Dee Crittenden – Teacher/Director/Owner – Encouraged at a very young age by her musically talented and dance-loving mother to study classical music and play an instrument, Dee became an accomplished accordion soloist and at age 14 won 2nd place playing a challenging concerto in a multi-state competition. Although proud of this accomplishment, she really wanted to study dance! After winning a 4-year scholarship and graduating magna cum laude from Washburn University, earning a master’s degree at the University of Florida, and becoming a book editor at the University of Florida Press, she was finally able to start studying the art she had actually fallen in love with but had been unable to take as she grew up--ballet. Dee was lucky enough to start studying ballet at the Pofahl Dance School in Gainesville, Florida. There Kim Tuttle, now a director of the official School of the Dance Alive National Ballet, was her first dance teacher. Kim’s mother, Mary Ellen Pofahl, who invited such New York City Ballet greats as Violette Verdy, Edward Vilella, and Peter Martins to perform with her Gainesville Civic Ballet, was Dee’s second ballet teacher. Soon Dee became a member of the apprentice company and danced in the Nutcracker. Shortly thereafter she moved to Tallahassee, where she worked for Florida State University Press, studied ballet at the university and at three private studios, and became a member of the Board of Directors of the Tallahassee Civic Ballet. Dee’s publishing career next brought her to Harcourt, Brace & Jovanovich, which had just moved its home office from New York City to Orlando. Unexpectedly her new publishing responsibilities totally disrupted her dance studies for a few years. After moving to St. Cloud and then becoming a free-lance writer and editor, she was able to resume and expand her study of dance. That was because, as luck would have it, June Myers, who had been with the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo, opened her own dance studio on Long Island, became a president of Dance Masters/Educators of America, had her own performing company, and was a guest faculty member at numerous conventions, also moved to St. Cloud and soon abandoned her plan to retire. Missing dance teaching, June taught for the City of St. Cloud and soon opened her second June Myers School for the Performing Arts. Dee began to study from June and by 1989 was invited to teach ballet to adults and eventually tap, jazz, and other classes to children, teens, and adults. Under June’s tutelage until June 2000, Dee continued to perform, teach, and gradually became her assistant in directing the school. Dee also took classes from such excellent teachers as Densil Adams, Patricia Dickinson, Al Gilbert, Janice Barringer, Nilo Toledo, Daryl Retter, Sam Fiorello, Jill Powell, and Gregg Russell. By June 2000, June had decided she was truly ready to retire and sold her studio to Dee, who eventually changed its name to Dance Central but who has continued the tradition of offering small classes in which students can receive much feedback and can interact with their teacher as they learn--whether they are just exploring their talents or are on a path toward a professional career involving dance. Dee is committed to offering students an array of dedicated and talented teachers. |
About Our Director:
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