“5 Cents a Dance” Student Internship

By Shannon McDermott, Berkshire Center student

I am an intern at 5 Cents a Dance, a company known for making costumes for the Moscow Ballet. Located in Lee, Massachusetts, I go there twice a week and my main Designers Assistant duties consist of sewing, organizing and ironing costumes, dresses and fabric.

Jan Greiner, owner of 5 Cents a Dance, also does alterations, hemming, and creates one-of-a-kind wedding dresses. She is a very talented lady and I love working for her!

I am always excited to go to my internship to see what task I can complete next. I am finding that 5 Cents a Dance is a very interesting internship since it is something I enjoy doing. Of the many things I have learned while interning there, the most useful ones I can use in the future are what to wear in a work environment, how to ask for help when I don’t understand what to do, and what my behavior should be when I am working around other people.

Jan Greiner has taught me a lot in the short amount of time I have been working for her. One week she had me help her make a Prom dress. When we finished it, it came out beautiful and she even let me try it on! I couldn’t believe I had the ability to help make something as nice as that dress.

Every week I walk into a bright room with all different colored fabric scattered around the room, and that makes it all the more fun to work there.

I think this internship has given me a lot of experience and has boosted my confidence for my future career.

Jan was so impressed with the work I have been doing during the school year that she said that I could stay to intern during the summer.

Another reason I like being able to intern at 5 Cents a Dance is that I like to be around people, and working there gives me the opportunity to see and talk to different people. I love to see people bring in dresses and try them on for alterations because they are always so pretty and different. I love clothes and dresses so it always puts a smile on my face to be able to have this opportunity.

It is a hard job, interning, because everything has to be done a certain way. In the end I get a great feeling of accomplishment and that always makes me happy. I am hopeful that this internship will later turn into a real job.

Students at the Berkshire Center can take advantage of the Career Training and Employment Program (C-STEP), headed by Lucy Allaire-Gosselin.

I am glad to have this experience because it has opened my eyes and given me the chance to put myself in a position that I would of never have thought of. I know that there is so much more to learn and I would love to have my internship continue into next year.

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