Rhapsody in Bluegrass

Bobby and Abby McClure were happy in Abby’s home state of South Carolina, surrounded by a community of family and friends. Moving to Kentucky was not in the cards until they got to know Dancer’s Pointe. They say they were taken with the culture that owner Danielle Bridgewater had cultivated, supporting students’ desires to pursue dance.

“You know, both of us working together as a family, the ability to pour into the next generation, this was a clear next step,” Bobby, now Dancer’s Pointe Artistic Director, said. 

Although they have only been at the studio a few months, the McClures have become enamored of their students.

“You know, all of our seniors are wonderful people,” Bobby said. “Every single one of them is going to go out and be successful in what they do. They have learned to really work hard, to value what they’re doing in life. They’ve learned to pursue their dreams. They’ve learned to deal with disappointment.”

In addition to teaching, Bobby dances professionally. 

“You go out into the world, and it’s like, well, I don’t know what to expect. I don’t know where to go. I don’t know how to prepare,” Bobby said, preparing for Kentucky Ballet Theater’s annual production of “Dracula” at the Lexington Opera House in Lexington, where he is dancing Renfield and Van Helsing. “Having someone who not only has done it but is still doing it, how many high school football teams have a current professional player?”

Beyond the stage and studio, someone has to be setting the stage. 

“There’s way more preplanning that needs to be done beforehand to help make the season go smoothly,” Abby McClure said as the room at Dancers Pointe filled with tiny ballerinas. 

In addition to being the school’s director of operations and engagement, Abby is the wardrobe coordinator, a beast of a task for a company that puts on a full production of “The Nutcracker” every year. 

Mentioning Dancer’s Pointe around Winchester brought immediate smiles of recognition and reminiscences from people who went to the school or had children there. 

Explaining the effect ballet has had on her daughter, Dancer’s Pointe parent Laura Ballard said, “I think she’s learning how to build friendships, and she’s also helping build out her confidence, so when she’s in different situations, whether that’s at church or in other kinds of recreational opportunities, I can tell that she’s confident in who she is.”