MANSFIELD – Shelby Fife has the energy of a 20-year-old, but her schedule keeps her hopping.
The third-year North Central State College nursing student opened Drop the Beat Dance Center, 1655 W. 4th St. in Ontario on Wednesday, fulfilling a lifelong dream to teach at her own dance studio.
“Ever since I was little I always wanted to open either a baton place or my own dance studio, and ever since I started dancing, I’ve grown a passion for it,” Fife said.
Fife started twirling a baton at age 4, and later, she started dancing at Rising Starz Studio. In 2014, she was named Miss Richland County’s Outstanding Teen and competed in the Miss Ohio pageant.
This go-getter graduated from Madison High School in 2015 and has been teaching at Rising Starz for the past three years, but recently, she decided she was ready to start her own studio.
“I figured it was time. I was ready to branch out,” she said.
Drop the Beat Dance Center will offer jazz, lyrical and hip-hop classes for children age 2 to 18. Classes cost $25 per month for non-competitive dancers, $35 per month for competitive dancers with one routine and $50 per month for competitive dancers with two or more routines. Fife will also offer private lessons for $15 per half hour.
Dancers can sign-up from 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 7. A skills assessment will take place Friday, Sept. 8 and classes will begin Tuesday, Sept. 12. And for more information people can call 419-512-8108.
Everything has moved quickly for Fife. She said finding the building seemed “meant to be.”
With the help of family and friends, Fife moved into the space two weeks ago, painted the walls and installed a new dance floor.
Fife lives by the motto: “Live life in the moment, not the past. Set goals for the future and be the best person you can be. Never quit. Never give up.”
She knows she’ll be busy over the next several months, but she’s determined to make her dreams a reality.
