Dance instructor becomes student whenever she can

Name: Lindsay Fussell

Position: Dance instructor

Location: Chattanooga Theatre Centre (and other locations, including in schools)

First Job: Worked an office job for the Georgia Department of Labor

Favorite part: “There are so many things I love about teaching dance. I love creating choreography that the music tells me to create. I love seeing the look in people’s faces when they get it, when they learn a step. That’s very satisfying. I’m very much a people person, so it’s an ideal job for me. The exercise that I get helps me keep in shape.”

Least favorite part: When Fussell teaches within an academic environment, she finds it difficult to give out grades, particularly if there are complex computer systems to navigate. The greatest challenge of teaching dance at the Theatre Centre, she said, is finding enough male students to lead in her swing and salsa classes. “Guys, are you listening?” she said. “We just love a man who likes to dance.”

Best Advice: “It’s very important to keep an open mind,” she said. Fussell said she appreciates the impact her role as a dance instructor can have on others and hopes people will be aware of their own ability to affect those around them. “Being around primarily young people really helps to keep me young, or feeling young. Being a part of so many people’s lives is an amazing kind of job to have. As a teacher, it makes you really aware of the impact you have. Being aware of what your influence is translates into your interpersonal relationships and makes one hopefully more aware of other’s feelings.”

Career: “Number one,” she said, “take classes. Number two, take classes. Number three, take more classes. I do think it’s really important for teachers to be students. I take classes every opportunity I can. Dance, like anything you do, is an ongoing learning process.” There is no special certification needed to teach dance at the Theatre Centre, but if one wishes to be a dance teacher within a school system, different training and certification may be required.

— Compiled by staff writer Holly Leber, hleber@timesfreepress.com