Roxanne King and Kyra Smith, both 15, of Alexandria, were selected from more than 100 dancers to be part of the Kennedy Center’s tap performance, “JUBA! Masters of American Tap!” at the Eisenhower Theater on Dec. 7. Both are students of the Metropolitan Fine Arts Center of Alexandria and Fairfax Station.
Sixteen teenagers representing six youth tap ensembles from across the United States performed in the show. King and Smith represent the Washington, D.C. metro area as members of the Metropolitan Youth Tap Ensemble and as students of the Metropolitan Fine Arts Center. They have been dancing with MYTE for five years and King is a founding member of MYTE. They also serve as dance captains for MYTE.
Metropolitan Fine Arts Center founder and executive director Melissa Dobbs was classically trained at Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington, D.C., George Mason University and the Royal Academy of Dance in London, where she became a registered teacher.