Life is such a jumble of events, experiences, challenges, demands, and distractions. It’s hard to figure out where you’re going and why. It’s also difficult finding a sense of purpose that will carry you through thick and thin, that will give you direction, help you grow, and establish yourself in the world. For Tracey and Jonathan Webb, dance was and is the driving force in their lives. As Tracey puts it, “Dance gave me life.”
Tracey and Jonathan are the founders and owners of Shaker Dance Academy, which can be described as a one-stop shop for far more than dance classes in every genre. Dance is an outlet for not just physical expression, but for learning about oneself and developing character traits that will last a lifetime.
Tracey, originally from Manhattan’s Upper West Side, realized early on that she wanted to be a dancer. She envisioned seeing herself on stage, on television, and in movies. But where she lived was a deterrent, its adverse distractions had to be avoided. With intense determination, she pushed herself and found that being in the dance studio was where she came alive. It became the home of her heart and soul.
For Jonathan, football, basketball, and gymnastics were his focus in school — until his junior year in high school when he accompanied a friend to a dance class. The teacher had him take the class, too, something that astonished Jonathan when he discovered how taxing it was, more so than sports. And he was hooked. Training hard to catch up to other students, he found his athleticism from sports was a perfect segue to all that dance had to offer.
The two met while working on Prince’s film Graffiti Bridge and realized that the chemistry they felt for each other and dance was just the tip of the iceberg. Working on both coasts for a while, they then settled in LA, both of them in high demand for film, television, and videos and working with celebrities and luminaries in the business. In the back of their minds, though, they were thinking about having children and opening a dance school. Retiring from the profession, they decided to move to Cleveland.
What they observed was that girls were being underserved. Boys were getting a lot of attention because of sports, but girls were being left to their own devices. What was missing for them was the purpose and focus. Mothers urged Tracey to start a dance studio for their daughters, a place where they could learn discipline, self-empowerment, determination, and poise. So, in 2001, Shaker Dance Academy was born.
Here’s where the one-stop shop comes into play. Dance, as an art form, isn’t something you just do for fun whenever you feel like it. It’s also about life lessons. Many young people aren’t used to dealing with constructive criticism, discipline, stamina, self-composure, unwavering focus, channeling energies, and hard work. And their home life isn’t necessarily supportive of those attributes. School and street life aren’t indicative of those traits either.
Shaker Dance Academy offers a space that exemplifies all of those qualities. Young people develop a level of maturity, motivation, and determination not found elsewhere — all of which can be applied to every aspect of their lives.
Tracey and Jonathan’s love of young people and their devotion to their futures, not just in dance but in life, is the enduring legacy they are creating for the Cleveland area and beyond. As Jonathan says, “Dance gives you the confidence, the ability, and the vision to be able to make whatever you want to happen.”
Over the past twenty years, the studio has helped innumerable young people find themselves, even if they don’t go on to pursue a dance career. Both Tracey and Jonathan do what they call “designing your life.” They created the life they now deeply enjoy and are role models for current and future generations. And every day, they pay that approach forward as they help young people learn to become independent, strong, resourceful, and self-assured.
As a wonderful acknowledgment of the work Tracey and Jonathan have put into their studio, former students now bring their children in for classes knowing that they’ll be in good hands. It’s not surprising that Shaker Dance Academy has been awarded “Best Dance Studio” for eleven years in a row.
Life is a dance and dance is life in all respects. It and the studio are a haven from the distractions and demands of life, a place of self-expression, sweat, and tears, of joy and accomplishment, of growth and elevation of spirit.
As Tracey has said, “Like our heartbeat, the studio gives us life still.” ●
