Coal City Broadway dancers return from tour of Croatia

COAL CITY – The Coal City Broadway Dancers have returned from their tour of Croatia.

25 dancers, a singer, a sound technician, six alumni, two directors, 25 parents and a mix of twelve siblings, grandparents and teachers from the Coal City Broadway dance studio recently have returned from their 10-day Croatian Tour.

The trip began in Dubrovnik, Croatia, and toured to Bosnia, Slovenia and Montenegro.

While the group’s three performances in Dubrovnik, Riva Split, and Opatija were the main events of the trip, they were just a few of many memories made.

“They were street shows, so it was a bit different than we do here. The crowds were amazing — so celebratory and relaxed. We did so many unexpected things during the trip, like cliff jumping and touring monasteries, there were a lot of highlights,” Evelyn Wills said.

While many enjoyed the new sites and experiences, trip leader Kim Scerine said the real joy for her was in giving her dancers an experience they will never forget.

“The main goal of the trip, other than to give performance opportunities is to educate them and let them see the world through their own eyes and not through social media. It gives them the opportunity to see how other cultures accept us and how other cultures live and hopefully inspire them to travel,” Scerine said.

The notion of traveling abroad being valuable and essential for personal growth was shared by all participants of the group, including Madeleine Smolik

“Seeing all the churches and everyone attending — noticing that everyone really respected each other and respected each others’ religion was huge,” she said.

For Wills and Smolik, one of the most impactful experiences was the preservation of history and the environment.

“The way they are able to preserve and take care of the artifacts is incredible. Every time we visited an old town it was beautifully reserved,” Wills said.

“There was a fountain that you could actually put your water bottle under and drink from it. I thought that was so cool, because you would not be able to do that here. It was the best water I have tasted too,” Smolik said.

The group’s performances included a special tribute to Megan Bugg, an important member of the company who lost her battle with childhood cancer earlier this year.

One performance, a mash-up of Elton John songs, opens with text messages Bugg sent to Scerine, expressing her excitement over purchasing concert tickets for her father, Kent Bugg’s, birthday.

“We took a little part of her with us on tour. Madison Schlegal, a vocalist, sang ‘The Climb’ on Father’s Day in her honor,” Scerine said.

The tour group from Croatia donated $500 toward Megan Bugg’s cause.