One of our own has taken our Do Good community spirit to the performance stage.
Bill Aikman of the Business Development team has volunteered for the past 10 years with Arabesque Etc. Dance Studio in Richmond.
He was inspired to join the cause when his daughters began studying at the studio and “I saw that (the studio owner) needed help getting the shows off the ground.”
Bill has designed, built, painted and moved all the sets for a wide variety of shows at the studio over the years, including most recently Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
The original show a decade ago was the Sound of Music, which was apropros because the studio was founded by Martina Price, a granddaughter of Maria and Captain Von Trapp of Sound of Music fame.
“My girls have been with the dance studio for all 10 years studying ballet, modern, contemporary, hip-hop, jazz and others,” Bill said. “It allows me to be in the wings and be a part of their creative lives!”
Besides creating the sets, Bill has also coordinated and managed the volunteer stage crew during recitals. And he’s even had a few cameo roles.
Not surprisingly, Bill has been resourceful in his set designs. He says he’s been happy to go dumpster diving here at National Life in search of large cardboard boxes that he can repurpose into pieces for the sets. The Facilities team has been more than happy to recycle the cardboard!
The backdrops are painted on large canvas drop cloths.
Some of Bill’s work with Arabesque Etc. has been during work time, so he has been able to use some of his 40 hours of paid volunteer time for the work. He’s sure to wear his Do Good shirt when he’s at it.
