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Nancy Carter making name for herself
Nancy Carter, owner of Nancy’s School of Dance, is the winner of The Herald-Dispatch Award for the Arts for 2007. Carter, who started her dance school in the basement of her Westmoreland home in 1964, has been teaching dance at her 5th Street West studio for 40 years.
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Madonna, Wynonna, Cher -- all ladies of entertainment who only need a first-name introduction.
Here on the local dance scene, just say Nancy and everyone knows who you're talking about, and the reputation that she has built in Huntington since 1964.
For her lifelong commitment to the community and for teaching dance to more than 10,000 students, Nancy Carter, of Nancy's School of Dance, is this year's recipient of The Herald-Dispatch Award for the Arts.
Created in 2001, the award recognizes contributions to the arts or accomplishments in the field of arts in the Tri-State.
Winners are profiled in the newspaper and also receive a $5,000 grant of promotional space in the newspaper that they can use to promote the charity or nonprofit of their choice.
The Herald-Dispatch was flooded with letters and e-mails of support from people who have spent time under Carter's tutelage.
Lindy Wilks Hoeft of Glenwood said in a passionate e-mail that sometimes the community overlooks mentors who have built a solid foundation that has affected new generations.
Hoeft wrote in last year to nominate Carter for the Arts Award, and did so once again.
"Oftentimes we recognize those who are opening new establishments and are contributing to our community in new ways, and we fail to recognize those people who have been the predecessors which have made these contributions possible," Hoeft said in an e-mail. "Nancy Carter not only continues to teach but is such a predecessor. Through her commitment to our community and her students, she has created a foundation for which our art community could grow and expand. There are at least two other dance studios that I am aware of that were opened by former students of Nancy: Mirror Image and Jessica Burcham Fox's Jesyln Performing Arts Center."
Hoeft went on to state that Carter also has spent a great deal of time outside of the studio to promote dance and to enrich the community.
"Nancy has worked with majorette, flag, rifle and corps groups in at least 15 local schools, volunteered dance instruction time in social service organizations such as Green Acres, taken dance groups to local nursing homes to perform for residents, held benefit shows for (multiple sclerosis), cystic fibrosis and Katrina victims," Hoeft wrote.
Raised in a family of performers, Carter began tap dancing with her father, a star on the vaudeville circuit, when she was only 3 years old.
At age 12, she began sharing that knowledge as an instructor teaching dance to older students at her dad's studio in Gallipolis, Ohio.
Carter, who graduated from Fairland High School, moved to Huntington when she was 16, and started her own studio in the basement of her house.
"You could touch the ceiling it was so small," Carter said, laughing.
So was the class.
There were two students.
"I started from scratch and I started going around to the Girl Scout meetings and PTA, and performing and just trying to build the studio," Carter said. "It has been a blessing to me. I have been very fortunate and have met a lot of wonderful people over the years who have come and gone."
Carter said former students have started many studios in the region, including ones in Nashville and Kentucky.
Nancy's School of Dance, which hosts 36 classes a week at its studio at 731 5th St. West in Huntington, has kept some constants.
Treva Handley-Davis has taught with Nancy's for 40 years, and Donna Dickson is right behind her with 38 years with Carter.
"I am lucky to have had them be there with me," Carter said. "I have been really blessed with good teachers and good parents and students, too, that have stayed with me over the years."
Perhaps it is because Carter always has made her students feel welcome regardless of their age.
About 25 years ago at a national conference, Carter saw an "experienced" dance troupe and brought back the idea to Huntington.
The Forever Young dance group has grown and has had dancers well into their 80s.
While often considered a young girl's game, dance classes taught by Carter are enriching people's lives and many people wrote in with sincere gratitude for that open door for continued learning and artistic expression.
Tammy Ratcliff said "thank goodness" Carter decided to use her talent and dedication in her home of West Virginia.
"Because of Nancy, I can -- at the tender age of 50 years old -- still take tap and jazz class, still dress up in sparkly costumes, and still perform at local events and recitals," Ratcliff said. "Nancy treats every individual as someone who can dance and can perform. Because of her encouragement and skill as a teacher, we have several groups of adults who are Nancy's School of Dance faithfuls ... who will dance until our bodies no longer can. "
Members of the Forever Young dance team sent in streams of e-mails and support letters giving a hearty amen to Ratcliff's sentiment.
When Gwen Caldwell moved back to Huntington two years ago after 47 years away, she said "there was no place like home" and she found a home back home at Nancy's.
"I've always had a passion for dance, and when I moved here I looked for a dance studio to take tap dance lessons," Caldwell said. "Once I saw Nancy's group of women in the Forever Young Jazz Dance Class, I knew that I wanted to dance in that class also. I have knee and leg health issue, but dancing has helped me overcome a lot of the pain that I once had."
Dancing two nights a week has invigorated Caldwell, who said her life is enriched by this blend of fun, physical therapy.
"I can't imagine my life without her and her dance studio," Caldwell said. "Nancy makes dance fun, and at the same time, challenges her students to do better."
Like her other dance troupes through the years, Carter said preparing the Forever Young group for performances and competitions moves the class beyond a typical exercise class.
"When you perform, you have to really focus on it and we make sure they are right on the mark with the routines," Carter said. "That keeps the mind and body going. It also shows other ladies that they can go and do it, too. You don't stop dancing because you grow old; you grow old because you stop dancing."
At age 62, the dance-filled days also seem to keep Carter going as well.
"People always say what would you have rather done than this?" Carter said. "I can't think of anything. I am lucky to have a job I love."
