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Mountain Outlaw magazine: The Dance Lady
Published
9 years agoon
By Whitney Bermes
As a teenager, Jennifer Waters taught kids to dance in a tiny studio fashioned in her mother’s Idaho garage.
The younger Waters helped her mom teach jazz, ballet, tap, and hip-hop, and began leading her own classes when she was just 14. She worked as many as five hours at the studio each day after school, and taught classes on weekends. Additionally, Waters spent time honing her own craft, dancing with school teams and for dance companies.
“I didn’t have a lot of free time as a kid,” says Waters who, now at 36, still fills after-school hours with dance instruction. “I was just addicted. Completely addicted to dance.”
On a sunny April afternoon outside the closed double doors leading into the Warren Miller Performing Arts Center in Big Sky, Montana, the sound of children’s laughter was crystal clear. Inside, eight preschoolers
occupied the stage, dancing and prancing, shaking and jumping along to Waters’ seasoned instruction.“Hands together. Ready position,” Waters told the kids, ranging in age from 4 to 6. “Do you have your smiles on?” Waters starts the music and the children begin a short ballet routine called the “Magic Dance” that Waters kindly coaches them through, her strong, elegant frame sitting cross-legged in front of them.
This return to teaching kids dance has become a nearly full-time job and a new title – the “Dance Lady.” “It’s kind of funny to be known as the Dance Lady,” Waters said, flashing a bright smile. “I’m OK with it.”
Not long after moving from Boise, Idaho to Big Sky with her husband Justin in December of 2011, Waters hashed out a plan to get back to teaching. “I told every single person I met that I was looking for a place to teach a dance class. I was just really missing it,” said Waters, who worked at Big Sky Resort’s Paparazzi Fur and Leather when she first moved to town.
Thanks to some grassroots networking, in 2012 Waters started teaching an after-school program at Ophir School, as well as Santosha Wellness Studio and the resort. The next winter she rented the cafeteria at Ophir, holding fall and winter dance sessions.
This year Waters moved to WMPAC, adding a spring session that now includes ballet, tap, jazz, creative movement and parent-led classes. She also has plans for a short summer camp in August. “It was my dream to offer more than just ballet,” she said. “I want to expose these kids to all the [dance] styles.”
For Waters, teaching children is a way to remain youthful, a way to share her passion, a way to connect to the Big Sky community. “I feel like I’m like the female version of Peter Pan and I don’t want to grow up,” she said, laughing. “I just love their imagination. It’s so fun watching them change
and learn and use their creativity.”No matter the style, dance helps kids with many aspects of their lives, Waters explained. It’s exercise. It’s socialization. It’s memorization. It’s coordination. And it’s confidence.
“When they finish, they feel so good about themselves and a sense of belonging,” she said. “I want them to learn in my class how to set your mind to something and accomplish it.”
Shana Seelye sat back in her seat at the performing arts center, watching as her 6-year-old daughter Frankie tapped away on the stage. Frankie started with Waters in 2013 and has taken part in a few of her sessions. “[Frankie] has a really good time,” Seelye said. “Jennifer’s so good with them – the patience of a saint.”
Over the years, Waters’ dancing and instruction have built her Dance Lady identity, something she hopes to share with her students for years to come.
Whitney Bermes is a born-and-raised Montana writer living in Bozeman. When she’s not writing, Whitney enjoys hiking, drinking microbrews and exploring southwestern Montana.
This story was first published in the summer 2015 issue of Mountain Outlaw magazine.
Megan Paulson is the Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer of Outlaw Partners.
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My Barking Dog is a nightmare comedy
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My Barking Dog is a nightmare comedy that tells the story of Toby and Melinda, two lonely people whose lives are forever changed the night they encounter a starving coyote at their apartment building. Over time they grow to expect him, leaving ritual offerings to entice the coyote every night. Toby and Melinda forge a connection over this visitor and share curiosity and concern about his presence in the city. The coyote expands their world–until, one night, their world is shattered. Their lives are pushed suddenly into uncharted territory, sending them on a surreal odyssey that changes their city–and the world–forever.
Directed by LX Miller. Starring Max Schneider and Denise Hergett
Verge Theater is continuing their mission to provide accessible theater to our community. Tickets for My Barking Dog are Pay What You Wish with a suggested price of $35. Audience members are offered the opportunity to select the price point that is comfortable for them when purchasing tickets.
My Barking Dog runs March 15-17, 22-24, 28-30
Performances on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays begin at 7:00 p.m., with Sunday matinees offered at 3:00 p.m.
Suitable for ages 16 . No animals are harmed in the staging of this production.
Tickets are available online at www.vergetheater.com
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Area parents are encouraged to bring their young children to Symphony Storytime with a Bassoon which will be presented at the Bozeman Public Library’s Community Room during
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Area parents are encouraged to bring their young children to Symphony Storytime with a Bassoon which will be presented at the Bozeman Public Library’s Community Room during their regular Toddler and Preschool Storytime on Wednesday, March 20, at 10:15 a.m. The free program, presented by the Bozeman Symphony is especially for children ages 3 to 5. Children will be able to listen to Montana Shakespeare in the Parks actor Emma Rather, who will be joined by Bozeman Symphony Bassoonist Sam Macken. The goal of the program is to encourage a love of music, literacy, and discovery. Additional programs are scheduled at the Library on April 10 and June 12. For more information, visit www.bozemansymphony.org or call 406-585-9774.
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626 E. Main St, Bozeman, MT