Special
Features / October 2007
Dancing Into Hearts
 Monteia Childers
|
When it comes to dancing into people’s hearts, Monteia Childers, is a classic. Her giving attitude and special mentoring abilities, allow young children and adults to look inside themselves and discover their true being. She beamed with excitement when she talked about the children that she has seen come into the studio who have been very reserved and withdrawn, then before everyone’s eyes, they bloomed. She said, “They find their niche in life and it transforms them. Their social skills skyrocket and their grades begin to excel”.
“Not every child is sports oriented. I believe that parents should encourage children to try different things so they can unlock the real person within them. Our schools are trying very hard to introduce and teach the arts, but it is very expensive for the school systems. What we do at the Academy is to enhance and help the schools continue to develop and introduce the arts”.
As a child, Monteia wanted to be an archeologist. Then she was introduced to the arts. She played the trumpet in her high school band. At age 18, she began oil painting, then moved on to porcelain dolls. “I have always been drawn to the arts. It is a huge part of my life.” Her dad’s family was from Ireland and they were all musically talented. Her mother was into gospel music. Her uncle was a church choir director. She started dancing at age six and started teaching dance at age seventeen. “Dancing is just in my blood,” she said. “Art, music, and the visual arts are my life and I want to share my love and excitement for the arts with others.”
Monteia has been a woman business owner since she was age 2l, first in her own studio, then with a non-profit organization, and now again with her own studio. “I can’t image not being able to talk to everyone and learn about their lives. I love to interact with society. I have a strong belief that we are all ‘one’ anyway. All of us are connected in some way”.
Monteia opened her studio, Monteia’s Academy of Performing Arts, in February of this year. Her motivation was her great desire to be able to provide children education in the arts without having to travel from city to city, and state to state. “My parents had to drive me long distances to give me an overall education to the arts. I don’t want others to have to do this. I want to be able to provide an introduction to the arts right here in West Virginia," she said.
After opening her studio, she and her husband and her extended family of volunteers began a labor intensive project to remodel the entire facility. It took them ten months to complete the remodeling project. “My husband and I are a good team, and I have great parents that help with my children, and I have a great staff and wonderful parents of my students. We all work as a unit”. At the Academy, Monteia offers pointe, ballet, tap, jazz, hip hop, lyrical, and liturgical, ballroom dancing, and gymnastics, for children from age four to adult.
What is Monteia’s plans for the future? She energetically said, “Keep on expanding more into the arts. Develop more and more programs. Introduce as many children to the arts as possible. The sky is the limit!” In January, 2008 she has plans for a 40 cast musical. On December 7, her academy will be performing as a 20 member dance company in Huntington. She is working on her annual Christmas show. She hasn’t confirmed the date as of yet. Currently she has a few more spaces open in the Academy.
Monteia suggests that parents consider starting their children into the arts my visiting some art organizations like galleries and museums. “A lot of people think ‘art’ is above them. They are missing the brass ring. We live in the most culturally diverse state in the U.S. We live with art every day, but we just don’t recognize it as such”. Born in Eleanor, West Virginia, she is in love with West Virginia, her home state.
When it comes to balancing her life, Monteia says “It is learning how to prioritize. I have learned to put out the fires first, then move on to what needs to be done next. I try to have a routine for my children. I have learned that timing is crucial. Her parents are still alive and are still living in the same house that Monteia was born. Today, she is living her dream balancing being a wife and Mom to two children ages 4 and 2, and daughter to her parents. Her oldest daughter started dancing at age 2 and is currently in her third year of dance.
“If I were to share my thoughts, I would tell all women and we should be proud of who we are and where we came from. Women tend to put themselves down and doubt themselves. If we all learn to laugh at our problems, we would see that we are all doing a pretty good job. Women need to be true to their self first. Women need to have their own goals. Women need their own goals to be totally at peace with themselves. Finding out who you really are is important. When you find your purpose in life, then you will be happy.”
Copyright © 2007 A Woman's View. All rights reserved.
Top • Home • Subscribe • Advertise • Submit • Distribution • Contact
Support Our Advertisers • Organization Resources • Women Owned Business
Send an Email About This Article