to this day. I am not
quite sure what has kept us so dedicated the performing
arts; however, I am sure it has to do with the direction from
our parents and their low pressured, yet very high
expectations they had for us.
Premier Centre for the Arts was formed 5 years ago, not
for the sole purpose of employment for both my brother
(Fred Munzert) and I (Lisa Munzert Bonacquisti), but to
give others the life experiences we both obtained in the
world of the performing arts and competition. Our
extensive facility provides arts education and opportunities
in the areas of: Theatre, Music, Dance, Noncompetitive
Baton Twirling and my love Competitive Baton Twirling.
Premier Centre for the Arts (PCA) is located in the heart of
Middletown, DE – a once farming community, now home to
the suburban sprawl in Delaware. PCA is not just another
corner dance studio, but a place where children and adults
come to fulfill their dreams of being a star.
Our theatre program is like no other program in the state.
PCA’s onsite black box theatre allows students to perform
in the familiar setting in which they rehearse. By having
our own theatre we give our students a chance to share
their gifts with the community. Our upcoming 2007-08
season will provide stage experiences for those 3 – 18
years old, with performances in the hundreds. PCA’s
unique Musical Theatre Ensembles are also hoping to take
their talents to Orlando, FL this winter, to take part in
Disney’s Magic Music Days. This performance group is by
audition only and requires commitment and dedication by
all performers.
PCA’s music and dance departments provide instruction to
both, students wishing to explore the arts, and those
wishing to seriously pursue their performance dreams. In
June 2008 PCA’s annual “Recital of the Arts” will feature
dancers, baton twirlers, actors, singers, and a live band –
all made up of PCA students. Currently 2 of PCA’s recent
high school grads are pursuing their arts education at
major area colleges.
My number one desire with the inception of PCA was to
bring competitive baton twirling back to the state of
Delaware. As we all know, our sport utilizes the art of
dance and theatre – so why not incorporate competition
into our “arts” centre. I knew that in order to do so I had to
take baby steps – and that’s what I did. At the close of our
1st season we had 6 twirlers – all twirling for the first time in
their lives, all twirling on a noncompetitive level
(noncompetitive classes are still an integral part of PCA’s
baton twirling program). Now in our 5th year we host a
street parade corps of 32 twirlers, 3 competitive dance twirl
teams, and 9 solo competitors – talk about amazing. The
progress and desire of the twirlers has proven to be one of
the most rewarding experiences for me (being a Mom is
#1). As an educator/coach, I stress to my students that the
life experiences gained through competition at a young age
are priceless. Competitive twirling forced me (in a good
way) to be more independent, focused, goal oriented, and
outgoing. Even though not every student I teach/coach is
competing to win (which at times is the difficult part of
coaching) they are all attaining personal goals that may not
have been achieved without a little push from a source
other than one at home.
In July 2006 I was able to take the Premier Twirlers Jr.
Dance Twirl Team (7 members – some of which were
soloists as well) to AYOP. It had been 20 years since I last
attended AYOP, and although the caliber of twirling had
increased – AYOP was still the same, even after 20 years.
It was such an incredible feeling to be there as a coach – I
was relieved to know that I no longer had to perform in
front of the judges!! The team members and parents were
amazed, as I remembered on my first exposure to such a
glorious competition, and many of my students spent hours
in the arena watching the solo twirlers, teams, and corps
perform throughout the week. Although I was not a
champion advanced twirler, I was still very proud to have
had the opportunity to compete at AYOP, and more so to
provide this opportunity to my students. This year the
Premier Twirlers will have 3 teams and 8 soloists in
attendance at AYOP made up of second timers and many
newbies. My hopes for all attending are that they will
continue to grasp the life lessons that are openly provided
to them through this experience. I thank NBTA for
continuing the AYOP experience for all levels of baton
twirling. As well, I thank all of the familiar faces I saw last
summer for giving me the confidence to continue PCA’s
quest in the competitive sport of baton twirling.
