North Jax Monthly • July 2013 • Page 15

Oceanway School ofDance & Performing Arts

376 New Berlin Rd. Suite 5 • Jacksonville, FL 32218 (904) 838-1340 • www.oceanwayschoolofdance.com

Ages 3 & Up • Ballet • Pointe • Lyrical • Jazz • Hip-HopAcrobatics • Tap • Creative Movement • Contemporary

• Modern • Guitar

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Early Registration:Saturday, July 27 – 10am–2pmSaturday, August 3 – 10am–2pmMonday, August 5 – 4–7pmTuesday, August 6 – 4–7pmSaturday, August 10 – 10am–2pm

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2012-2013 Students!

Classes BeginMonday,

August 12Senior CompanyDancer

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By Kandace LankfordNJM Correspondent

NEW BERLIN ROAD ––As Tara and RickFoxworth do thedance of parentingtwo young children,they also continue toteach and mentortheir extended familyof more than 350kids.

For the past threeyears, the Foxworthshave dedicated theirtime and their lives toinstilling andenhancing a love fordance and the artsinto their students atOceanway School ofDance & PerformingArts.

Along with devoting their hearts to theschool and their students, they have alsoinvested a lot of sweat equity into OceanwaySchool of Dance & Performing Arts.

Soon after opening, the school’s enrollmentexceeded expectations, and the suite thathoused it wastoo small toaccommodateall the students–– so theymoved a fewdoors down toa space thatwas twice thesize.

Mr. Foxworthpainstakinglydid much of thework himself,includingbuilding thefront desk, andbuilding the floors in the classrooms.

The Foxworths envisioned a school that hada family-oriented atmosphere –– a placewhere parents and siblings of the studentscould come in, sit comfortably and feel rightat home.

“When we started the school three yearsago, we wanted to not only raise the bar to ahigher level of arts in the community, but tobe a place where parents know we truly careabout their children and that they can trust uswith their children,” Mr. Foxworth said.

Mrs. Foxworth, a life-long dancer, begantraining at the age of five. She attendedDouglas Anderson School of the Arts, andreceived an associate’s degree in theatre atwhat is now know as Florida State College atJacksonville (FSCJ) before going to JacksonvilleUniversity to earn a bachelor of arts in danceeducation and a bachelor of fine arts in dance.

Additionally, Mrs. Foxworth has taken masterclasses from famous dance artists in New York.

When she first opened the school, Mrs.Foxworth had a day time job directing thedance department at Lake Forest School ofthe Visual and Performing Arts, which feeds

into LaVillaSchool of theArts, butresigned to focusfully onOceanwaySchool of Dance& PerformingArts.

Like Mrs.Foxworth, all ofthe instructors atOceanwaySchool of Dance& PerformingArts have collegedegrees orprofessional

dance experience. “We have excellent teachers with an

interesting mix of dance backgrounds,” saidMrs. Foxworth. “We have different teachersfor different levels of dance, and they are allso creative with their choreography.”

To allow for more personalized attention,class sizes are capped and kept small. Classesoffered include classical ballet, pointe, lyrical,choreography, contemporary, creativemovement, jazz, tap, hip-hop, modern,acrobatics, and pre-combination.

“We are building an incredible dancecompany, with different teams from ageseight and up,” said Mrs. Foxworth. “This year,we won high awards at the dancecompetitions at the University of NorthFlorida (UNF).”

Dancers from Oceanway School of Dance &

Performing Arts took a trip to New York lastsummer, where they took classes at theBroadway dance center. More recently, theydanced at DowntownDisney, and tookdance workshops atEpcot.

“We try to give theexperience of whatit’s like to be aprofessional dancer,”said Mrs. Foxworth.

For students ageeight and up,beginning andadvanced guitarclasses are alsooffered –– taught byMr. Foxworth.

Mr. Foxworth, whowas a volunteer forthe BigBrothers BigSistersorganizationfor 10 years,studied musicand ownedand operateda recordingstudio for sixyears.

“Studentsnot only learnhow to playthe guitar,they learn thetheory behindthe music,”he said. “Ihave abackgroundas a recording engineer, so I can make highquality recordings of them in the studio.”

The Foxworths envision expanding theschool’s class offerings in the near future, toinclude a wider variety of choices.

“One of our visions is to integrate art ––dance, guitar, voice, piano and musicaltheatre,” said Mr. Foxworth. “We want tooffer a very diverse arts community right herein the middle of Oceanway, and we’re going

to keep moving forward.”The Foxworths have just wrapped up

another successful program year at the schooland look forward towhat the futureholds –– because younever can tell what anew year will bring.

The day after lastyear’s dance recital,Mrs. Foxworth learnedthat she would soon bebringing a new littledancer into the world,and her beautifuldaughter, Olivia, wasborn in January of thisyear –– joining herbrother, 18-month-oldNate.

As Nate curiouslyexplored thestudio,turning up thesound system,Olivia’s feetmoved withthe music,kicking offone white,lacy sock.Mom and daddidn’t miss abeat –– theystepped inperfect timeto their kids’rhythm,making it lookeffortless.

“The kids,that’s why we’re here,” said Mr.Foxworth,speaking of his 350 students as well as his ownkids. “It’s not all about making money –– it’sabout making special memories for the kids.”

For information about summer classes, orfor fall registration information, callOceanway School of Dance and PerformingArts at 904-838-1340, or visit their website atwww.oceanwayschoolofdance.com.

Couple envisions a diverse arts community in Oceanway

Tara and Rick Foxworth, and their 18-month-old son, Nate, and their 4-month-old daughter, Olivia, would like to welcome you to their extendedfamily at Oceanway School of Dance & Performing Arts

Oceanway School of Dance & Performing Arts is located at376 New Berlin Road, Suites 5 & 6

Students Hannah Graves (above) and Emily Johnston (below)demonstrate the technique and art form taught at OceanwaySchool of Dance & Performing Arts.