The Milan News-Leader
A Heritage Newspaper
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Teacher finds niche at dance studio
Recital May 16, 17 to benefit American Cancer Society
By Kevin Korpal, Special Writer
PUBLISHED: May 8, 2008
Heidi Wuerthele loves to dance and loves to teach, and now she has combined those two passions at Dance Xplosion in downtown Milan.
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In 2002, Wuerthele quit her job teaching third grade after more than four years to focus on teaching dance. She had been doing both for a while and decided it was too difficult to balance both.
Originally from Gladwin, Wuerthele likes the small-town atmosphere of Milan, but also enjoys the proximity to larger cities like Ann Arbor.
"I went to Eastern Michigan University and student taught here in Milan," Wuerthele said. "I did my student-teaching at Paddock (Elementary School), so I'm familiar with Milan. It's the best of both worlds. I get to dance and teach -- both things I love to do."
Wuerthele's greatest joy is watching the kids who go through her program grow up and develop as dancers.
"They start at 3 years old and go from there," Wuerthele said. "I just love to see the growth of the students."
The children can participate in competitions around the area. Several are first-year competitors. They don't start competing until at least second grade, Wuerthele said.
Some of the performers have won scholarships and a chance to travel to other cities to perform.
"At the last competition, they did awesome," Wuerthele said. "One group received a cash prize and several are going to Cincinnati this summer to compete."
The focus isn't on the trophy, though. Wuerthele focuses on the critique.
"I have an emotional attachment to the critiques," she said. "When it's constructive and I see an improvement, it always makes me so proud of the kids.
"Parents here are super supportive," she added. "They trust the instructors."
When Wuerthele opened the studio, there were 70 kids involved. Now there are more than 200. She said word-of-mouth is the biggest contributor to the growth. She also said that when the dancers are in school, they share their experiences with the other children and get them interested.
The groups are currently performing songs from Disney's "High School Musical." Wuerthele's tap dancers are performing a dance with basketballs. This, she says, has been the hardest performance to coordinate.
"Every time, there are basketballs bouncing when they shouldn't be," she said. "But it has worked out OK."
Dance Xplosion will hold its sixth annual recital 6:30 p.m. both May 16 and 17 at Milan High School. Proceeds from the event will be donated to the American Cancer Society. There will be 19 soloists performing along with the larger groups.
"Some of the kids prefer to work one-on-one," Wuerthele said. "They decide whether or not to be soloists."
Tickets are $10 each. For more information about the recital or classes, call 439-8807 or visit www.dancexplosion.net.
Kevin Korpal is a freelance writer. He can be reached at kkorpal@emich.edu.
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