To dance is to be out of yourself. Larger, more beautiful, more powerful.

— Agnes De Mille, accomplished American Dancer

AT 28 years old Candice Morris has achieved more in dance than most little girls can dream as twirl tippy-toed around their homes. Dancing since age four, Candice has exhausted the list of Jamaica’s top dance institutions.

Her journey includes dancing with the National Dance Theatre Company (NDTC) for 10 years, and also in London with the Broadway production of The Lion King. Now she has opened her own junior dance school — Dixie Claire Children’s Academy of the Arts.

Candice began her dance instruction at the Cathy Gibbon Ballet School, then graduated to the Edna Manley College School of Dance, Junior Department. In 2002, Candice undertook two major dance projects, she joined the NDTC and began her Diploma in Dance Theatre and Production at the Edna Manley College. After completing her diploma in 2004, she continued touring with the NDTC and also taught dance until she began her bachelor’s of dance degree at the Florida International University in 2007.

Every dancer has an ensemble they know they were born to dance in, and for Candice it was in the globally acclaimed Broadway production of Disney’s The Lion King. It wasn’t until her third time auditioning that she finally got the opportunity which most dancers dream about their whole lives, touring with a Broadway ensemble. Candice danced with The Lion King in London for 14 months, from April 2010 to May 2011, and described the preparation, rehearsals and dancing in the actual show eight times a week as rigorous.

“I was a member of the ensemble, but I was the only dancer with a line, one single line, playing the role of Nala’s Mother!” she said laughing.

But as soon as Candice’s stint with The Lion King was over, she hurried back home to continue drafting her dream, starting her own dance studio. “I’ve always told my mother that I was going to have a dance school, so it was always in my head. When I came home after completing my degree in 2009, I drafted it up, and I started to poke around to see if I could find a location. But it wasn’t until I came back home last year that I found the location in November.”

“Dixie Claire, is the culmination of my grandparents’ names. My grandfather’s name was Dixie and grandmother’s name was Claire; they both passed away so this is one of the ways in which I chose to honour them.” she said.

The Dixie Claire Children’s Academy of the Arts caters to children from the pre-school level through to age 12. Students learn dance, which include modern, creative and hip hop; zumba, and martial arts.

“Based on personal experience, especially youth experience, being a part of the performing arts helps children to learn more efficiently in school, and aids their cognitive and creative thinking. The benefits are endless!” she said, then continued, “I designed my mission as an artist while at school to create more exposure for the arts in Jamaica.”

And though Candice thinks the Jamaican theatre scene “has a ways to go”, she states proudly “talent-wise, we are not short in that department”.

Already opened for class, Candice says that she sees her school, Dixie Claire as a recital school, where at the end of each semester they will have recitals, teaching the children how to work in teams, and “be a part of a bigger picture”.

The Dixie Claire Children’s Academy of the Arts is located at 2B Braemar Avenue, Kingston 10. You can contact them at 465-9762 or 871-3807 or e-mail them at dixieclaireacademy@gmail.com.

— Kristen Laing