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TAKE FLIGHT
DANCE CENTER
120
Stone House Road
Millington
By: Lori Crowell
In addition to the fun and social
aspects of joining a dance class,
there are many other benefits as well
including developing musicality,
endurance and flexibility, grace and
agility, posture and core strength,
and most of all, self-confidence and
self-expression. Students of all ages
find this and more at
Take Flight
Dance Center,
located at 120 Stone
House Road in Millington.
Jill Cookingham, founder and
artistic director has 20 years of expe-
rience as a professional dancer,
teacher, coach and choreographer.
She cites owning and operating her
own studio as a natural progression
in her career.
“
Take Flight Dance Center
is a
place where anyone who loves dance
is welcome,” said Cookingham. “We
provide professional instruction in a
positive and welcoming environ-
ment.” Of all her students, Cooking-
ham is particularly passionate about
introducing the art of dance to
young beginners. “Beginners want
to learn, are sponges for new infor-
mation, and practice with passion
and enthusiasm. Children in particu-
lar benefit most by studying dance at
an early age. It’s more than learning
steps. Children who study dance
develop neurological pathways of
coordination that will help them with
physical activities for the rest of their
lives. Dance also fosters an apprecia-
tion of the arts and develops self-
confidence,” she said.
Cookingham said the first-rate
quality of instruction at
Take Flight
Dance Center
is what makes her
school stand out. “Our instructors
are professional dancers with
advanced levels of training and expe-
rience. Broadway dancers and mem-
bers of the Alvin Ailey American
Dance Theater are frequent guest
teachers at the studio as well. Also,
we don’t have typical hours-long
recitals similar to what other dance
schools offer. Rather, we create many
opportunities throughout the year for
dance students to show what they
have learned to family and friends.”
In fact, some of her students have
been invited by a famous celebrity on
the Sprout Network to sing and
dance in a new video project.
Take Flight Dance Center
also
offers adult classes with offerings
such as Zumba and ballroom dance.
In the future, Cookingham plans to
add a vocal instructor and drama
coach to the staff. She also is hoping
to expand the school’s performance
opportunities. “We started a Senior
Dance Company and Dance Team this
year. The Junior team and Company
will be starting in the fall,” she said.
Cookingham holds a bachelor’s
degree in physical education from
Rutgers University and is an elite
gymnastics coach and choreogra-
pher, and a member of the Elite
Coaches Association. She was the
dance coach for the Junior Olympic
Gymnastics Team at the U.S. Olympic
Training Center in 2008. She was
trained as a dancer and mentored as
a teacher by Madame Gabriella Dar-
vash, who has trained many of the
best dancers in the world. “My goal
is to always maintain a positive
instructional environment where kids
can dream bigger dreams and think
beyond boundaries because of their
exposure to the arts,” Cookingham
concluded.
For more information, call (908)
350-8150
or email info@takeflight
dance.com. Prospective students also
can visit the center’s website at
www.takeflightdance.com.
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