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Some say that life comes full circle, and this past week I was blessed with the opportunity to be part of that circle in the life of Duane Cyrus, founder of Cyrus Art Production.

Cyrus Art Production is an organization that presents dance and theater through unique and thought-provoking cultural events. Duane is also an Assistant professor of Dance at UNCG. He has performed across the country and abroad with such companies as The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, The Martha Graham Dance Company and the original London cast of "The Lion King," to name a few.

I was invited to travel with Duane's Company to the Pocono Conservatory for the Arts in East Stroudsburg, Pa. Myself, along with two other dancers, Milanda McGinnis and Tabia McKinzie, participated in the weeklong summer workshop series at the school.

Nine hours and 510 miles away from Greensboro we rode, trunk packed with luggage. Snacks and CDs, sunshine and rain, winding highway and beautiful landscapes accompanied us on our journey. Once at our destination, we had the opportunity to work daily with 9- to 16-year-olds. We focused on dance and poetry, sharing with them information about the Greensboro sit-in movement and worked with them on pieces of their own that centered around Greensboro and its rich history.

I taught a workshop on creative writing and poetry during their drama hour, while McGinnis taught modern dance, McKinzie Afro-fusion and Duane ballet. Together we made quite the team, offering an array of talents and personalities. The students also had an hour for music and art among other enriching activities throughout the day. It was truly an eye-opening experience with regards to how one could spend their summer.

Clarissa Newby-Phillips , Duane's lifelong friend and founder of the Pocono Conservatory for the Arts, opened not only her school but also her home to us for the week. We awoke daily in her home nestled in the mountains to deer in the front yard and a cool mountain breeze that whispered and gently helped us start our day.

We traveled daily to the school to teach, share, learn, inspire and motivate from the morning till after the sun had disappeared from the sky. Living every day with only our art and our expression to guide us, we soaked up every experience the day offered. In the evenings we offered intensive classes for the more skilled dancers and blended spoken word with choreographed movement. Lots of sweat and creativity went into our late evenings. The dancers were dedicated and determined to soak up as much as we could dish out. It was a truly beautiful experience.

On Friday, the company had been invited to Essex County College in Newark, N.J., to perform as guest artists in a show put on by Gallman's Newark Dance Theater directed by Alfred Gallman, who just so happens to be the man both Clarissa and Duane started their dance careers with as teens in 1984. We took four students from the conservatory to perform with us. The students who graced the stage that evening ranged from 5 to 45 years old. Dancers performed hip-hop, ballet, tap, jazz and a few others took their turns moving across the stage as parents and peers watched and cheered from the audience.

We were allotted two pieces in the production, one that consisted of Duane and myself performing spoken word poetry and dance, and another piece comprised of McGinnis, McKinzie and the students from the conservatory fusing afro-fusion and modern dance movements.

That evening I saw two dancers come full circle: Cyrus and Newby-Phillips, realizing their dreams and creating their careers in the field of dance starting with Gallman.

And now they were giving back in the same way Gallman had given to them, planting their own seeds and shaping their lives as well as others.

That evening we did more than perform. We were examples of what the students on that stage could become, the heights they could reach and surpass and the impact one life can make on another.

That week we left a piece of our lives and our city and brought back a sense of accomplishment and purpose.

Josephus Thompson III is a poet, activist and educator in the Triad. His column runs once a month. Contact him at Josephus@mentalityenterprises.com.