By Tammy Head
Have you ever scrolled through Facebook and a cute photo of a child grabbed your attention? I think we all have.
When you start seeing photo after photo of adorable kids in tutus with smiles on their angelic faces, then you see the mothers of those little ones singing the praises of teenage girls you know….well you just have to explore more!
Center Stage Dance Co. opened in October 2012 in the old Benton Fitness Center building. Although they have only been open a short time, they have some good things going on! Owned and Operated by Natalie Hartley, they have classes going on Monday through Thursday and a lot of those classes are taught by some very special teens: Haylee Knight and Pari Davis.
Pari teaches tumbling and cheer classes to students age 2 – 14 years. From Beginning to Intermediate Tumbling, and Jr. & Sr. Cheer Pom, Pari has her hands full! She teaches 2 classes per night Monday through Thursday.
Although her favorite class to teach is Cheer Pom, she also loves the tumbling. When asked what makes her class special she said “We work hard on what we need to get done, but we also have fun too. Sometimes we play the limbo or play with hula hoops.” Check out the photos on their Facebook page and you know they have fun! From the bright pink and black pom pons to the neon green and pink walls, the studio just screams fun!
When asked about Pari, Natalie said, “Although Pari is a junior in high school, she is more like a Mom to these kids. She is very dedicated and motivated to teach these kids how to do the basics of tumbling and get them flipping! I can’t imagine having anyone else teach our tumbling.”
Pari Davis
Haylee Knight is a member of the newly crowned State Champion Rangler Girls. She and Natalie work together to teach dance Monday through Thursday nights. Haylee started as Natalie’s student when she was just a little girl and immediately Natalie realized she had natural talent and would be dancing for years. Natalie said, “She’s wonderful with children, a good teacher and leader because she is dedicated to dance. It’s more than a job to her. She loves it!”
Haylee said her favorite part of teaching is seeing the results. She has seen some real transformations in some of her students. She teaches 5 classes of different age groups from 3 to 12 years old.
Whether you talk to the owner, the teachers, the parents or the students, you hear that Center Stage Dance Co is different. They strive to teach the true art of dance and the true foundation of gymnastics. They want to make sure that parents are getting what they pay for, and they keep their prices low as possible so that every child has the opportunity to experience going to dance or gymnastics classes. They don’t want any kid watching from the sidelines because of financial issues.
Maybe the reason Pari and Haylee are so good with their students is that Natalie has set a good example for them. She herself has been dancing since she was 2 years old, and teaching for over 17 years. When she talks about her studio she lights up as bright as the neon pink and green paint! You can see that it isn’t just her job, it’s her passion!
They have several Day Camps going on next week during Spring Break, along with their regular classes. They are filling up quickly so call 927-6176 for details and to get on the list.
Haylee Knight, left and Natalie Hartley.
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