Andrea FREED

• Name	Andrea FREED  [1, 2, 3]
  Gender	Female
  HIST	of Sumter, South Carolina 'Everything Old is New Again' Dancers celebrate double anniversary PHOTOS BY KEITH GEDAMKE / THE SUMTER ITEM "Bridge Over Troubled Water" is a lyrical piece danced by the Sumter Civic Dance Company to contemporary artist Linda Eder's cover of the Simon and Garfunkel song. Their performance can be seen April 17 and 18 at Patriot Hall during the company's spring concert, which is also its 35th anniversary and the 60th year for the Freed School of Performing Arts. Posted Wednesday, April 8, 2015 6:00 am BY IVY MOORE IVY@THEITEM.COM It's not hard to get folks to come back to Sumter for this reunion: The Freed School of Performing Arts has been training dancers for 60 years, and the Sumter Civic Dance Company is 35. There is a lot of crossover in the two groups, but they all have one thing in common: They learned to dance from a member of the Freed family. When that "family" reunion takes place next weekend, there will be around 90 dancers on the stage of Patriot Hall at one time, according to company director Andrea Freed-Levenson, who will be one of them. "I've sent all returning dancers videos of the choreography we'll be doing," Freed-Levenson said, "and the ones who live here I've taught the dances in person." The title of the April 17 and 18 concert is "Everything Old Is New Again" - not that there's anything old about any of the dancers; dancing tends to prolong youthfulness. Talk to former company members, and there's one impression you'll get over and over - the Freed school and dance company were "family" to them. Chylene Player Burdick, now owner of Dreamworks Dance Academy, said she "was raised at the Freed School of Performing Arts ... ," and Paul Pecko, now with Disney, said, "The Freeds were my second family along with their other teachers who worked for them - Rhoda Burns, Libby Howard (Singleton) ... . We were a dance studio family that happened to be called Betty Freed School of Dance." Kenneth "Kenny" Deas, credits the discipline he gained at the school for allowing him " ... to cultivate a special talent that helped me to stand out from the crowd and gain admission to some of the nation's most selective colleges and universities such as Georgetown University and Dartmouth College coming out of Sumter High School." He is now a professor and postdoctoral researcher in education policy and law at the College of Charleston's School of Education, Health, and Human Performance, the College of Charleston's Honors College and its Center for Partnerships To Improve Education. Burdick said she learned from the Freeds to "work hard for my dreams, set goals and do the daily work that leads to success. Ms. Andrea has always said that dancing full out means FULL OUT! 110 percent!" While his family agreed to pay for one year of dance school, Pecko was on scholarship afterwards. "I would clean the studio for my lessons," he said. "It was the most rewarding experience for me. I learned great work ethics and reliability. I learned the business side along with the family ... . I am truly grateful for those learnings." Carrie Levenson Galphin has a special perspective on the Freed family business. "Growing up, we were never expected to take dance," she said. "I remember getting mad at Mom for something when I was young and threatening to quit dance (not because I wanted to quit, but to see what her reaction would be), and she simply told me that I didn't have to dance if I didn't want to." Of course, Galphin said, she has "always loved dance. I loved taking classes, learning dances and most of all performing," and that has made the family bond stronger. "Dance taught me great time management skills, which is something I am thankful for every day," she said. "In high school, I learned to use every spare moment during the school day to work on homework so I could spend more time at the studio after school. I now teach third grade and dance in Memphis and use this skill every day. I can't imagine my life without dance and am so excited to be coming home for this reunion." While dozens of former students and Sumter Civic Dance Company members (formerly called Freed Spirits) will be on the Patriot Hall stage on April 17 and 18, Freed-Levenson said all the choreography is new, including the finale, which will be danced by "All Freed Spirits, Past and Present." They'll also dance to the title piece; both are choreographed by Freed-Levenson. The present company, in different configurations, will dance most of the pieces, and some have been choreographed by members, although Freed-Levenson did most. She said the audience can expect to see "Broadway-style pieces, pointe, swing, river dance, lyrical, hip hop ... it's pretty varied." Graduating seniors Madison Beasley, Winter Grant and Ta'Niss Grant will dance a piece they choreographed together; Kimberly Barrett has choreographed a hip hop piece to a music medley; Andrea Barras Govier and Erin Levenson Harms have choreographed Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, which features the gymnastics team. Harms has also choreographed two other pieces, one featuring the Sumter Civic Apprentice Company, while the other will be danced by the senior company. Also, look for a jazzy piece to "Thoroughly Modern Millie" and some tap to "I Got Rhythm" during the 90-minute concert. "It's been so much fun to do the spring concert this year," Freed-Levenson said. "It's going to be really colorful and exciting. I think we've got everything but belly dancing." The Sumter Civic Dance Company presents its 35th annual concert and reunion, "Everything Old is New Again" at 7 p.m. April 17 and 18. Tickets are $10 general admission and can be purchased at the door or in advance from any company member or at Freed School of Performing Arts, 527 N. Guignard Drive. Call (803) 773-2847 for more information.  [1, 2, 4]
  Occupation	she is the owner of Freed School of Performing Arts on North Guignard Drive, Sumter, South Carolina  [3]
  _UID	3276CE39D3484302818465287E6C7CBAC197
  Person ID	I23590	Singleton and Related Families
  Last Modified	11 Apr 2015

  
  

  Father	Hyman FREED   d. Bef 25 Jun 2010
  Mother	Betty FINKE,   b. 1923, New York d. 25 Jun 2010, at her residence (Age 87 years)
  _UID	AA8282AD96F74C939B164C8AF319F2115DE3
  _UID	AA8282AD96F74C939B164C8AF319F2115DE3
  Family ID	F173054	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family 1	Oscar DuBose “O. D.” OUTLAW, Jr.,   b. 1911, Bethune, South Carolina d. 18 Jan 2006, at a local nursing center (Age 95 years)
  Marriage	22 Nov 1935	Sumter, Sumter County, South Carolina   [5]
  _UID	8AC88FF2F2874500BD4532336A66B706858F
  _UID	8AC88FF2F2874500BD4532336A66B706858F
  Children	1. Living   2. Living
  Family ID	F16607	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
  Last Modified	19 Mar 2002

  
  

  Family 2	Joseph “Joe” LEVENSON
  _UID	8AFC2228E0154D5CBCAA9AE6A8D43B9BA6BA
  _UID	8AFC2228E0154D5CBCAA9AE6A8D43B9BA6BA
  Children	1. Living   2. Living
  Family ID	F128617	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
  Last Modified	23 Mar 2026

  
  

• Sources

  [S14529] Betty Finke Freed. [S14882] Carolyn Baruch Levenson. [S16332] Saturday Snapshot * Joe Levenson, Mayo’s Suit City. [S22301] ‘Everything Old is New Again’. [S1067] Paperwork from Robert Walton Touchberry, Sr. 319-848-4022.