6
QUEENS WEEKLY, OCTOBER 20, 2019
BY JENNA BAGCAL
Long Island City resident
Maria Sciorillo has
loved to sing, dance and act
since childhood.
The Pennsylvania native
and former Miss Philadelphia
trained in the performing
arts and recalls
developing an early passion
for it. But she noticed her
current Queens neighborhood
lacked a space where
children could develop that
same love for performing
and decided to open Forever
Young School for The
Performing Arts, a new
boutique studio where kids
could learn the craft in a
“loving environment.”
According to Sciorillo,
the name Forever Young
references the “special and
happiest” times when she
remembers falling in love
with performing arts. The
studio at 10-63 Jackson Ave.
trains children ages 3 to 10
in ballet, jazz tap, musical
theater and singing, all of
which Sciorillo herself professionally
trained in.
As a former preschool
teacher, Sciorillo utilizes
positive reinforcement and
encouragement to teach
her students the proper
technique. She teaches
“semi-private” classes of
six to eight children, which
allows her to give them individualized
attention.
Forever Young offers
45-minute, single Saturday
classes for students ages
2 1/2 to 3 years old or onehour
combo classes twice a
week for students 3 and up.
“Going two times a week
builds muscle memory and
builds a strong foundation,”
said Sciorillo.
Classes are broken up
into a fall semester (Sept. 10
through Feb. 1) and spring
semester (Feb. 4 through
June 27). Saturday single
classes begin on Oct. 5 and
end on Jan. 25. At the end of
the year, students will get
the opportunity to perform
at the end of the year recital
during the last weekend in
June.
When she first started
Forever Young, her goal
was to make the children
“super happy” while they
learned. She showed her
younger students songs
from Frozen and shared
numbers from 42nd Street
with her tap class to give
them a taste of real Broadway
performances.
“It made my day to see
the kids belting songs from
42nd Street; it made it all
worth it,” Sciorillo said. “I
saw little girls fall in love
with it like I fell in love
with it.”
Sciorillo screens performances
like Tony Award
showcases on a professional
projector to give students
a chance to “see the magic
of it” rather than just hear
Courtesy of Maria Sciorillo
the music.
“The kids just light up
and get to understand what
it the performing arts is,”
she said.
In addition to dance
and vocal lessons, Forever
Young also offers birthday
parties for students.
The celebrant and their
guests can engage in 30
minutes of a dance style
of their choice followed
by a party complete with
pizza, cake and birthday
presents.
For more information
on Forever Young, visit
foreveryounglic.com or
search @foreveryounglic
on Facebook.
Blink Fitness to open
in Springfi eld Gardens
BY EMILY DAVENPORT
A popular fitness chain
will open a new Queens location
in Springfield Gardens
later this month.
Blink Fitness will
open its doors at 130-20
Farmers Blvd. and is set
to open in October. The
13,500 square-foot space
will be the chain’s 10th
Queens location to date.
Using state-of-theart
equipment for every
fitness level, Blink
Fitness offers monthly
memberships starting at
$15. Certified personal
trainers will be available
for members looking for
one-on-one fitness coaching.
On an ongoing basis,
personal training sessions
start as low as $30,
and every membership
comes with a free personal
training start up
session.
Blink Fitness members
will also have access
to the Blink Fitness App,
which allows members to
work out anytime, anywhere
by providing hundreds
of workout videos,
as well as nutrition advice
and recipes.
“Our dedication to
Mood Above Muscle® is
evident in everything we
do,” said Suprima Sanders,
club manager of Blink
Springfield Gardens. “We
are raising the bar for
gyms today. Through
Blink’s dedicated and professionally
trained staff,
our uplifting colors, sleek
design and clean facility,
the Springfield Gardens
gym will be a healthy
neighborhood hub where
folks will leave happier
than when they came in.”
Local residents and
commuters can purchase
pre-opening memberships
at the gym’s location.
Blink Springfield
Gardens is also offering
a chance to enter a sweepstakes
to win a free oneyear
membership.
LIC resident teaches kids the
performing arts in new studio
Courtesy of All Points Public Relations
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