SIDNEY — The Sidney Dance Company brought to life the works of Edgar Degas recently during a performance at the Sidney Historic Theatre. Degas is known for a series of paintings portraying dancers. The dance company brought them to life using music and recreating the scenes in “Degas and the Dancer.”

The group, originally formed in 1980 by Sharon Arnold of Sharon’s School of Dance, has grown through the years until they now have two groups. The night’s performance began with the entire company on stage to portray Rehearsal on Stage. The remaining seven were portrayed by selected performers.

The company’s mission is “to provide dance education, performance opportunities, community outreach, and appreciation for the performing arts in Shelby County and throughout the surrounding areas.”

Periodically throughout the evening, there were breaks in the performance while dancer mingled among the patrons taking pictures with them. In the pictures the dancers struck various poses from the performance.

The dancers also made a point to thank people in the audience for their support.

The proceeds from the performance, along with those from a silent auction and a 50/50 drawing, will be used to help the dancers travel to Disney World in 2017. While there the dancers will attend a workshop and have the opportunity to perform in Downtown Disney.

“We’ve never done anything like this (trip to Disney) because the cost for each child is too big. We’ve decided to venture out, and thank you for all your support,” said Arnold at the end of the performance.

The Dance Company is planning a performance of Cinderella in January.

Anyone wanting more information on performances or on how to support the Sidney Dance Company may contact Sharon’s School of Dance at 937-492-3767 or Sidney Historic Theatre at 937-498-1921.