Shirley McPhail School of Dance
Shirley McPhail School of Dance
Written by Rachel Youens Monday, 07 May 2007
Dance school bridges generations and genres
The sound of tap shoes echo down the hall of the dance studio as instructor Edwina McPhail Worley leads a class in a practice for their dance recital. When the jazzy song fades out on the stereo, the students say their goodbyes, then grab their car keys to go pick up their kids.
With the oldest student age 84 and youngest three, the Shirley McPhail School of Dance has cultivated itself as both a multi-generational and multi-disciplinary studio where a mother can drop off her daughter for a jazz class and then squeeze in her own tap class after dinner.
“I love teaching all the classes, but I really like the adult tap program,” Worley said. “So many of the students say it’s the best part of their week. I had one woman tell me that taking the class has saved her thousands in therapy.”
Worley gained her love for dance from her mother Shirley, who founded the school in 1970. Her mother grew up in Tyler, Texas, and spent her weekends traveling to Dallas and summers to New York to study dance.
Shirley died of breast cancer in 1997, leaving the school in the hands of her daughter, who had already opened her own studio in Austin under the McPhail name. Today Shirley’s photo hangs on the wall at the school as an inspiration, and many of the teachers she hired are still on staff, such as 70-year-old Miss Trish.
Besides the adult program, the McPhail school also offers preschool dance, cotillion and Pilates classes, as well as sponsoring a performing dance team. Unlike other schools, Worley does not focus on competition, entering only one a year, and prefers students just have fun.
“Working with children is fun because you just never know what they’re going to say or do, or what’s going to happen with their little moods,” Worley said.
The studio is currently preparing for dance recitals, so the mirrors are covered with sheets, forcing dancers to focus on remembering routines, and the floors are numbered with place markers, or what the youngest dancers call “their house.”
“It’s funny because all the dancers will work and work for a recital, and it’s always the three-year-olds that steal the show,” Worley said. “Inevitably one of them gets out of her ‘house’ and it starts a little shoving match.”
The multi-generational aspect of the schools means students can grow with the classes, and nurturing is central to the school’s philosophy.
“If you start a child out at a young age, and make dance class a place that is fun and safe,” Worley said, “then the love for dance is there as they grow older and enter advanced classes.”
Edwina’s tips on choosing a dance school
- Shop around. Don’t just go to the closest dance school.
- For young children, look for a teacher with creativity. At the McPhail school, kids use hoola hoops and tumbling as part of their classes. Look for a teacher who can engage and reach even shy children.
- For older children and adults, look for a teacher with qualifications. There’s no formal certification to be a dance teacher. Anyone can open a studio and teach, so look for a teacher who has had experience dancing and teaching that would make her qualified.
- Pay attention to how the studio feels. All dance studios are different and have a different vibe. If you walk into a studio and you’re not comfortable, visit somewhere else.
Mesa Studio, 8018 Mesa Drive • 345-1284; Spicewood Springs Studio, 8650 Spicewood Springs Road • 258-3793; www.smsdance.com
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