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Maxine Patterson School of Dance

   2212 Lincoln Street 
  Savannah, GA 31401
      912-234-8745
        

Maxine Patterson School of Dance offers classes for ages 3 to adult in recreational and competitive levels. Our instructors provide quality instruction in dance arts with attention to each child's achievement.


OUR GOAL:

We care greatly about all children here at our studio. We want them to learn to dance but also to learn to love themselves. We want to teach them that success is doing their best and instill in them positive traits of high esteem, high morals, high level of happiness, and self pride. Our students will learn responsibility, self discipline, and self control.


We like our students to:

DANCE LIKE NOBODY'S WATCHING

 
                                                                       Maxine Patterson          

                             Studio Owner/Director/Instructor  

 

After dancing her first eight counts at the age of 6, Maxine Patterson knew what she wanted to do in life was dance.  At the age of 8, she became a demonstrator for her teacher, Rosalie Cotler. As a teenager, Maxine began teaching classes and performed and studied dance as a charter member of the Savannah Ballet Guild. Both as a young dancer and as an adult, Maxine has attended many dance workshops, affording her the opportunity to further her dance education with excellent classes in all disciplines.

Maxine began teaching at the May Street YMCA in 1969 and presented her first student recital at Savannah State University in 1970. Recitals have been held annually every year since. Maxine Patterson School of Dance accepts all students in classes at schools throughout the city, and especially at her studio. Maxine has been based at her studio at Lincoln and 39th Street since 1985.


In addition to dance classes, students of the Maxine Patterson School of Dance have had the opportunity to perform with Ballet South,  The Columbia City Ballet ,  Off Broadway production of The Wizard of Oz, perform within the community at events such as Christmas on River Street and Black Heritage Festival, attend master classes of Savion Glover, Anthony LoCascio, The Russian Ballet Company, and travel to New York to attend classes at Broadway Dance Center and Steps on Broadway. Her award winning dance company, Rhythm IN Motion  performs and competes all year at competitions such as ASH, Radix, Velocity, and OnstageNY.


All Maxine Patterson ever wanted to do was teach children the art of dance. Over the last 50 years, she has both accomplished that goal and succeeded in helping her students reach their highest potential as dancers and human beings.


A native Savannahian, Maxine Patterson has been married to "Mr. Don" Patterson for 50 years. They are the parents of 2 children, Brian and Laura, both married, and two grandchildren, Micah and Tamar.

 

Sarah Capen
Acro

Sarah is the team head coach of our women's artistic program. Sarah was a team coach at Capital Gymnastics National Training Center in Virginia before moving to Savannah. Sarah began gymnastics at the age of 3 and competed up until she was 16 as level 9 gymnast. She then started her professional gymnastic career as a compulsory and optional judge. Upon retiring as a gymnast, Sarah danced for a professional ballet company, Asaph Dance Ensemble.


She graduated from Sweet Briar College with degrees in Musical Theatre, Music, and Dance.

 She has worked with numerous gyms in Virginia as well as choreographed JO, Xcel, and college.   She has coached girls from USAG JO and Xcel team to help them reach their goals of state, regional and national champions. She is excited to share her passion with all the children at MPSOD.

Christian Cooper
 Hip Hop

Christian Cooper is a self-taught hip hop dancer from Norfolk, Virginia who was raised in Savannah, GA for most of his teenage years. Church being the foundation of where Christian’s passion for dance began to flourish as a dancer and choreographer, it was only the beginning where he  made the decision to turn his passion for dance into a career in 2014.  He became a visual and performing arts major with a concentration in dance at Savannah State University.  Since then Christian has choreographed for collegiate and professional dance teams,  awarded many scholarships and awards, teaches at  several studios in Savannah and travels the low
                                              country. Christian titles his choreography as "FEEL"ography encouraging his students to release
                                              their inhibitions and perform from the heart, allowing themselves to be one with the music.

Stephanie Cummings
Ballet - Pre-Pointe -  Tap - Jazz - Lyrical - Contemporary - Competition Team

Stephanie Cummings is an alumni of Maxine Patterson School of Dance where she trained  in ballet, tap, and jazz. She started at the age of 4 and has been dancing ever since. Stephanie had the opportunity to attend Master Classes and workshops, dance camps, and conventions taught by a variety of teachers including Debbie Dee, Tommy Alexander,  and Jo Rowan. 
Stephanie was a member of Position One Dance Company at The University of West Georgia                                                   where she served as co-captain and choreographer.  She graduated with a BBA in Marketing. 
                                         Stephanie later trained in tap at Dance Stop in Atlanta under Lynette Strickland for 4 years.  
                                         She has choreographed award winning routines for the competition team for many years  and                                                   has been teaching at Maxine Patterson School of Dance for 14+ years.



Robbin DeLoach-Dozier
 Preschool - Tap - Jazz  - Competition Team                             


Robbin DeLoach-Dozier started dancing with Maxine Patterson at the age of three.  She became a student helper as she entered middle school and has now been teaching with her for over 20 years. Robbin specializes in jazz but loves teaching tap and ballet as well. 

She  also enjoys teaching  pre-school  to kindergarten children .

                                               Robbin has appointed herself as the "chauffeur" when the studio travels to  dance conventions. 

                                               She has recently graduated with an Associates degree in Medical Office Administration 

                                               and is also a Certified Medical Administration Assistant. Robbin is a hard worker

                                               and a proud member of the MPSOD family.


Shaundria DeLoach

Tap - Jazz - Lyrical - Contemporary - Conditioning/Technique - Competition Team


BIO SOON

Asia Grant

Ballet - Pre-Pointe /Pointe - Tap - Jazz - Lyrical - Hip Hop - Competition Team


BIO SOON

Rebecca Kendall

Ballet - Contemporary - Conditioning/Technique - Competition Team


Rebecca is an Atlanta native who recently moved to Georgia after living in Charlotte, NC for two years. While in California, Rebecca pursued a professional dance career performing with Audrey Baran's Baran Dance and Martha Connerton's Kinetic Works as a company member and with Gay Porter's Charlotte Youth Ballet as a guest artist. Her past training and teaching experience was acquired during her time as a student at  Atlanta Ballet, as a staff member with Open Door     Studios in Charlotte,  NC. She will be dancing her second season with Savannah Ballet Theatre

                                              as a company member for the 2020-2021 season. 

                                               Rebecca has a  passion  not only for dance, but for teaching as well, and relishes any                                                                     opportunity to work with inspired students.


  Pam Tucker

   Ballet/Pointe Privates


Pamela Tucker began her early dance training in Macon under Gladys Lasky (Royal Ballet & Royal Danish Ballet). She continued her dance studies at the University of Georgia and the University of Tennessee where she performed with the UTK Dance Ensemble under Richard Crosky. As a teacher for the deaf for over 25 years she has continued dancing while working in the field of education. While working in Chattanooga, TN she studied and performed with 
                                               Chattanooga Ballet under Alexander Bennett (Royal Ballet) and Barry and Anna VanCura
                                               (Ruth Page's Chicago Ballet & American Ballet Theatre).

                                            Upon moving to Savannah she performed with Ballet South under the direction of Karina Brock                                                and John Carlyle (American Ballet Theater) while working in Chatham County Schools..                                                                Ms.  Tucker holds a BA degree in Speech Pathology/Audiology and an MS degree in Deaf
                                             Education. In addition to her work in the field of education, she has had a career in aviation
                                             working for Delta Airlines and Flight Safety International. She continues to teach ballet
                                             at Maxine Patterson, works as a teacher for the deaf with Chatham Co. Schools, and works part 
                                             time for Flight Safety Schools.

Nakia Young
Guest Teacher - Competition Team Adviser /Consultant 
Elements of Dance 1 -on- 1  Ballet  Summer Program

Nakia Young is a native of Savannah, GA. She began her early dance training under the direction of Madame Coy. By the age of 10, Ms. Young started dancing at Maxine Patterson School of Dance where she studied and trained in jazz, pointe, ballet, and tap. Two years later, Ms. Young was accepted as a member of Ballet South. For six years, she enhanced her dance training at  Ballet                                                 South under the tutelage of Gayla Davis-Lehotay, Gaye Baxley, Karen Brock-Carlye and John 
                                       Carlye.

                                        Ms. Young's performance repertoire includes Sleeping Beauty, The Nutcracker, Alice in Wonderland,                                          Swan Lake, Coppelia, and Snow White.  She has appeared as a guest dancer with Sankofa Dance 
                                        Theatre's "Collage" and Savannah Danse Theatre's "Nutcracker". As a performer, Ms. Young
                                        competed in dance competitions in South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida.
                                         In 1998, Ms Young discovered that she has a special talent for teaching and has choreographed
                                         at Maxine Patterson School of Dance, Armstrong Atlantic University, and St. Benedict the Moor.
                                         With more than 30 years of dance education and experience, Ms Young serves as Rhythm IN 
                                         Motion Dance Company consultant.