Berkeley Performing Arts expands to West Ashley

Sophia Rodriguez
The Post and Courier

Dana Sweatman, 14, shows off her moves to the beat of "Hopelessly Devoted to You" from the "Grease" soundtrack.

Sophia Rodriguez
The Post and Courier

Sweatman lifts Yui Ishibashi, 11, up in the air during the group's dance to "California Dreaming."

Sophia Rodriguez
The Post and Courier

Cristian Slaton, 11, rehearsed one of his routines set to a medley of Michael Jackson's '80s hits. The Marrington Middle School student is headed to the Dance Masters of America's National Convention in July.

The Berkeley County School of the Performing Arts is known for its variety of dance classes, gymnastics courses and cheerleading instruction.

Ballet, tap, jazz, Latin dance, 10 levels of gymnastics instruction, voice, piano and more are available for all ages and experience levels to Lowcountry students.

There was one problem, though. Many people in the island communities, downtown Charleston and West Ashley found it difficult to battle traffic and sometimes lengthy drives to get to the studio in Goose Creek.

So about 15 months ago, the school's artistic director and owner, Darlene Schrader, decided a satellite school would benefit her students and the people who take them to and from classes.

She saw potential with the rise of subdivisions in the West Ashley area and noticed that there were no gymnastics studios nearby.

"Those were all very good signs for a studio," Schrader said. She opened a starter studio in the Bi-Lo shopping center at Bees Ferry Road and S.C. Highway 61 and named it the West Ashley School of Performing Arts.

Schrader said the location is great, "especially now with gas prices." Her younger students mainly go to the West Ashley school, while her older students attend both locations. Schrader is hoping to move the new school to a unit down Highway 61 at the Pierpont Plaza shopping center that would be a fully equipped dance and gymnastics studio.

"Here, they only work on the floor," Schrader said about the West Ashley school. The first four gymnastics levels are taught there.

But the sparse, open floor and ballet barre have not hindered Schrader's talented students, as evidenced during a practice session earlier this month. Five of her students rehearsed their graceful, precise, sometimes even flashy dance sequences for the "Hooray for Hollywood" summer recital earlier in June.

Several of them have been dancing for the majority of their lives. Marrington Middle School student Cristian Slaton said he's been dancing since he was a toddler. He's 11 now, and will represent South Carolina in the Dance Masters of America competition in July in Florida.

His itinerary will include competition classes in ballet, tap and jazz, not to mention learning a dance for the opening sequence "that takes about a week" to learn. But before all that, he was brushing up for the recital that was held at the Goose Creek school. He performed Michael Jackson's signature moves during a medley of the singer's '80s hits.

Dana Sweatman, a 14-year-old who attends Northwood Academy in North Charleston, is not only a dancer, she's also a student teacher at the performing arts school. She said she was performing 10 separate routines for the recital, although she didn't do them alone. For one of her classes' routines, she was the head fairy in a "Peter Pan" rendition.

"So I'm also in one of the small kids' routines," she said.

The schools are holding summer classes for all ages.

For more information, call 817-3329 or 572-8146 or visit http://waschoolofperformingarts.com.

Reach Sophia Rodriguez at 937-5538 or at srodriguez@postandcourier.com.