I have now had the pleasure of interviewing Melissa Reali, owner and director of JRene Academy of Dance in Elk Grove, California. Melissa believes that what separates JRene from other studios is not only the quality training the dancers gain by coming to class, but a sense of family. They pride themselves on not only training wonderful dancers but instilling in their students a love and passion for dance, as well as life lessons that are invaluable on and off the dance floor. Her students all know they can come to talk to her about anything and the parents also know Melissa has an open door policy that if they need to speak with her, they are welcome.
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| The studio |
Growth is a huge motivation, according to Melissa, especially for her competitive team dancers. She asks them often to think about where they were 3, 5, or 6 months ago. She wants them to ask themselves, could they get that double turn? Fouette? Is their leap higher? To keep them working hard she reminds them of where they came from to where they are going. Also, having fun events in and outside the studio are great ways to keep dancers motivated. They have slumber parties at the studio, celebrate birthdays, have open house events, and have the dancers perform often, which keeps them motivated to keep pushing and learning new things.
At JRene there are 3 competitive teams: Advanced Team (tween/teen), Junior/Petite Team (ages 6-9), Tiny Team (ages 4-5). They have won numerous awards at regional competitions such as: high score soloist, numerous top 10 placements in group dances, best choreography, and best emotional qualities. This year, they placed 3rd overall in the Production category at nationals. The dancers have also auditioned and were selected to perform at Disneyland in Anaheim, CA. Melissa also has had numerous graduating senior dancers win scholarships for their exceptional dance skills, grace, and integrity. The studio’s favorite competition to go to is Legacy Dance Convention. Melissa feels the scoring is always consistent and the environment is friendly. She also believes they always choose nice venues to hold the competitions at.
Melissa recently purchased the studio and the dancers who had been at the studio for many years just graduated. Last year, they had two graduating seniors who had danced at JRene for 10 and 12 years. Christianna Louie won numerous awards for best choreography, top soloist, scholarships, and the Capezio’s dancer’s choice at Starbound Talent Competition. Rebecca Little was also a graduating senior dancer who won best emotion, scholarships, and top ten solo and duet placements for numerous years.In her opinion, good dance clothing is something that is not SEE THROUGH! She sees so many dancers under stage lights wearing leggings or leotards that are see through. She believes good material that is sewn correctly makes all the difference. Melissa thinks every dancer should have: legwarmers, a well fitted leotard, and a changing leotard in their dance bags. “You never know when you might get cold and ankles and feet are so important. If you have every tried dancing in a leotard that kept falling down, riding up, or straps were too loose you know that a good fitting leotard is a must. Finally, a changing leotard comes in handy in so many occasions.”
Her advice for kids just starting out is to not give up. “When you first enter a class, especially one where the students have already been dancing, it can be overwhelming. It takes a few classes to get the flow down and a few more for your brain and your body to finally get together. After that, the technique and skills will come. Also, just enjoy what you do. Enjoy the people in your classes and the experiences dance brings to you.”
Melissa sees a lot of dancers, young dancers with tremendous talent, but often they are pushed to do things that are too harsh on their young tiny bodies. Her teaching comes from a very strict ballet background where she was not allowed to even try the next skill until she mastered the ten skills that came before. She sees young dancers out there doing shin drops, full releases to the ground and she can only imagine how burnt out they will be when they are older and how much they are destroying their bodies at such young ages. In her opinion, teachers need to go back to the foundations and look at what competitive dancing is doing to the youth. “In the professional world, one would never see dancers doing the things competitive kids do. For example, do you think at the school of the San Francisco Ballet they are training their students to do full releases to the floor, no they are training strong elegant dancers. It is our jobs as dance teachers to push our students to greater heights but not ask them to sacrifice their safety and bodies for the sake of a trophy.”
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| Melissa and her daughter, Bella |
Her goals as a studio owner this year is to grow the business. She would love to reach out and educate many more children and she believes her studio has the capacity to. Teaching is her passion and she loves watching her dancers grow and learn. Her goal as a team coach is to have her dancers really excel in all areas of dance this year. They have already started off the year with a fabulous performance of their production “Candyland” in which they stole the show! She hopes it continues…
I want to wish Melissa and her studio the best of luck this year and I hope it continues as well!
If you have experience with JRene Academy of Dance or Melissa Reali please leave a comment below about your experience!
Cyndi Marziani
