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Tap, jazz, ballet

A mom and her daughters who live to dance now have their own place.

By PAUL SWIDER
Published November 21, 2006

Some people are almost consumed by their hobbies. Some wouldn't have it any other way.

"I don't know that dance is what we like to do as much as what we are," said Merry Bowers, who with her daughters runs Pinellas Park's Dancestarz dance school. "It's not something just on the outside."

Bowers started the school two years ago with daughters Melody Monnell, 29, and Missy Bowers, 22. Though the business is just starting to break even, the women's disappointment is only that they can't devote all their time to dance. It's all they think about.

"There is no time that we don't meet that doesn't turn into a dance discussion," Melody said.

Amid one of those dance conversations, Merry mused, "We really try to be ... "

"Normal?" Missy asked.

"But this is normal for us," Merry said.

The women all have outside obligations but long for the chance to get back to the school and teach.

Merry works for Raymond James, Melody for All Children's Hospital, and Missy is a full-time education student at the University of South Florida. But that's only until they can quit those gigs and just dance.

They've already been dancing and teaching almost their whole lives. Merry, who came to Pinellas County as an infant, had her first dance recital at age 8. Melody started at 5. Missy, the others say, was born into dance. Merry has been teaching 30 years, Melody 14 and Missy six.

"It's just a passion with us," said Melody, who was the impetus behind them starting their school.

The women had taught at another school but Melody felt cramped by that organization, so she quit. In solidarity, mother and sister followed. But they couldn't quit dancing or teaching, so they found a space in a shopping center at 6451 102nd Ave. N and started fixing it up.

At first they had only a few students that had followed them. Slowly the business has grown until now they have 50 students ranging in age from 3 to some in their 20s.

The women hope to expand so they can teach full time but also because they are true believers of the value of dance.

The school has classes in tap, jazz, ballet, lyrical, modern and clogging, with a little hip-hop thrown in. The school already has a case full of trophies from competitions.

But Merry says it's not about the steps. She maintains learning to dance helps develop the mind in creative ways and aids in memory. They all agree that performing dance creates confidence in other areas of dancers' lives.

Missy describes teachers praising her abilities at public speaking. She said she knew no more than other students but was undaunted by talking to a group, one of the tasks most people find terrifying.

"It's all because since I was little I've been in front of people and performing," she said. "You just get up and do it."

Merry said she could always tell which of her daughters' friends were dancers because of their poise. She also thinks students helping other students adds yet another dimension to learning.

"We're developing their self concept," she said. "Consequently, we're developing leaders."

The women say die-hard dancers are like a private club, thousands strong but hidden in little pockets like theirs. Recent television shows have helped boost dance's popularity, but the women say those shows sometimes oversimplify the rigors of dance. What they miss most in their school is boys, of which they have but three.

"Girls love boys who can dance," Merry said.

Paul Swider can be reached at 892-2271 or pswider@sptimes.com or by participating in itsyourtimes.com.

[Last modified November 20, 2006, 20:43:32]