Bailar Dancewear recently contacted Sonya Kennedy of California Dance Company in Anderson, California to learn about Sonya and her studio. Sonya is imminently qualified as a teacher since she has been in many competitions throughout the United States and Canada as a gymnast, figure skater and dancer. She won many scholarships and awards 
including being crowned 1999 Entertainer of the Year in Fresno, California. Although she enjoys all styles of dance, Sonya’s favorite style to dance, and to watch, is Hip Hop but she loves to teach tap and musical theater.
including being crowned 1999 Entertainer of the Year in Fresno, California. Although she enjoys all styles of dance, Sonya’s favorite style to dance, and to watch, is Hip Hop but she loves to teach tap and musical theater. In Sonya’s opinion, their dance team stands out from other teams because of their attention to detail. They teach their dancers that it is the whole package that counts when they are dancing and they stress the importance of professionalism when their dancers are performing and/or competing. Sonya stated that competition judges look at everything from hair, makeup, costume details, and choreography to the way they carry themselves. Everything counts!
As a teacher, Sonya feels her “job is to INSPIRE, to give dancers the tools they need to be successful at whatever level of dance they want to achieve, to push dancers to their limits with discipline, laughter and, most importantly, LOVE!” They do their best to keep their dancers motivated. Also, they often advise their dancers to dance in different environments with different teachers, ie. at conventions or taking classes out of town. “A convention setting with all the energy of dancers from different studios coming together as one is a pretty cool thing.”
Sonya said her proudest moment in coaching was when she and her 12-year old student traveled to Germany to represent the United States at the World Dance Championships. Sonya has taken dancers to these Championships in Germany for the last 4 years, but this year her 12-year old dancer won the gold medal in the Junior Solo Division for the United States. She was the first soloist for the United States to accomplish this. According to Sonya, “Seeing her up on the podium with the United States flag wrapped around her, knowing all of their family and friends were watching was quite AMAZING!!”
In Sonya’s opinion, good dance clothing is stylish and fits well. Also, she feels that the material is important since it is usually right up against the skin and, therefore, the it should feel good.
When asked about her goals for the year, Sonya said that she has different goals for different aspects of her career. Her number one goal as a coach is to find a studio that has dancers with exceptional technique and performance ability. She then plans to contact the director of that studio and request that she and her head teacher be allowed to visit their school to learn what that studio is doing right.
If you have experience with California Dance Company or Sonya Kennedy please leave a comment below about your experience!
