An unexpected mix of music — everything from Broadway show tunes to Led Zeppelin to Top 40 — pours out of a bright Brookwood High School classroom.
Inside, the teacher walks around barefoot, her flip-flops resting next to her desk. She snaps her fingers to the beat of the music, yelling to be heard as she instructs her student dancers: "Lift your chin! ... Keep your legs straight! ... Lock your arms!"
Nick Arroyo/AJC |
Anna D'Antonio (above) started teaching full time in the Brookwood theater program 11 years ago. She puts an intermediate dance class (below) through warm-ups in a newly enlarged classroom.
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NICK ARROYO |
Chelsey Kannan and Mitchell Brookshire swing dance in one of Anna D'Antonio's classes at Brookwood High School. The former professional dancer and choreographer teaches students ballet, modern, jazz and swing styles.
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Nick Arroyo/AJC |
Kimberly Royal and Mohammad Zaidi practice their moves during the class.
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| DANCING IN GWINNETT • Teacher Anna D'Antonio brought dance to Gwinnett County's public schools when she started the program at Brookwood High 11 years ago.
• The program has since spread to seven other high schools. They are Collins Hill, Grayson, Meadowcreek, Mill Creek, North Gwinnett, Parkview and Peachtree Ridge.
• Photo gallery
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Dance teacher Anna D'Antonio moves with the fluid grace of the professional dancer she was before she stumbled into her second career as a teacher.
D'Antonio taught the first dance classes in Gwinnett County when she introduced the program to Brookwood High students 11 years ago. Since then, seven other Gwinnett high school have copied her dance classes. Now half of the district's high schools teach dance and use the program she created. The classes cover different styles, including ballet, modern, jazz and swing.
"I won't turn all my students into great dancers, but I've promised to make them better ones," D'Antonio said.
Brookwood Principal Jane Stegall said D'Antonio's students learn more than dance steps. They study anatomy. They get history lessons about how different cultures and civilizations used dance.
Stegall said the dance program "is one of the jewels in our crown."
"We have waiting lists of kids who would love to be in the program," Stegall said. "The program succeeds because of Anna."
D'Antonio grew up in Pennsylvania and earned a bachelor's degree in dance from Point Park University in Pittsburgh. She danced professionally in New York and traveled the world as a dancer or choreographer in touring productions such as "Cabaret," "Annie Get Your Gun" and "West Side Story."
She and her husband, teacher and former dancer Robert Hilbun, moved to Atlanta in the 1980s for his work. They had a son, Zachary, and D'Antonio commuted to New York and elsewhere to keep dancing.
A friend told D'Antonio about the strong theater program at Brookwood High and suggested she talk with the school. She started teaching dance at the school part time as a component of the theater program. She continued to travel and dance until 1994, when she realized she needed a more stable job.
"My baby was getting ready to go to school, and it was time to be a mom," she said. "I wanted my son to have a normal and stable life and not have a mommy on the road. I was ready to teach full time and got lucky that Brookwood wanted me."
Michael Lichtefeld, a choreographer who has worked with D'Antonio, said as a dancer "she's fantastic, just incredible." Lichtefeld said he wasn't surprised by her decision to become a teacher.
"She's an extraordinary woman," he said. "She has so much to offer the students because of her experiences and her warmth."
D'Antonio is 48 years old but in better shape than some of the teenagers she teaches. She warms up with the students, leading them through a series of stretches, push-ups and crunches. She demonstrates different steps and combinations. At the end of one recent workout, most students were panting and sweating. D'Antonio breathed normally, with beads of sweat lining her forehead.
Britney George is one of the students looking to learn from D'Antonio. Britney, a sophomore, danced when she was younger but quit about two years ago.
"I was missing it and thought this would be a good way to get back into it," Britney said. "I'm learning so much from Ms. D. She has the best stories, and you can tell she cares about us."
D'Antonio's first class of the day is theater dance. Students learn moves from popular dances or what might appear on a stage.
The class is for seniors, and they must register with a partner. Some students are members of the football, swimming and track and field teams. Others belong to the drama or Latin clubs. Some have never studied dance.
But after only three weeks of classes, the students had learned some of the rudimentary movements of swing dance. They practiced a short routine, complete with spins, lifts and throws. Some danced with grace. Others stepped on their partners' toes.
"I've always wanted to learn how to dance, but I couldn't really do anything," senior Christopher Heaton said. "This is probably one of the hardest and most fun classes I've ever had. We mess up a lot, but Ms. D never makes us feel bad when we get something wrong."
D'Antonio can be demanding.
During a recent intermediate dance class, she adjusted the girls' legs, hips and feet until they were in the perfect position.
"It isn't just about knowing the steps; you have to really listen to the music," she told the class. "You've got to dance bigger. Surprise me! Entertain me! Make me want to pay money to see you dance!"
She has taken students to auditions for scholarships or college programs. Her students study dance at New York University, Butler University, Florida State University and other colleges. One graduate dances with the Houston Ballet Company.
D'Antonio tries to prepare the girls for the career she once had.
She returned to that old life this summer. She worked with Lichtefeld as an assistant choreographer for a production of "42nd Street" at the Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera.
"It was wonderful working with her again," Lichtefeld said. "She works harder than almost anyone else."
D'Antonio's son, now a junior at Brookwood High, often asks whether she still wants to win a Tony award.
She admits the dream is still there.
"I loved going back this summer," D'Antonio said. "But a show closes. You come here and work with these kids, and you make a difference. You get the chance to change a life. It is a lot more gratifying on a different level."
