Energy, patience keep instructor dancing

With a big grin, a cheerful voice and agile feet, Debbie Strickland dances at the center of a kind of organized chaos -- a class of preschoolers in shiny black tap shoes.

Some of the children watch her with wide eyes and carefully mimic the swish, swish, stamp of her feet. Some let their attention wander, miss the beat and stamp when she swishes. Others are entirely distracted by small interferences such as the waving arms of their neighbor or the jingling bells on their shoe straps. One especially rambunctious dancer runs in circles around the room.

Strickland takes it all in stride, gently reigning in the stragglers, calling out encouragement, reminding the children of the dangers of running in slick-bottomed tap shoes and then returning to the rhythm with barely a missed step and never a waiver in her smile.

With her seemingly boundless energy and patience, Strickland is a natural. After watching her lead a class of 3-, 4- and 5-year-olds through an hour of ballet, tap dancing and tumbling, you might be surprised to learn that she is a grandmother who discovered her calling just four years ago.

"When I first read about Kinderdance, I had no dance background … I just kind of learned dance as I went," Strickland said.

At the time, the Valley resident was working as a receptionist at a dental office, and while the pay was good, she was looking for a change. She wanted flexible hours, she wanted work that held her interest and she wanted to make some kind of difference in the world.

Perusing a copy of Woman's World magazine, she read an article featuring women professionals and was drawn to two career options -- FBI agent or Kinderdance instructor. She sent off for information about both and discovered that the FBI work would require more than a year of training whereas the Kinderdance program was just a few months.

Soon, Strickland was kicking off Alaska's first franchise of Kinderdance, a national organization that takes dance classes into daycare centers and schools. Today, she leads a dozen classes each week in facilities around the Valley.

"I love it. The kids make it so fun," she said.

Strickland jokes that she could have her own version of "The funny things kids say." Almost daily, she said, her students do and say things that force her to stifle a chuckle as she continues to teach the class. She recalled one 4-year-old girl who came for the first time and was so excited about being able to start dance classes. The little girl told Strickland, "I've been waiting years to do this."

But these cute moments are just a perk of the job. For Strickland, Kinderdance is also about some important moments -- helping children to be self-confident, healthy, happy people. Throughout each class, Strickland integrates lessons on everything from good manners to shapes, colors and numbers. At the end of class, she has each student stand in front of the group and demonstrate one of their favorite dance steps.

"I have people call me who are interested in teaching, and I tell them this is a very rewarding job, but it's not an easy job. If you're looking for something easy and kicked back, this isn't it," Strickland said. "But this is fun and rewarding, and you feel like you're contributing … I feel good about what I do."

Strickland recalled that it was a typical, somewhat dreary Alaska January when she first learned of Kinderdance and part of what drew her to the program was its ability to get children off the couches and away from the televisions.

"You can't be depressed and get up there and dance," she said. "It's really an antidote to some of those things our nation is facing," she added, referring to rising obesity rates and other health concerns for America's children.

Describing herself as a high-energy person, Strickland said she feels as if she's found her calling. Since she first went to Florida to be trained as a Kinderdance instructor, dance has become more than a job. She takes dance classes herself and is a member of the local Borealis Dancers. She enjoys ballet and tap, but her favorite, she said, is clogging.

In the future, Strickland may expand her program to include other instructors. Or, she said, she always has the option of paring back if the work becomes too demanding. But it seems doubtful she'll run out of energy or enthusiasm anytime soon.

"I once told my husband that even if I became a millionaire I think I still would want to do this because it is just so amazing," she said.