Mother/Daughter Dance Studio Spans Four Decades in Hot Springs
DanceArts Studio traces its roots in Hot Springs to 1978, when it began as Betti Wing Ballet Studio. Betti Wing-Winstead operated the studio for nearly 20 years in Hot Springs, closing briefly while living out-of-state. Wing returned to Hot Springs in 1996, reopening the studio as Wing-Winstead DanceArts. In 1999, Wing’s daughter, Susannah (Wing) Baxter, assumed ownership of the business and shortened the name to DanceArts Studio.
“We’ve had good dance training, and we give good dance training”, says Baxter. “My mother (Betty Wing) took dance very seriously growing up, from early dance classes to college instruction at Texas Christian University.” Wing has been associated with Ballet Arkansas and has taken class under Alexandra Danilova, a famous Russian ballerina and Robert Joffrey, founder of the Joffrey Ballet. In addition to offering formal dance training, Wing also choreographed and performed in shows on many army posts, taught "white glove" modeling and etiquette classes, and has judged many talent and beauty contests. Many of her students have gone on to dance professionally, either performing and/or teaching.
Susannah (Wing) Baxter was her mother’s student for more than 15 years. She furthered her talents at the UALR Dance Department under the direction of the late Ms. Dot Callenen-Gravitt. Baxter was an instructor in Lansing, Kansas before moving back to Hot Springs to join her mother at DanceArts. She continues her dance education on a regular basis while operating a full-time studio. “Every year we attend workshops, conventions and competitions,” Baxter reports, “to stay knowledgeable of the new dance moves and crazes coming from New York and L.A.” Baxter, her staff and several students are set to go to 2 different national dance education conventions this summer in Dallas and Memphis. “We will take tons classes and get to meet with some of the top names in the business.” Baxter is also involved with jr. high and high school dance and drill teams. She is a member of Arkansas Drill/Dance Team Association, and travels the state to give summer dance camps. During the school year she is often asked to judge regional, state and national dance competitions including ADTA and JamFest.
Continuing the legacy of her mother’s studio, Baxter finds herself teaching the children of many of her mother’s students from twenty years ago. “It’s encouraging to know that we have been involved in quality dance instruction for so long,” says Baxter. “Teaching a generation of dancers whose parents also learned at DanceArts is hard to fathom, but it’s rewarding to have such an enduring presence in the arts in a city like Hot Springs.”
Baxter’s own family is also involved with the business. Her husband, Josh, an accomplished documentary filmmaker and national television producer, takes time out of his schedule to help, especially at dance recital time. “We met 5 years ago when he was asked to videotape our recital and we’ve been together ever since. Now, he designs and builds our elaborate stage sets, creates the artwork and designs for our t-shirts and programs, not to mention professionally video tapes and photographs our shows. I don’t know how I ever did it without him”, says Baxter. “He has truly enriched what we are able to offer our students at recital time.” Baxter’s two young daughters, Ella Beth and Annelise have been involved in the recital every year since they were born, either in Daddy/daughter dances or the “Future Stars” dance, where the babies in our dance families get introduced onstage. This year, Ella Beth has started her own dance class for 2 year olds. And, just like her mom, she loves to dance!
DanceArts Studio has recently moved to 978 E Airport Rd., just off the bypass. The studio now has almost 5000 square feet to dance in. “We have enough space for 2 very large dance rooms, a nice big waiting room, 2 bathrooms for changing and then some!”, says Susannah Baxter, owner of DanceArts. The studio also has a retail dancewear area, as well. They sell ballet, tap and jazz shoes, leotards, tights and dance bags. “It’s basically a one-stop dance shop. You can register for class, get everything you need right here and not have to go anywhere else. This makes it so much easier on parents”, says Baxter. “
DanceArts will once again be hosting the Moscow Ballet’s Great Russian Nutcracker in 2008. Baxter is the local coordinating dance teacher for the Moscow Ballet for a second year now. Auditions will soon be announced and DanceArts will hold the rehearsals in Hot Springs for the local children that are cast. Rehearsals will run through the fall until the performance date, November 28 at Robinson Center Music Hall in Little Rock. Little Rock is only one stop on the 70 city U.S. tour for the Moscow Ballet. “Performing in Nutcracker last year was such an awesome experience for these dancers. They get to see first hand what is like to dance professionally and they get to perform onstage with professional Russian danseurs and ballerinas! It’s so inspiring to them and such a wonderful cultural experience they will always remember.”
DanceArts held their annual Dance Recital at Horner Hall in the Hot Springs Convention Center on Friday, May 30 at 6:00 p.m. The theme this year was “Lights, Camera, Action!”. All the songs in the show were taken from movie soundtracks. There was much to see, including 3 different Daddy/Daughter dances, tiny ballerinas, various dances from “High School Musical”, and a large scale production number to “Pirates of the Caribbean”
This fall, the studio will offer classes in ballet, jazz, tap, clog, lyric, mommy and me, hip-hop and pom for ages 2 and up.
