Drive.

Drive to improve. Drive to be the best. Drive to learn. To master technique. To achieve goals.

Grace Lehman is driven. And actually, driven may be an understatement.

At 14, Grace was a competitive gymnast, contending at a very high level. Then something clicked in her brain. She wanted to dance.

And dance she did.

Ten months later, at 15, Grace is taking tap, lyrical, hip hop, ballet, acro, jazz, and contemporary dance. She made Team Kick and takes solo classes. Oh, and she made the diamond plus team, the elite team at Kick Dance Studios.

All less than a year after she began taking dance.

But what made her want to leave her comfort zone and a life of gymnastics, everything she has always known and excelled at, to give dance a shot?

“I just didn’t have the spark in me to do gymnastics anymore,” said Grace. “I achieved what I wanted to achieve.”

When Grace told her mom, Meridith, that she wanted to switch to dance, her mom wasn’t surprised.

“She really enjoyed the competitions ing ymnastics,” said Meridith. “Then her focus changed and she was ready for the next big thing in her life.”

So Grace made the move to dance.

When she was 3, Grace took one dance class with Vanessa Berry, owner of Kick Dance Studios. So when her daughter was determined to dance, Meridith immediately turned to Vanessa for advice and guidance.

“I talked with Vanessa before Grace started last year and I told her she wanted to dance,” said Meridith. “Vanessa was open to it although starting dance as a teen can have its struggles. I knew knowing Grace that if someone would give her a chance, she would take it.”

And she did!

Vanessa herself began dancing at an older age so she understood how difficult it was to make the transition. In Grace, Vanessa saw a familiar passion and drive to dance.

“Because I started dancing when I was 13, I understood the challenges Grace would face,” said Vanessa. “In Grace I saw extreme passion and dedication.”

Grace practices and practices some more. She stays up late perfecting her technique.

“She has to do it right,” said Meridith. “She has this ability to make corrections and go back out and do the dance correctly. If she has a bad performance, she bounces right back.”

At her first competition, Grace received a high score for her solo performance. Remember, this is a young girl who had just started dancing and performing.

“Vanessa gave me the chance to dance. She’s the reason I’m achieving my goals,” said Grace.

Making the diamond plus team was a pivotal moment in Grace’s young life.

“It was my ‘ahhh’ moment,” said Grace. “It was so satisfying. Everything was official.”

Meridith sees a change in Grace since she began her dance journey. She’s a young girl who is learning life skills, something that is extremely important to mom. “It’s about setting goals, following through, making friends with people who have the same aspirations,” said Meridith. “It’s about discipline, commitment and learning. And especially as a young woman, it’s about developing power and strength.”

But Meridith has also noticed a more grown up Grace.

“She’s great at taking constructive criticism and overcoming some of the subjectiveness of dance. But most of all she’s following her dream,” said Meridith.

For Grace, dance is also about getting to satisfy her many different sides. “Dancing brings out all my sides,” said Grace. “I have a pretty side, a jazzy side, a musical theater side, and a tumbling side.”

But there’s also a much more powerful reason Grace is dancing. Once you start talking to her, you feel her emotions come through and understand that dance is a passion passed on to her.

Her cousin Sammy was a dancer. Sammy passed away from osteosarcoma when she was just 9-years-old, and through it all — a leg amputation and many treatments — she danced.

“Sammy is my inspiration to dance,” said Grace. And Grace is honoring Sammy in her solo this year with the song Somewhere Over the Rainbow, Sammy’s favorite song.

Grace has never had a single regret about giving up gymnastics for dance. Her commitment, her ambition, and her drive to be the best have made her a strong Kick Dancer and inspiration for so many others. Her mother, instructors and friends are all touched by her dance.

And we know Sammy is watching and smiling from above.

To see Grace’s performance and other Kick Dancers, attend Kick Dance Studios 2016 recital at Count Basie Theater May 22. Click here for more details.

Photos by Purelee Photography

Perseverance.

Sadie Rose Marino’s got it. And she’s only five.

Sadie rides horses and takes Taekwondo. But her passion lies in dance. Jazz, tap, ballet, even hip hop. Did we mention that Sadie is only five? She has more interests than most adults.

Sadie didn’t always take to dancing. In fact, when she started at age two and a half she would only participate as an observer.

“She always danced at home so we thought having her take dance classes would be something she’d like,” said her mother, Min. “But the first few classes she just watched.”

But Sadie persevered and stuck with dance. She went from being shy and observing classes, to the star of the show. And she loves it. And not only that, she’s good at it.

“Dance just makes me happy,” said Sadie, whose favorite dance wardrobe combination is a tutu, motorcycle jacket and pink Ray-Bans.

Sadie learned to love dance at Kick Dance Studios in Rumson, where she’s made friends and really connected with the instructors.

“I’m friends with everyone!” said Sadie, the huge smile on her face evidence of her delight.

The five-year-old has taken jazz, tap and ballet, and has her sights set on hip hop next. But what is it about hip hop that has Sadie so intrigued?

“It’s so exciting and fun,” said Sadie.

We can’t argue with that.

Sadie can even do the splits, and is part of Kick Dance’s banana split club (three splits and you get a prize). Although, Sadie does admit that doing the splits is the hardest thing about dancing. Who can disagree?

Dance has most certainly benefitted Sadie in other aspects of her young life. Her Taekwondo instructor says she has great form, balance and coordination, better than some students who have been taking classes longer than Sadie. That’s the dance shining through.

But the biggest indication that dance has transformed Sadie’s life? Her self-confidence.

“At Sadie’s first performance at Count Basie Theater, she froze in front of the big audience,” said Min. “Now, being on stage is routine for her and doesn’t bother her one bit.”

Forty percent of adults say that have a fear of speaking or performing in front of others. Sadie conquered that fear before the age of five.

Kick Dance Studios has provided Sadie with an outlet for her personality and creativity to shine, giving her the instructors to guide her through the process and an environment nurturing to a young dancer’s needs. Sadie is learning what she likes and what she loves. She’s making friends and finding her personality. She’s building her self-confidence and learning dance techniques.

“Kick Dance is so great because it has that small, warm feeling,” said Min. “It’s really a tight-knit community and it’s great for Sadie because it’s not as formal at this age the dancers can really express their personalities. As Sadie progresses she’ll be able to focus on technique and form.”

Kick Dance Studios is celebrating its 15^th anniversary this year, and we’ll be featuring some of our dancers, like Sadie, and the personal stories that make them unique.

Photos by Purelee Photography

Tag Archives: Kick Dance Studios 15th Anniversary

Grace Lehman: Driven to Dance

Sadie Marino: Perseverance and Personality