Mrs. Raquel Whitehead, the Owner and Artistic Director of The Pike Road Dance Academy. Not only has she earned a double degree in Communication Studies and Dance from the University of Alabama, but she is also an incredibly accomplished dancer who has studied and danced with The Alabama School of Fine Arts, the prestigious Julliard School, the Kirov Academy of Ballet, and the Hungarian Dance Academy in Budapest. She was the youngest American ballet dancer to compete at the Prix de Lausanne in Switzerland. She also danced professionally in Italy, France, and Germany. She competed in the Miss Texas and Miss Alabama America Organizations for five years. During that time she was crowned Miss Dallas, Miss Fountain City, and Miss Wiregrass Area. Raquel has been teaching all genres of dance for 18 years. She has taught for C.J.’s Dance Factory in Prattville, AL , The Academy of Ballet and Jazz (ABJ) in Tuscaloosa, AL, and was the School Director for The Montgomery Ballet in Montgomery, AL. She has a great love for the arts and hopes to provide an artistic outlet for every child she encounters.
Timestamp
1:00 Meet Raquel Whitehead
1:48 How her family influenced her dancing career
2:27 Background and schooling for dance
4:40 What was the time commitment during specialized schooling? “Nothing worth having comes easy.”
5:34 How did I meet Raquel?
6:48 A house full of boys
9:15 How did you know you wanted to go in the dance studio business?
11:20 Have a dream… Just get started!
12:50 Support system
13:45 God winks
14:19 When you love what you do, it’s a blessing to go to work
18:20 – Tips to starting your own dance studio
21:36 Logistics and Behind the scenes at Recitals
23:43 Women wear many hats
25:05 Telling the dance students to always present themselves the way you want to be remembered – Shoulders back, chin up… like you are showing off a diamond necklace
27:42 Right now it is important to REFOCUS – Appreciate the life around you and do not prejudge situations.
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