THE STUDIO OF DANCE, LLC - YOU CAN HAVE ROOTS & WINGS

 The Studio of Dance, LLC has sponsored and housed a pre-professional  dance company for the past 13 years.  In those 13 years, we have  produced many successful dance professionals and have been blessed  to see them excel in their chosen fields.  Now recognized as the “Pass It  Forward” Company; we have provided and continue to provide those  individuals who aspire to become dance professionals the skills needed  to be successful. They are the product of a lot of hard work, mixed with  passion, faith and guidance from masters and teachers who believed that  they could achieve anything if they dedicated themselves wholly to the  study of the technique, theory and the ability to sustain your faith in a very demanding professional field. There is no room for the average, the timid or the lazy in the world of dance; it is not in the nature of dance or a dancer. Georgetown is a haven for talented young people waiting to be sculpted and inspired to achieve what the hearts desire.  We feel it is very important that everyone know just how much talent has come from this area and how much talent is still being produced each day.  The success of our programming is because we maintain a family atmosphere and relationship with our students, teachers and parents.  It is the beginning and the key for anyone’s success.

Our roots & wings…

For Dex Foxworth the road has been well traveled, beginning at Coker College and taking him to the “Happiest Place On Earth” ~ Disney! Now in his 10^th year with the Disney Corporation, Dex has had the opportunity to dance and sing and many shows at the Disney Parks in Orlando , FL.  He has also had the opportunity to work in the production side of the shows and is currently working with promotions and entertainment offerings.  Dex began his dance training at the Studio of Dance and took what he learned and developed it, nurtured it and perfected it to provide him with the tools he would need to be successful in his chosen field.

Ginny Skinner Haynes has been a member of the Studio of Dance, LLC family since its conception. As a member of the first company housed at The Studio of Dance, Ginny began the transition to higher education at Columbia College and went on to achieve her Masters of Fine Arts Degree in dance performance and choreography at UNC-Greensboro. Ginny has developed programming and classes for several High Schools in the Columbia Area; was an interim professor at Columbia College and a long time member of the POWER COMPANY a professional dance company housed at Columbia College . She has also danced with other organizations and companies in her pursuit of fulfilling her dance dreams. She now travels all over the southeast as a guest judge and master teacher for Platinum Competitions in addition to her teaching positions at both Columbia City Jazz and a Columbia area High School . Ginny is a frequent visiting teacher at the Studio during the summer and school year. She has produced choreography for this competition season and is very excited about the prospects of what is to come!

Wendy Carroll Carraway also a studio of dance alumni and founding member of the now Pass It Forward Company has been back with the Studio of Dance family in the capacity of teacher/ choreographer for the past 8 years. In 2005, she was named assistant director of the Studio. With her diverse background, Wendy has had the privilege of teaching Broadway, character, video, hip-hop and classic jazz as well as rhythm and traditional tap in the studio. Wendy’s background in dance team and cheer work has enabled her to venture past the doors of the Studio into area middle and high schools. Wendy has produced award winning choreography for the members of the Pass It Forward Company; awards include recognition for top choreography, most entertaining and top teacher award. Wendy said, “I love each and every day in the studio; the children, the music, the teachers … it’s worth the long hours and hard work to see us all excel and DANCE!

Kris Zurcher has been back with the Studio of Dance for the past 3 years recreating and developing our Karate Program. Kris is a welcome addition to the teaching staff here at the Studio and is doing an excellent job with the Karate students.  This past weekend we had 13 students test for their next level belt and will have another exam in the spring for our more advanced students.

Hannah Wendt the newest member of The Studio of Dance, LLC family joined us last season as a student in our advanced tap class.  Hannah’s dance background includes years of Ballet, Tap and Jazz training and competitive dance.  She has added teacher/choreographer to her dance resume this season.  She has produced choreography for the Pass It Forward Company and has performed with the dancers in the studios annual holiday gift, Tiny Tim’s New Adventure.  She has also contributed to the Gala performance for the Georgetown Performing Dance Arts Foundation and will be traveling with the Company to their competitions this season.  Hannah may not have grown up in the studio, but you would never know this because of her dedication and love for the children here.  She is a perfect fit!

Jean Pieterse has been a staple in this community in both academics and gymnastics education.  Splitting her time between her love of math and her love of gymnastics, Jean has taught and directed the gymnastics program at The Studio of Dance, LLC for more than 13 years.  She is devoted to teaching quality education in gymnastics in a safe, nurturing environment, enabling any child to be successful safely.   Ms. Jean is the kind of person that it takes to be a teacher.  She is committed, devoted, passionate and kind; she is the kind of teacher we should all want for our children.

Other Studio of Dance Alumni includes Emily Moore, also a graduate of Columbia College and member of the Power Company. She has traveled to Australia as a guest teacher/choreographer and is now pursuing a career in law. Jevettra Devlin, a graduate of Howard University , has been a member of several dance companies in New York and South Carolina . She is currently studying to become a physical therapist and dancing in the Columbia Area. Michael Williams is in his senior year at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia and has performed numerous lead male ballet roles in the past 3 years;Chelsea Stackhouse a junior at Columbia College and had the unique opportunity to study and perform this summer in Brazil . Each of these dancers has returned to the Studio many times to teach and choreograph. Both Michael and Chelsea have produced pieces for the Company.  They are regular faces during Holiday breaks from school; both taking the opportunity to take classes and teach, adding to their dance resumes.  In January of 2009 Krystal Collins, graduate of the Studio of Dance and Winthrop College , returned as a guest teacher and choreographer. She has been working with all age levels and assisting in classes. 

The wonderful thing about dance is that it prepares the individual for more than just a career in dance. It provides the concentration, dedication and discipline that it takes to be successful in any career. For example, studio alumni Emily Pace, also a former member of the pre-professional dance company, used her experience in the competitive world of dance to embark on a new journey. In the spring of 2007, Emily returned to the Studio to help run the office and prepare for the upcoming recital while awaiting callbacks from recent interviews in the field of television journalism.  The poise and confidence that Emily learned early in life from dance gave her that edge that she needed to obtain her dream and early that summer Emily was hired by a television station in Michigan .

Again, all of these young professionals are Studio of Dance babies that come back and bring back the knowledge that they have gained through their training and studies in the world of dance to share with the future generations. They continue to build on the foundation they received as children and young people as students of the Studio of Dance, LLC. It is important that people remember that you can have roots and wings. The development of those roots enables you to have wings. The longevity of any institution is not built by money or power, but by what it produces and the people that it reaches. In turn, these people bring back and give back keeping the cycle going. Owner and Artistic Director Steele Bremner, now in her 13^thyear in Georgetown and with 49 years in the dance world believes that the programming provided at The Studio of Dance, LLC reaches far beyond just the front doors. The foundation and roots that the children and young people of our studio create here enable them to have the courage and the dedication it takes to spread their wings and soar. That is why our programs and teaching philosophy will continue past myself and will go forth with each new generation to come.

For more information on the programming at The Studio of Dance, LLC please call, 843-546-5999.  We provide quality dance, gymnastics and karate education for ages 3 and up.  Recreational and Pre-Professional training available in the disciplines of ballet, tap, jazz, modern/lyrical, hip hop, pointe, gymnastics and karate.  On-sight master teachers for private lessons available in the various disciplines previously listed.