By Katie Mitchell, Executive Sports Editor and Emma Gonosey, Sports Editor
Costa junior Lauren Kay shares her passion of dance as she teaches young children how to dance.
Kay has been taking dance classes and lessons since she was two years old. Inspired by her two older sisters who dance competitively, Kay immediately fell in love with the sport. She currently dances six days a week at the Fifth Row Center Performing Arts.
“I love dance because it lets me tell stories and express myself in such a wonderful range of ways,” Kay said. “I also love sharing these experiences with my friends and the teachers who I look up to so much.”
Before starting her own classes, Kay helped teach her studio’s outreach program, Brightest Hour, for the past four years. This program was formed to help teach children from nearby areas who cannot afford to take dance classes.
At noon on Saturdays, the studio invites anyone from ages three to 14, and lets them participate in a hip-hop class with instructors and volunteers from the studio. According to Kay, she was inspired to teach her own classes by her experience at Brightest Hour and her amazing dance teachers.
“Seeing how much these kids have grown so far is extremely cool and fun for me,” Kay said. “I have had so many incredible dance teachers who are also mentors and friends, and I do my best to model all of my teaching after them.”
During each of Kay’s weekly one-hour dance classes, she begins the lesson by sitting her eight to 11 students down in a big circle on the dance floor where they can get to know each other better and feel more comfortable around one another. Once they all get the chance to share a fun fact about themselves, they warm-up and start practicing hip-hop. According to Kay, her main focus is working on technique and making sure everyone is having fun.
“My favorite part of teaching is getting to know all of the kids really well and seeing them grow,” Kay said. “I also really enjoy getting to do what I love and spreading that joy to them.”
While Kay loves teaching her group lessons, there are some challenges that come with being a teacher of younger kids. According to Kay, it can be somewhat difficult to find ways to keep the class interesting and exciting for the kids every week. However, between her passion for dance and her love for the kids, Kay always finds new ways to make her classes fun for both Kay and the kids.
“I love getting to know my students and making connections with each and every one of them,” Kay said. “Watching these children grow as dancers and people is really rewarding for me.”
As of now, Kay is planning to continue teaching dance workshops throughout the summer and next school year, before she goes to college. According to Kay, giving dance lessons has become a big part of her life, and she is looking forward to the future of her classes.
“Teaching has had a huge impact on my life,” Kay said. “I knew I would like it, but I didn’t know I would love it as much as I do. I’m very excited to keep teaching in the future.”
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