Dance recital in Albion included a tribute to the late Ace Caldwell

‘Grandpa Ace’ assisted in many renovations at Gotta Dance, cheered on performers

Photo by Tom Rivers

Photo by Marsha Rivers: A seat in the front row was reserved in honor of “Grandpa Ace” for Saturday’s dance recital in the Albion Middle School Auditorium.

ALBION – The recital at Gotta Dance Performing Arts LLC included a tribute to the late Waldo “Ace” Caldwell Jr., the father of Amy Sidari.

Three seniors in the dance program – from left Ava Ludwick, McKinley Knight and Kaitlynn Basinait – did a senior dance together and dedicated the performance to Caldwell, who passed away at age 93 on April 16.

Caldwell was a fixture at Gotta Dance during the 28 years it was owned and run by his daughter, Amy Sidari.

The two teamed to overhaul the building at 28 West Bank St., transforming a building that was used for a plumbing business into three dance studios, a cabaret venue, and a piano studio.

Caldwell was a carpenter for decades, putting in kitchens, bathrooms and tackling other projects in the community.

“Grandpa Ace”  attended the cabaret shows and dance recitals, and was loved by the hundreds of dancers over the years.

The three seniors – Ava Ludwick, McKinley Knight and Kaitlynn Basinait – have been part Gotta Dance since they were three years old.

The studio for the first time this past year was run by Danielle Schmidt following Sidari’s retirement. Schmidt thanked Sidari on Saturday for building a strong dance program in the community and for trusting Schmidt to lead the studio in a new era.

There were about 200 dance performers during the recital on Saturday, which included 48 different dances.