Midlands adults get a chance to drop in and dance

A dance group in Columbia is offering affordable classes for adults to dance without a long-term commitment. 

Revival Adult Dance lets people drop in and pay by the class. And the styles of dance taught change weekly.

Revival recently hosted a hip-hop style dance class. Regular member Aalyah Word led the group for her first time. 

Revival takes a different approach compared to other dance studios. The group doesn’t have its own studio, website or scheduling system. Dancers are asked to pay $5 per class. The classes are hosted at Elite Ballroom Academy off Bush River Road, which is rented each week by the group founder, Katie Hilliger Page. Page created the group last year.

“A lot of the adult dance classes that are offered other places are not drop-in,” Page said. “It’s not week-by-week and there’s an expectation that you’re paying a monthly tuition. What we wanted to do was make it available.”

Page spends most of her time working in real estate and tending to her farm with her husband. But she used to perform and teach dance professionally in Columbia. 

“I used to teach adult classes for a very long time and then kind of put it to bed,” Page said. “I had a lot of other things going on, and then a friend reached out specifically and said, ‘You know, what are some adult dance opportunities?’”

Page began sharing information about classes through a GroupMe chat as opposed to a website. The chat has 746 members today. 

“I’m very connected on social media,” Page said. “It’s just really grown by word of mouth. Our first class when we first opened up, we had 100 people show up for the first call.”

The transfer from class attendee to teacher is easier than it would be at a traditional studio. Aalyah Word only had to express interest.

“I came in and I did two classes, and I was like, ‘Hey, I want to teach …,’” Word said. “She was like, ‘Oh my god, can you dance? Can you teach? OK, next month.’”

Word choreographed a hip-hop dance to teach to the song “Booty Wurk” by T-Pain. The class was taught to dancers of all experience levels, including a few first-time dancers. 

“I’ve always wanted to have my own dance studio,” Word said, “I’ve always wanted to teach. I taught when I was younger, but now, a more professional way.”

The group aims to be very inclusive to all new members. While Round Top Elementary teacher Meghan Sonatore has danced for years, she’s seen Revival teach several beginners.

“I think it’s like, a little intimidating if you’ve never danced before to come into a space, but this space is so safe,” Sonatore said.

Sonatore began attending Revival classes toward the group’s beginning. She said she has missed very few classes since then. She also auditioned for a show Page was choreographing after meeting her. 

“I just feel like it truly lives up to the name Revival,” Sonatore said. “I don’t think we could have picked a better name for this class, because literally, the community is so good and so uplifting. I don’t ever leave here without feeling super inspired.”

Class attendee Cherelle Turner also has attended regularly since her first visit five months ago.

“As a wife and a mom of two, I don’t have a lot of free time,” Turner said. “Monday has been my day to just commit to spending time with myself.”

Turner was pleased with Word’s choreography. 

“I think it helped me kind of bring my sexy back a little bit because I didn’t think I didn’t think I could do it at first,” Turner said. “So it just helped me come into my womanhood for the night.”

Word was visibly emotional with her students by the end of the class.

“Their charisma, their energy, just their spirit or willingness to keep pushing, even if they don’t understand it or they never danced before,” Word said. “That’s what I love about them.”

Page said she uses the profit made only for renting the class space each week. 

“This is not a money-making venture,” Page said. “I just hope that I get enough people that I pay the rent here, and that’s it.”