Volunteer Spotlight- Miss Jenny, Celebrations Dance Center

Let’s just start this blog post off with a completely obvious statement…….Syracuse has the best people in it.  Ok, now that we have that out of the way let’s focus on one of these amazing people who has become a very special part of the GiGi’s family.  Jenny Gentile the owner of Celebrations Dance Center saw a need and with no hesitation stepped in to meet it.  Over the last few years we have seen out dancers bloom and grow in the most beautiful ways.  We asked Miss Jenny to share with us, who she is and what she does.

“I have been a dance educator for the past 25 years and a studio owner for the past 12. I have
taught all ages and abilities of dancers and have seen children blossom and find new wings in
the expressive art of dance. I have also seen many other doors open through dance
to include: life long friendships, a sense of belonging to a unique family, an outlet for joy, for
pain, for sorrow, for fear or frustration by pouring it out on the dance floor. I have seen confidence
grow and learning skills improve. I have seen so much more than you can possibly realize from a
dance that lasts 2 minutes and 45 seconds onstage. It sometimes takes months to build up to that
one moment and it is in those months that causes something almost magical to
happen when the curtain opens.

It seems like this world is turning so competitive. Everyone is trying to out-do someone else. To be
the very best at any cost. To not only arrive, but arrive first! It seems like the child is getting lost
and the value is placed on the most talented. In 25 years of teaching I can say that I have trained
some amazing dancers, but I also can say that in the past 25 years my personal account of what an
amazing dancer is, is not what it was when I started in the business. I use to gauge my students on
leaps, turns, flexibility and technique. It was through my own personal struggle with the world versus
my heart that lead me to really ponder why I keep teaching dance. So I made a concerted effort to
pay attention to how I was feeling as I taught and what brought me joy. This was my finding.

I noticed that when I praised a child they smiled and that brought me joy. When someone looked
confused I went to them and mentored until the expression went calm. I hugged and clapped for
all of those moments when students said, “I did it!” I found that I loved to believe in them, but I loved to know
that I helped them believe in themselves. I enjoyed teachable moments on simple things like how
to be a good friend and how to be genuinely kind and caring. I found that if I sat quietly in my office
I could hear the reward of teaching those lessons as my students talked about their days. I learned that a child
will reach his or her full potential when they are encouraged and believed in. The most important thing that
I found out as I was paying attention to my feelings was that I loved ALL of them. There were no favorites.
The ones that were flawless by dance standards meant the same to me as the students that struggled to
balance on one foot. That the benefit of dance was the same benefit to any skill level. I found that I
loved to share my passion, that I loved to nurture and grow what I have learned as a dance student and
as an educator. I learned that the prideful smile on one parents face is the same prideful smile on the others.

Our children are our joy. We want to see each one treated fairly, loved deeply, appreciated, valued and
treasured. I found that there is no prerequisite for the afore mentioned. Simply being alive on this earth
gives every child those rights and every parent desire for those actions to be bestowed upon the life they
brought forth. I have found my heart and now it has become my mission to find my voice. To encourage
potential students to come to our doors and to implore other dance educators to open theirs.

Celebrations Dance Center continues to celebrate children and the art of dance. ALL children. Children
with the potential of an elite competitive dancer to recreational dancers to dancers with various needs
whether it is autism, Down syndrome, cystic fibrosis, marfan syndrome etc. When you walk through the door
please know you are in your dance home. That you will be respected, loved and valued. That you will be seen as
your own person and that you are free to feel the joy of dance.

I adopted a new tagline a couple of years ago when I had an incredible hurtful event happen in my life. The tagline
is Choose to Shine! We wear the saying on our Celebrations jackets as a reminder that we are in control of our
own happiness and how we conduct ourselves and choose to live. A constant reminder that you should never
allow anyone to dull your sparkle!”

We are so proud to call Miss Jenny and her dancers our friends! If you would like to learn more and/or sign up your child you can call Celebrations Dance Center at (315) 458-5497.