At Jessica’s School of Dance, it’s about more than winning competitions.
“We always joke, ‘This is not ‘Dance Moms’,” said Amber Waldroup, mother of 11-year-old Marlee Waldroup. “This place is like a family. And you know, these girls are my girls. And the moms are some of my best friends.”
“And Jessica’s the center of it all.”
Jessica Palmer, owner and instructor of Jessica’s School of Dance since 2013, is preparing for the 13th season of her dance program at the Lena Wise Community Center in Crawford, which will begin in June. Once a professional dancer, Palmer’s program aims to create a space where young girls can receive professional instruction, while simultaneously growing in their self-confidence and love for dance.
Palmer said the dance program was kickstarted through a survey sent out by the county’s recreation department.
“They were like, ‘What is something that we need in Oglethorpe County?’ And at that time, I'm big in ballet and stuff,” she said. “So I was like, ‘We need a dance program.’ They shot me an email straight back, and were like, ‘Hey, do you know somebody?’ I'm like, actually, ‘I am (an instructor).’ So that's really how it started.”
A dancer since the age of 3, Palmer grew up taking classes at the Susan Chambers School of Theatre Dance in Lawrenceville, where she began teaching 8-year-old tap and jazz classes at age 16.
Today, Jessica’s School of Dance offers a variety of classes on Monday and Thursday, some which are part of JSDance Company, an upper-level program created by Palmer for girls who want to practice longer and take dance more seriously.
Marlee Waldroup, who is a company dancer, has been dancing with Palmer since she was 3 years old.
“She’s never danced with anybody else; she’s always been with Jessica,” Amber Waldroup said. “Jessica is strict and firm, but she’s so loving. They know that. She doesn’t put pressure on them to win. She doesn’t even put pressure, she encourages them to have fun and do their best, that’s what she does.”
Palmer teaches only two days a week, something that allows her to get to know each dancer personally.
“I don’t think you see this in the larger dance companies, because there’s just so many kids,” Amber Waldroup said. “And it’s just us, there’s just a few of us. I like that.”
Dancers rehearse and perform both solo and group routines, with two performances per year. Girls in JSDance Company are also required to compete in Access Broadway — a winter competition held in Orlando, Florida — with the option of dancing in a second competition.
Palmer said she’s seen her program impact the confidence of the girls who dance with her.
“I've seen girls who don't really talk start talking and just engage with more people,” she said. “Just to see them grow and develop, doing things that are out of their comfort zone that probably would not have happened had they not done dance. Because you're exposed — you get up on stage in a costume, you're in front of 250 people, and then in competition, more than that.”
For dancers like 7-year-old Riley Denson, growing in confidence can look like “breaking out of your shell” when performing in front of others.
“She’s very quiet and shy,” said Amanda Denson, her mother. “But I definitely feel she’s loosened up some, and her skills have definitely gotten better each year.”
Other dancers, including Marlee Waldroup, have gained confidence from performing.
“(Jessica) has them get comfortable on stage, and I see that in Marlee’s life,” Amber Waldroup said. “Just how much better she carries herself. Not just physically, but her confidence.”
This season, Palmer plans to extend her combined hour-long tap and jazz combo class to 45-minute, individual sessions, allowing for more focus time on each style of dance. She also plans to offer a technique class to company dancers, aimed at helping performance in competitions.
“We will be working on fundamentals and basics, like building strength in their core and pointing feet harder, working on flexibility, stuff that they don't do on their own at home,” Palmer said.
More than helping them become better dancers, Palmer hopes the girls she teaches take what they’ve learned outside of dance class.
“They know they have a place here, that even if they mess up, even if they're not doing perfect turns or perfect extensions, that they're going to be accepted here and we’ll work and help them get better any way they can,” she said.