Debbi D. Miller is the Owner and Artistic Director, of Dance Image in Whittier, California. Dance Image has been in business for over 23 years and offers quality dance for all ages and levels – “walking” to adult, Beginner through Advanced Levels. They have a family atmosphere that encourages students to do their best and gain self confidence is one where students can learn to be the best dancer they can be. Their classes are for both the serious dancer and the recreational dancer.
Many of their Teaching Staff are alumni of Dance Image. These amazing teachers are continually striving to challenge the students. Debbi, herself, has been teaching dance for over 33 years. They are very proud of their incredible staff, many of which began their careers at Dance Image. Instructors are chosen based on the right combination of training, personality and teaching skills. Instructors are constantly taking class and working in the business to provide the most current styles and techniques possible.
In Debbi’s opinion, the main thing that sets her dance studio apart from other dance studios is the fact that they teach the Cecchetti Method of Ballet, one of the most common styles of training in Classical Ballet. The Cecchetti Method of ballet training is a progressive system of training dancers from a pre-ballet beginning level to a professional level. This method was designed with careful regard to the laws of anatomy to prepare a dancer’s body to bear the physical demands of public performance. In addition to their regular classes, dancers train and prepare for annual exams, and though training can be rigorous and time consuming, these students always come away from Exams with a sense of pride and accomplishment. Their dancers have been passing their exams successfully since 1997.
At Dance Image, children with Special Needs are always welcome and classes are all-inclusive. These students are called their Dancing Stars. Debbi and the other staff at Dance Image have watched their Dancing Stars thrive and flourish. All of their dancers and Dancing Stars have brought a new light and love to their dance studio through their compassion and bonds that have been built.
Dance Image also has a Performing Group consisting of dancers that have met all of the requirements and have been selected by a panel of guest judges and faculty. They have both a junior and a senior division of their performance group.
Dance Image also offers a variety of classes with the local Parks and Recreation Departments. These classes are introductory classes that will teach basic dance skills while building self-confidence and poise. Performance opportunities are available to these students.
Currently, they have added a third location. They now offer classes in 3 studios, with a variety of ages and levels available. They are in the process of renovating and upgrading to prepare for our Grand Re-Opening. They are always thankful that they have this opportunity to grow, which would not be possible without our loyal dance families.
Picking her proudest moment is nearly impossible for Debbi because, there are always so many when you are working with children. Right now, they have a group of freshman that all made their Varsity Cheer, Song and Dance Teams. They have a student at LACHSA (Los Angeles County High School of the Arts), a student at Grand Arts High School, a former student at AMDA, Los Angeles, and another student graduating this year from the University of the Arts, Pennsylvania. In addition, they have a dancer that is an L.A. Sparkids and another former dancer that went from Disneyland to Laker Girl (2 Seasons) and is now a lead role in Grinchmas at Universal Studios, Hollywood. This past summer, one of their Cecchetti dancers received a prestigious Scholarship to the 2018 CUSA Summer Intensive. These, in addition to the many achievements of their Teaching Staff, are proud moments. But, let us not forget some equally important moments.
They welcome children with Special Needs and Debbi spends much time on this because these children help to
define who Dance Image is as a studio. They all share the joy of watching a child’s first dance step on stage after they have only stood on stage smiling and observing for years, or the love from the girl (who happens to have Down Syndrome) who always comes behind Debbi’s desk to give her a hug and talk about school, or the boy with Autism that knuckle punches her before dancing his heart out at hip hop, or, the excitement when a child demonstrates an exercise to all of her typical peers. There is so much pride in hearing a story about a child who tells herself at home “Good job, Maya!” because that is what she hears at dance after each accomplishment, or watching the compassion and patience of the typical students helping their peers and guiding them to their spots, singing happy birthday, and more. This is only the tip of the iceberg of the experiences that Debbi is proud of and feels lucky enough to be a part of.
Debbi believes that the biggest mistakes she sees dancers make has to do with how they perceive themselves. It is her opinion that dancers should never be satisfied with being the best dancer (at their studio, on their team, at their school, or at competition) and then discontinue their training. Dance classes, competitions, and high school teams are all subjective to the people around them. Being in a dance class with a group of new or intermediate dancers may make you the best dancer at that particular time, but this does not mean that you have learned everything you need to know. Even the best dancers, including professionals, always continue their training and strive to keep learning and perfecting their art. It is very easy to succumb to the allure that being the lead dancer gives you, but you must be constantly learning and training. Be wary of the program that has the student teaching and running it, when it is our job as teachers to “teach you” and constantly challenge you!
She has been working very hard the past few months to plan for the renovation of their studios. They are overdue for an upgrade but, with their new look and new additions, they want to continue to provide a place that their dancers can be proud of.
Debbi has some amazing memories of dances, competitions, and performances. She made many lifelong friends at her dance studio and she is forever thankful because without this, she would not be where she is today. However, everything that she learned about dance to be successful, she learned at the University, and from her first Cecchetti Coach. At this time, as a young adult, she realized there was so much more that she needed to learn and that she was not fully equipped to enter the dance world. She then vowed to own her own studio and train dancers to put more emphasis on technique, vocabulary and theory rather than competitions, trophies and winning. Keep in mind, Dance Image has a competition team and they compete annually. But, it is not what they focus on. It is beyond rewarding to hear a dancer reach out to tell her that they have been complimented on their technique, and asked “where did you get your training?” The dance world itself is very competitive and demanding and preparing her dancers for this was her priority. She is happy to say that she has achieved this and will continue to provide this for many years to come.
Debbi Miller is a graduate of California State University, Long Beach with a BA in Dance. She is a qualified Licentiate Member of Cecchetti USA and is also on the CUSA Western Committee as well as CUSA Bookstore Manager. Dance Image provides quality training along with many performance opportunities. They are very excited to begin each year, week, day with the opportunity to train their dancers. Dance Image – Putting Your Dreams In Motion!
If you would like more information about Dance Image, visit their website at http://www.danceimagestudio.com, email them at danceimage2@aol.com, or call them at (562) 699-5459 or (562) 449-5393. You can also “Like” them on Facebook, follow them on Twitter, and connect with them on Instagram.
Anyone who has danced at Dance Image is invited to comment on our blog.
. . . the biggest mistakes she sees dancers make has to do with how they perceive themselves. . . . dancers should never be satisfied with being the best dancer . . . and then discontinue their training.
Dance Image has really helped me not only improve as a dancer, but also as a person. The warm welcoming environment, met with wonderful students and teachers makes Dance Image a home away from home.
I have 2 daughters that have attended Dance Image for over several years. Dance in general has helped teach my daughters the importance of discipline, hard work, perseverance and the joys of performance and excelling. The staff at Dance Image is supportive of the children. The teachers really care about the students and take the time to work with them on what they need help on and encourage them to push themselves to improve.