Kids follow in their parents' footsteps at local dance studio

Jimmy and Julia Ann Kennedy dance well together. They dance in perfect rhythm, they glide in tandem. It's a sight for the eyes.

It wouldn't be that remarkable, though, if they weren't 12 and 9 years old, respectively. They know a lot of the standards: the tango, foxtrot and swing dance. They've even received compliments on how well they dance at weddings.

"My wife and I take (classes at Fred Astaire Dance Studio), and we brought them as dates one time," said their stepfather, Brice Hall. "They're actually really good."

This is not an exceptional story at Fred Astaire Dance Studio in West Ashley. In fact, it's rather common that parents take the classes for a while and then suggest it to their children. Sometimes it's met with success, sometimes not. But the ones who try it seem to warm up to it nicely.

Take Adam Metyi-Szabo. He freely admits he was reluctant to start dance classes, even though he saw how much fun his parents were having. But the confidence and knowledge he has gleaned in the year since he started taking the classes is evident when he dances with his mother, Monika Gooz.

"It's a great opportunity to show what they've learned," Gooz said. "They become friends and they really get to celebrate each other."

Last year, the popular TV show "Dancing With the Stars" started featuring children whose moves seemed more advanced for their ages. This showed younger generations that ballroom dancing isn't just for their grandparents, and that it even could be exhilarating.

Elena Ivanchenko says "Dancing With the Stars" and "So You Think You Can Dance" may have played a part in recent increased attendance of children and teenagers in her classes, but several came to learn the art of the dance before the shows aired.

She owns Fred Astaire Dance Studio in West Ashley with her husband, Andrey Gergel.

Ivanchenko said the classes serve many societal and familial functions. Parents and their children can enjoy the experience of learning the steps together, especially if both are in it as beginners. And they can become comfortable in front of an audience through performances.

"The kids really look up to it," Ivanchenko said. "Through things like 'Dancing With the Stars,' now they're looking at it, saying 'Oh, cool.' "

She said her younger students feel like "little stars" when they perform in venues such as Charleston Music Hall. She said the idea of learning formal dance as youngsters seems to stick in the South, where parents and grandparents took cotillion during their formative years.

Some home-schooled pupils come to the studio to fulfill their physical education requirements.

Ivanchenko also is quick to point out that unlike a lot of sports that are split along gender lines, ballroom danc- ing encourages its teenage practitioners to engage in mature interactions with the opposite sex.

Because of its rising popularity, the couple want to hold a few classes at the studio that section people off into age groups, so some beginners will feel the comfort of starting with their peers. Then they can work their way up to dancing with partners outside of their age range.

"You know, those 10- and 11-year-old kids have enough confidence to dance with whomever," she said.

Reach Sophia Rodriguez at 937-5538 or srodriguez@postandcourier.com.