The mission of Lonestar Dance Center (“LDC”) of Pflugerville, Texas, is to empower kids to express themselves with confidence through the art of dance. Kate Evetts, the Owner and Director of LDC, says they believe dance is a formative and fun way to inspire and shape children into strong, confident, mentally and physically healthy human beings who can use performance art to collaborate with other dancers and express themselves. They offer both recreational and competitive dance options in various styles for boys and girls ages two through adult. They have four beautiful studios in a lovely 6,000 square foot space and house an enrollment of approximately 300 students per year.
They believe in a values-based education approach in the classroom. While it is extremely important to teach their dancers proper technique, they also want to teach concepts such as responsibility, respect, integrity, perseverance, love, loyalty and teamwork. They don’t just want to turn out amazing dancers; they want to help mold children who will turn into successful adults.
One of Kate’s proudest moments when coaching was last Spring when LDC did a community-based performance called “Matters of the Heart” that focused on anti-bullying. The pieces told a story about concepts like loneliness, judgment, gossip and, conversely, love, acceptance and friendship. To watch the girls use their technical abilities to tell an emotional story that they felt strongly about was everything that their mission exemplifies. LDC was proud to perform on a beautiful and historic outdoor stage, the Zilker Hillside Theater, where dancers and actors have performed in Austin for more than 50 years.
The biggest technical mistakes Kate notices are not dancing through plie, shoulders being up, and feet being sickled, but those are easy to fix with repetition and awareness. More importantly though, looking at the larger picture, the biggest mistake she sees dancers make is giving up on themselves, or saying “I can’t.” She wants to inspire the confidence in every dancer to change “I can’t” to “I’ll try.” Everyone’s best is different, and they want dancers to embrace their individuality and celebrate their personal bests. As Theodore Roosevelt said so wisely, “Comparison is the thief of joy.”
Kate’s goals for their students this year range from behavioral goals, such as preparedness and respect for instructors, to skill-based goals, to specific competition awards. They had each dancer and team set specific, measurable, timely goals at their summer intensives to review throughout the year to measure their progress in the studio.
Kate did not start this studio. Actually, she just bought the studio in August of 2014! Lonestar Dance Center has been providing dance lessons in Pflugerville for more than 10 years under the direction of Sarabeth Balon Hough. Kate was an instructor there five years ago, then left to pursue a corporate career in sales. After four years in the corporate world, Kate’s heart yearned to return to the studio. The previous owner had confided in her as a former employee and friend that she was nearing the end of her tenure as the owner and director and had interest in selling the studio. After much prayer and discussion with her husband, Kate and her husband decided to begin their entrepreneurial journey and purchase Lonestar Dance Center. She truly appreciated the studio that had been built and strongly aligned with the standing views on education. Kate is so excited to continue building lasting friendships with some amazing families and helping to mold great kids into thoughtful teens and eventually successful adults.
Both Kate and the former owner were a part of the prestigious University of Texas Pom Squad, and they have the unique opportunity every year of hosting preparatory classes for teens and college students wanting to try out. This is a fun way to give back to the University of Texas at Austin and their community, while also bringing more diversity in age and experience into the studio.
They also have their recreational and competitive dancers perform in an annual Holiday Benefit performance in which they accept donations to a charitable organization. They believe it is important to encourage all of their students to give back to the community and share their talents and gifts to spread joy.
Lonestar Dance Center is a family oriented environment where people of all ages can learn various types of dance in a fun-loving, comfortable way. Their instructors are well-trained and constantly improving themselves through additional competitive training in the nation’s premiere dance arena, Los Angeles. This ensures that their students are gaining knowledge of the latest trends in dance. Additionally, many of the staff members have served on, or are currently serving, the prestigious Texas Pom Squad, University of Texas’s athletic supporting dance team. Their studio offers a wide variety of classes ranging from ballet to clogging. They emphasize group based learning with options of private lessons in order to focus on individual goals. Lonestar is a highly competitive studio with a supportive family feeling. LDC, located in Pflugerville, Texas, will provide the community with a friendly family-environment in which to learn and master the art of dance. LDC offers private dance instruction, group classes, and company dance teams. Dance is a timeless pastime that becomes increasingly popular yearly with the advent of music television and through the classics of ballet. Lonestar Dance appeals not only to youth, but to people of all ages, abilities and backgrounds in search of self-expression and physical exertion through dance.
Please post a comment if you have had any experience with Lonestar Dance Center or Kate Evetts.
If you wish to learn more about Lonestar Dance Center, check them out on their website at http://www.lonestardance.com/.
