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Testimonials
My 8 year old daughter Camille took Hip Hop at Dance Explosion this past Spring. I was immediately impressed with the dance moves and steps she brought home with her, but was completely blown away by her recital and the quality of the program and production. As a former Producing Artistic Director for two professional theaters, a former member of AEA, SAG, and AFTRA, in my current role as the Director of the Virginia Film Festival, and as a Dad I have sat through numerous dance recitals that were ill-conceived, undisciplined, with little or no sound and lighting design, and seemingly endless. We go and sit through them because we love our children, want to support them, and believe that dance is a good experience for them. Lea's Dance Explosion Recital was the exception. All of the dances were excellent, the show was beautifully lit, the sound was crisp, the costumes were smart, and the whole recital ran like a Swiss watch. I left the auditorium with the knowledge that my daughter had received excellent dance and performance training, had been in a quality production, and had fun. By the way, it was truly fun for me as well.
~Jody Kielbasa, Parent and Director of the VA Film Festival
My 9 year old daughter Gracyn thoroughly enjoyed hip hop with Tabitha Apple. As a parent of a young girl, it is so important to us that she participate in activities that allow her to feel confident, poised and strong while having fun and this class did all of that. Tabitha is the kind of young woman I want my children to aspire to. She is well accomplished in her career and able to thrive in an activity that she clearly loves, dancing! All young girls need to find an activity that allows them to become who they want to be, have fun and let their spirits shine. Dance Explosion Studio has truly given Gracyn that outlet.
~Lisa Goldstein, Parent
I was the director and producer of entertainment for the Ronald McDonald gala fundraiser and contracted with Dance Explosion to perform at the event. Lea Moore and her company were nothing short of spectacular. From the very beginning, Lea was thoroughly professional, always punctual, completely reliable and wonderful in translating any request I made to performance reality. I believe our event was defined by the dancers performances. My signature statement when working on charity events is to transform the typical event from mundane to visual theater, and Lea's company made that vision happen on the precise level that I was looking for. The evening was magical, thrilling and memorable all because of the dancers. I look forward to another opportunity to work with Lea and her company again and would highly recommend them to any event planner or charitable organization if they are looking for high standard performance.
~Jane Scatena, AEA/SAG
My 4 year old son Carlos thoroughly enjoys himself in the Pre-ballet and Tap class! Thank you for providing such a rewarding experience! Lea's classes are packed full with developmental skills and challenges! As a former teacher, I commend her instruction and organization. Lea commands the class with respect, structure, FUN and technique. It has been a true delight to see Carlos grow in confidence and skill! She has really brought out his "inner Chris Brown". He is no longer shy when it comes to dancing in front of people and my family loves it!! One day he even busted out some tap moves in Whole Foods! Thanks to Lea for inspiring Carlos and teaching him!!
~Nedra Fleming
Parent
As an intern and a student with Lea, I received such valuable instruction and guidance. Her knowledge, experience, and vision allow her to inspire and improve all of her students and staff. It was refreshing to be in a studio where the director insists on teaching her students proper ballet technique. Lea’s instruction strengthens your technique to improve performance in any genre. I loved that I could go to class and know I would receive personal corrections and instruction on how to improve. Lea and her staff have wonderful teaching abilities and inspire their students every class. The atmosphere they create allows everyone to feel comfortable as the teachers connect with each student, no matter their age. I am forever grateful for the influence Lea has had on both my dancing and teaching careers.
~Martha Baldwin
I have had the pleasure of including performances by Dance Explosion in our Friday's After 5 concert series several times over the course of the last few seasons. Friday's After 5 runs on an extremely tight schedule and it is imperative that all performances, especially short dance skits in between our sets of live music, be well-rehearsed, tastefully presented and professionally coordinated in advance. I have found that Lea Moore, her colleagues and students with the Dance Explosion Studio, cover all those bases very well. Moreover, their dance numbers are truly compelling and exciting to watch. They always captivate the audience and garner well-deserved attention and applause. The frequent addition of Dance Explosion performances to our Friday's After 5 concerts truly adds "something extra" to our events. I'm looking forward to working with them again later on in the '08 season at the Charlottesville Pavilion.
~Chris Bowman
Production Manager, Charlottesville Pavilion
As an adult getting back into dancing for fun and fitness, I was looking for a school catering to adults as well as children. One I could trust to safely reintroduce me to dance through proper technique. Dance Explosion is a gem. I have been taking ballet and ballroom dance with two wonderful instructors Elicia Williams and Jenny Dean. Elicia delivers the best in classical ballet technique instruction, and her wealth of technical experience and warm personality make her classes a joy! Jenny Dean has extraordinary teaching abilities in ballroom, and my husband and I hired her as our choreographer/coach for our first wedding dance! Her extensive experience with coaching wedding couples is evident. She challenged us with the choreography and welcomed our feedback. We performed our dance at a higher level then we anticipated being capable of, and our guests are still talking about our dance over a month later! Our videographer, who has taken footage of countless first dances, proclaimed it was the best she had seen. Thanks to Jenny, our first dance will always be one of our most cherished wedding memories! I highly recommend both Jenny and Elicia, and I look forward to taking classes from the rest of Lea's all-star teachers!
~Erin Mastrantonio-Benoit
"At half time for one our home girls Basketball games, both the Albemarle fans and those of our visiting team enjoyed the exciting performance of Dance Explosion. Every one of all ages loved the upbeat music and marveled at the talent these performers brought to the floor. Thank you for putting a captivating smile on the face of everyone sitting in the stands. It was fantastic!"
~Deb Tyson
Athletic Director
Albemarle High School
"I continually find myself referencing and rediscovering the things I learned in
Lea's classes. She was always able to push me to explore both emotional and physical
realms in my dancing; these ideas carry over into every form and aspect of the art.
Her classes complemented my classical ballet training in their attention to correct
alignment and technique, while also providing me with new skills and ways of conceptualizing
movement. Under Lea's encouraging and perceptive guidance I discovered many of the
reasons I am dancing and performing today. She is a truly gifted teacher and artist."
~Stephanie Oakes, Former Student
MFA, New York Univeristy
"Lea Moore is a complete package - dancer, choreographer, and instructor! As a
former student and fellow instructor, I appreciate not only the dance technique
I learned from her, but also the teaching technique. The encouragement she gave
me as an adult student still spurs me on to try different dance forms every
chance I get. Lea relates well to children and adults of all dance ability,
even in mixed age- and ability-level classes. Her integrity is evident in
her physically sound and age appropriate classes and choreography. She teaches
dance AND respect for self and others."
~Denise McCoy
Ballet, Tap, Jazz Instructor
Eastern Virginia School for
the Performing Arts (EVSPA), Williamsburg VA
"Ms. Lea to me was the one dance teacher I learned the most from. Not only did
she teach me new steps but she also taught me how to have fun while doing them.
Because of her I put more emotions into the dances. Out of all the classes I
really enjoyed coming to hers the most because she made them the most fun."
"In my youth, I took more dance classes from her than any teacher. All of her
students loved her and she always demanded the best from us, challenged us,
made dancing fun, was an excellent choreographer, and most of all she cared
about us. Lea is her devoted to her students and her students were to her. No
other dance teacher I have had since has compared. I not only grew as a dancer
under her instruction, but I also grew as a person. Lea has had a big impact on
my life. She exemplifies the kind of teacher I want to be. The life skills I
have learned from dance and from Lea’s instruction have helped make me into the
person I am today. My hopes are that this testimonial will convey the caliber
of person Lea is, her devotion to her students, and her love of dance. I am in
full support of her efforts to bring the next level of dance to the
Charlottesville area. It will not doubt be an invaluable service to the
community and its people."
"I have really enjoyed taking adult ballet and Lyrical! Dance Explosion Studio has amazing teachers. Each so patient and kind every week in our lessons. I am just so thrilled to dance with them, and so happy to have found a dance studio that has such caring, high quality teachers."
~Katie Bontranger, Former Student
~Emily Clark, Former Student
Sports Information Director, Hillsdale College
~Brooke Mahanes
Student