Ten little girls romped into a class at the
Albany Parks and Recreation Center. They ran, twirled, and when reminded, they switched from street shoes to ballet slippers.
Ballet instructor Jennifer Madsen turned on the class music, and the blossoming ballerinas floated into position, on rosy clouds of tulle. They were thrilled to learn. Even more, it seemed, they wanted to just play and feel like princesses. Like clockwork, they followed her to the center of the mirrored practice hall like goslings.
Madsen has lived in the Albany area for about seven years, and has previously lived in six other states (AZ, CA, ID, IL, TX, and UT), with her husband Bruce. The reason for these relocations was so that he could reach his goal of becoming a successful ophthalmologist. He currently has a
thriving business in Albany and surrounding areas. Upon each move, she found her niche locally; being able to continue teaching dance lessons.
This is on top of being a wife, a mother of six, a member of the Albany LDS congregation, and she leads other dance projects that she has at any given time. Even just a few of these activities might overwhelm some, but Madsen seems to gracefully accomplish all. She makes it look easy, which likely comes from a life-time of experience.
Her first involvement with dance was when she began studying at the Jackie Hearn School of Dance, at the age of eight. Madsen has essentially grown up in the dance studio. She has studied all types of dance, including jazz, tap, hip hop, and ballet, all the way through her college years, with the Arizona State University dance team.
Among her accomplishments, she has been a returning judge for many high school state dance team competitions. She sees hundreds of performances and dancers a year, and her skill and opinion are highly respected in the dance world. Madsen has also choreographed extensively for the
Albany Civic Theater.
Madsen has taught dance consistently since college, which has contributed household income, and has also been a chance for her to do something outside of the home. She intends to teach dance for at least a few more years, and is happy to continue along, as she has since her college years.
When asked the biggest challenge in her current career, she states that it can be a lot easier to choreograph than to teach, because the student’s technical skill and experience are already present. She still loves teaching even beginners, just to see their progression and to see them fall in love with dance. To keep the attention of students as young as three years old, she focuses on making sure the lessons are interesting, and that they keep moving. In a recent lesson, with ten students between the ages of three and five, she quickly noticed that the children's attention span required a fast pace. Madsen proactively kept individual parts of the lesson short, to keep their interest, without wasting valuable time.
Madsen says her favorite part of teaching, especially with young children and beginners, is to see the “creativity and joy that happens in the class,” and to see skills rapidly advance. It is obvious that she does not expect perfection of her new students, as ballet teachers are often portrayed, but a definite balance of gentle correction, and creative teaching technique.
At-A-Glance
Madsen's children: Rachel – 14
Ethan – 12
Tanner – 10
Spencer – 6
Andrew – 5
Bennett – 1
Q&A:
Do you have any claim to fame?
I have worked on a lot of choreography with the Albany Civic Theater, and I have also been a judge for high school dance teams, in the state-wide competitions.
When was your first interest in dance?
I started taking dance classes at the Jackie Hearn School of Dance when I was eight, and continued through college.
What types of dance have you studied?
Really all types, including ballet, tap, jazz, hip hop, and more.
What have been your biggest challenges teaching, and what are your favorite things about it?
The biggest challenge is going from choreographing, to teaching beginners. It is technically easier to choreograph, because those learning from me already know what they are doing. My favorite thing would be seeing the creativity and joy that comes from them. I also like seeing their advancement.
Do you have plans to continue teaching for a while?
I'll be teaching for at least a few more years, but no definite plans for anything specific.
