​ About Us:
My Goal:
I try very hard to always give my dancers the very best I have. I not only want to teach at a high standard level, but I want to make my girls (age 3-63) feel safe and comfortable. I want my dancers to walk thru the door and forget about all their worries and stress if only for an hour. I just want to make a little difference in their world~ Kelly
Below is a little information about me and my studio:
About Me:
My name is Kelly Chapman and I am the owner and teacher here at Kelly's of Cross Lanes. I have had over 44 years experience in the dance field. Wow, that's a lot! I started dancing when I was about 6 years old, started student teaching when I was 12, began as an assistant instructor when I was 16, and taught at a Charleston studio for 10 more years before moving on and opening my own studio. I am now beginning the 31st season in my Cross Lanes studio. Since beginning at the age of 6, I have never stopped. I teach all of my classes, I try to always give you and your dancer the very best I have to give. I stay in the classroom with my dancers (though I will always make myself available to you) because that is where I belong. I want the dancers to know how much I appreciate them and how much I want to be with them.
Class Structure:
Class Structure: We do not have beginner, intermediate or advanced levels. We group our dancers by age, we want them to make friends and to fill our classes with laughter. We find that this happens when the girls are comfortable with each other and close to the same age. I am an old style teacher as in I believe in foundations and basics. My older dancers are AMAZING~ they pick up very fast and can accomplish anything! But, I think it is because they have a strong foundation to build on. From September- December we focus on basics as well as new skills. This allows new dancers a chance to catch up and my returning dancers a chance to sharpen their basics. I believe that this is a wonderful system.
What Our Classes Contain:
About our Classes: As earlier stated, all of our classes are considered combination. This means that dancers get 2 or 3 different styles within their class time. For little ones, it is ballet, tap, and a little bit of tumbling at the end of class time. As the child gets older, jazz is included in the class.
**Please know that each and every class is designed specifically for the age group that we are working with. We begin with lots of basics, but little ones get to jump and hop around as well as do "Ballerina steps." We listen to music that each age enjoys and do the styles of dancing that are appropriate for their age.
In today's dancing world, there seems to be different name for every little style. But, to me, it breaks down to ballet, tap and jazz. Our ballet includes classical steps, lyrical movements, contemporary music, etc... Dancers find that ballet is where they learn the foundation for jumps, spins, and leaps. We use current music and work on connecting with the lyrics and finding our self expression. Ballet builds self confidence and I work very hard to make my ballet classes fun. Even dancers who favor jazz or tap enjoy our ballet classes! For older girls who think "no" to ballet- come try one of ours and see what you think! You'll find that you stretch a mile and love the music!
Our jazz portion of class includes a little hip hop, a little Broadway, a little salsa, a little Bollywood, some swing and even some belly dancing thrown in! We try it all! My favorite are Polynesian and African styles! Jumps and turns and straddle splits, you name it, we do it! Jazz is usually the dancers favorite time, simply because it is faster paced. My dancers are great at jazz; it comes easy to them because of their work in ballet class.
Our tap portion builds from the very basics. The dancers pick up fast because we work so much on the fundamentals of tap. I am more experienced in Broadway styled tap, but I try hard to bring some more modern styles, too! We try to use fast energetic music to get the girls moving!!
Adult Class: I am so proud to say that we have the BEST adult class around! We follow the same curriculum as the younger classes; tap, ballet and jazz. But, what else will you find in this class? You will find friendship and love and support. We laugh with each other, cry with each other, pray with each other and for each other. You will never find another group of girlies like this. It doesn't matter if you are 18 or 81- willowy, curvy or downright voluptuous, beginner or life long dancer, come give us a try!