Many kids follow in their parents' footsteps

Sophia Rodriguez
The Post and Courier

Catharine Morrow, 17, shows off her ballroom dancing with instructor Andrew Larrew during a special practice session at Fred Astaire Dance Studio in West Ashley last week.

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: 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 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 said 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.

Last year, the 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 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 societal and familial functions. Parents and their kids can enjoy the experience of learning the steps together, especially if they are 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 dancing 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.