This interview was with Becky Seamster, owner/director/teacher of Becky Seamster Dance Studio in Kokomo, Indiana. Becky started her school because she wanted to share her love of dance. She thinks it is very important for every child to have music and movement in their lives.
Becky Seamster Dance Studio is different from other schools because they require all of their students to take a ballet class and not all studios in their area do that. The Dance Studio also maintains professional behavior in all social media they participate in as well as their presence in the 
community and in their studio. They encourage their students to also meet those standards. Additionally, they bring in master teachers and provide opportunities outside their studio for their students to learn. They attend competitions with workshops to encourage the learning process as well as the competition and always make sure they are among other studios both at their level as well as above their level so their dancers will be challenged.
Becky motivates and encourages her students by telling them how many times she has been approached by previous students telling her how sorry they are that they stopped dancing but she has never heard anyone say they were sorry they stayed in dance! She tries to keep performance opportunities in front of them and gives a lot of pep talks. One of her favorite is “when one door closes another one opens.” If they struggle in pointe class then maybe tap is their forte. Maybe they should take that extra class in tap. If a dancer doesn’t do well at an audition, then possibly there is another opportunity coming up that will be a better fit for them. Becky always tries to look on the positive side of things and to be honest with her students and not give them false hopes. She tries to help them to accept disappointment or downfalls and find a way to use them in a positive manner.
Probably her proudest moments in coaching are when she sees the look in a young dancer’s eyes when “the light goes on” and they actually understand what she has been saying to them all along! Becky said teachers often feel they are talking to a wall and that dancers are not listening or they feel they are just not reaching them due to their own way of teaching. Then one day they see that dancer come across the floor with all the confidence and knowledge that she has been giving them all along. It’s a wonderful feeling!
The biggest mistakes Becky see dancers make when competing is being too wrapped up in solos and tricks. They don’t realize the importance of the true artistry of dance. She would like for her dancers to put more effort into reaching the audience with a truly beautiful and meaningful performance that people will remember, and to have that feeling when they leave the stage that they “put it all out there” for the audience. That is more important than watching the other dancers to see if they do more tricks and take home a better trophy. The only way they are going to correct this is to not only educate their dancers but their parents, too. She thinks it is important to take their students to professional performances, and not rely on just conventions and competitions, so they will understand and see for themselves the true meaning of dance artistry.
In Becky’s opinion, the “must have” dancewear items every dancer needs includes a solid black leotard, pink and tan tights, warm up suit, dance bag, water bottle and a variety of dance shoes. She also likes for her dancers to always carry their own make up, hair pins/ties, safety pins, sewing kit, and protein snacks.
Becky’s goals for this year include revamping her schedule this year since it seems many school schedules are changing in their area. She wants to make it more convenient for her dancers and parents. Becky would like to reach more people in her community so that more young people have the opportunity to dance. She also wants to have more teacher meetings so she can stay in tune with and serve her dancers and parents more effectively. Her main focus this year will be to make sure every student that enters her studio understands how important they are regardless of their abilities, physical appearance, or background. She wants to make it a point with all of her students that she accepts everyone for their differences as well as their similarities and they build their strength and their goals from this. Every student entering her studio needs to learn something that will make the quality of their life better in some way even if they do not plan to be a professional dancer.
Becky Seamster Dance Studio has observation windows in each of their rooms and parents are allowed to observe at all times. Becky feels this is important because parents need to know how a 
teacher is relating to students and how the student is conducting her or his self in the class. There are no secrets in her studio. With the windows, no faculty member can be falsely accused of anything nor does a parent only have a teacher’s word should there be an incident in class. Parents can see for themselves exactly what is going on at all times and can also see how to practice with their child to help them at home. Students also get accustomed to having an audience.
Becky Seamster Dance Studio’s Mission Statement
“Our studio is committed to educating our students in the field of dance while at the same time building self-confidence and nurturing the student’s personal growth. We place great value on every student as an individual and as a member of our dance family. We do our very best to bring to our dancers a high quality of technical training, performance opportunities, and other learning opportunities while at the same time instilling a sense of discipline, a drive for perfection, and the ability to work in and be part of a group.”
If you have experience with Becky Seamster Dance Studio or Becky Seamster please leave a comment below about your experience!
