We met Miss Charity and her family when our kids went to Pre-K back in 2017/2018! We would talk when we waited at drop off and pick up. It was at that time I could tell Charity was a very genuine person. Her heart is so big. A few years later she opened Elements Dance Center. I reached out in December of 2020 and without skipping a beat she warmly welcomed our very quiet daughter into her dance center. She remembered her personality and things she likes from our PreK time together years prior, which really meant a lot to us. Our daughter started with one ballet class as we were in the middle of the year at another dance center as well. As the year went on, I learned so much from Charity, I myself never took dance and the dance world can be overwhelming at times but Charity makes it SO easy, she doesn't let you stress! Her communication is amazing. She responds quickly, she's helpful, she genuinely appreciates all of her students, families, teachers. She shows this with appreciation weeks.
She does a red carpet walk and gives awards to students for all their hard work! She makes them feel like the stars they are! My daughter LOVES these opportunities she says she feels loved and appreciated and motivated to try her best and to want to learn more!
Our very quiet daughter has grown SO much at Elements. Exploring different styles of dance. We love the summer sessions and mini sessions which allow her to try a style she might not be sure about without committing to a full year. After taking her first Ballet class with Charity we knew this was the spot for her to grow and be healthy and confident and feel loved and seen even though she's so quiet! Last summer she explored Jazz and a week-long Ballet/Contemporary Boot Camp. Come Fall she was doing Ballet, Contemporary and Jazz! This summer she is trying Tap, which she did at another center but wanted to try it at again at Elements and is loving it! She's taking Contemporary again this summer because she loves it so much. This Fall she's taking Ballet, Contemporary, Jazz with the possibility of musical theater. Our daughter has to be careful doing splits for medical reasons and Charity has always been more than caring and helpful to her to help her progress safely. She has gained so much confidence in herself at Elements Dance Center.
As a parent I can't say enough about how much Charity cares for the health and wellbeing of her students as a whole. I have heard Charity say practice makes progress/progress over perfection! To me this is everything. Kids need a safe space to be themselves and be mentally healthy. Mental Health is incredibly important to her, just like this year's recital theme shows. I knew this when we came to Elements. I knew that she is breaking the mold of the dance culture and making sure all students are healthy as a whole. She wants them resting and eating healthy and have a healthy body image. This is something I was extremely concerned about as my daughter particularly loves Ballet. I want her to be a strong athlete in dance (her sport of choice) not falling into eating disorders or body image issues.
The growth we have seen within Elements Dance Center in two PANDEMIC years is amazing! I am getting emotional as I type this because to think that we met years ago and now our daughter has this amazing opportunity to learn from her and be loved by Charity and the teachers at EDC really warms my heart. We are so grateful. If you have ever had or have the opportunity to be at the recital shows to see the emotion from Charity it is so real. If you know her, you know this if you don't you will soon learn this about her. I can hardly look at her because I want to cry because I'm so happy for her to see where she is taking her dance center. I'm so proud and excited for her and any student that has the opportunity to attend her dance center. I can only imagine how she must feel taking it all in.
My daughter has had other teachers during her time at EDC as well and they have all been wonderful, warm, welcoming, helpful everything EDC stands for.
Thank you, Miss. Charity for inviting us in on this amazing journey you have created! We can't wait to see what's next : )
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"Our dance journey began a few years ago when my daughter Liberty decided she wanted to dance again. She did a year at another studio but didn’t like it enough to go back. She loved to dance though, ever since she was a baby she would dance. Her old studio just wasn’t what she wanted. That’s when I came across Elements dance studio. The studio offered hip hop for her age and I signed her up. Fast forward to the first day of class Libby was so excited but when we got there she became super anxious with the new studio, new kids and a new teacher. Being Covid times made it even harder on her. She wouldn’t even step foot in the class, and wouldn’t let me leave her side. Charity didn’t make her feel bad at all instead she let her just observe from outside of the classroom letting her decide when she is ready.Libby was so upset with herself that day that she didn’t do it so we continued to go back. By the third class she was finally dancing! With Charity’s encouragement and also the classmates encouragement she got to enjoy something she loved to do! My shy girl trusted Charity and improved with every class. She improved so much that by the second year she decided to take on Acro. She continue to find comfort, fun and joy in Elements that now entering her third year she added another style of dance..Musical theater! I can’t say enough good things about the studio Charity created. There are many closer studios to our home but Elements has been worth the drive! As a parent I enjoy how updated Charity keeps us. This studio has become part of our lives.I look forward to many years at Elements Dance Center!" - Amanda (Liberty's Mom)
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Liberty: " I love elements dance center it is my favorite place to dance I will never quit dancing here. Miss charity is the best dance teacher I ever known."
​Savannah's dance journey began 6 years ago when she was 4 years old. We began at another studio and to be honest we barely knew Ms. Charity. When she decided to move and start her own studio we asked around and heard such amazing things about her. So, we took a leap of faith and followed her and it was one of the best decisions we have ever made. Ms. Charity opened her arms to any dancers that wanted to join her at her new studio. We have been at Elements for 2 years now and I am amazed by how much Savannah has come out of her shell. She was always a shy and quiet girl but when she dances, she is a completely different person. Savannah has grown by leaps and bounds since joining Elements and that is all do to Ms. Charity's dedication to her students. She has created such an amazing space for her dancers to feel safe and to grow. Elements is such a wonderful place and Savannah has made so many special friends. You can always see the other dancers cheering and encouraging each other to try their best. We absolutely love that Ms. Charity is teaching them to support one another. Ms. Charity teaches positivity to her dancers, not just in their dancing but in their self-image. She encourages her students to maintain a healthy lifestyle and impresses how important mental health is. Savannah always comes out of dance class feeling better than when she went in. She even signed up for summer classes just so she could improve her skills before starting up in the fall again. We know we are in the best place possible for Savannah and her dance career."
Savannah's words:
"I absolutely love Ms. Charity and dance class. I couldn't imagine being anywhere else. She really helps me focus on technique so I can do my best. I love that she lets me be myself too. I feel I can learn and be serious but also have fun and be silly. I have made some wonderful friends and met some pretty amazing teachers. Thank you, Ms. Charity for being such an amazing teacher and I can't wait to be with you for the next 7 years! Love you!!"
Our dance journey with Elements began in the spring of 2021. We saw a cute little dance studio open at the end of our neighborhood and our 6 year old wasn’t feeling gymnastics anymore. I saw a post that Charity was offering a 4 week mini-class to give dance a try and my Emma fell in love with it! We continued dance thru the summer and then our 4 year old Madelyn was jealous. Both were signed up for the fall; Emma continued with hip-hop and Madelyn started jazz bop. Emma came home after every class so excited to show us what she learned from Miss Charity. When Covid struck the household, the girls weren't left out as they participated in zoom classes! It was a bonus to see what they were learning! Both loved their year so much they asked to take more classes! Our 2 year old Natalie just recently started as well with the me and my mini class. We all love Elements and the positive vibes and encouragement from everyone from Miss Charity, to the teachers and jam helpers!
Madelyn: “I love dancing”
Emma: “I love that it’s really fun. I love learning about different styles and hip-hop dances. I love that I also got to perform my dance routine at the burger fest and the fair”
The Monahan Family
Justine Tim Emma Madelyn and Natalie
By Tammy Prior
Our then 5 year old daughter was in a tap/ ballet class when Covid shut the world down. Our old studio was ALL about dance and perfection. I knew it wasn’t what we were looking for. Our former babysitter who we adore posted about this new studio that was opening in the neighborhood. We trusted her enough to give Elements a try and we couldn’t be happier that we did. Although the studio has a high level of expectations for dance skills, it’s about so much more. It’s about creating happy, self confident, body-positive girls and women. From the dress code to the activities done in class, it’s about building confidence in who are are, not what you might become.
We also appreciate the community that Charity has built. From the welcome back picnic to parent appreciation week to the awards red carpet at the end of the year, this studio isn’t just a drop your child off and pick them up. It’s about making friends and supporting each other which is something we find important to instill in our children. At this studio, no child is left out or made to feel less because of their ability. Differences are celebrated.
We have seen Kaitlyn grow not only in her dance skills, but in her own skin. She loves going to dance each week and is always excited to show and tell us what she’s leaned. We can’t see where her dance journey takes her.!
From Kaitlyn: All the teachers are super kind. Miss Charity is a really good teacher who is patient and kind. She makes it fun while we learn to dance. She is just the best!