In the few years since Anna Fischer’s three daughters -- Eva, Katja, and Annika -- enrolled at Chattanooga’s Weave Dance Company, the entire family has experienced first-hand the Brainerd studio’s promise that “Whatever age you are, whatever size you are, whatever color you are ... you have a home at Weave.”
As a mother of three homeschooled girls looking to provide some physical activity for her daughters, she enrolled them in dance classes at Weave Dance Company, centrally located at 3641 Brainerd Road, where they at once found “a wonderful dance family.”
Not only the girls, but her whole family has benefitted from Weave: In addition to discovering newfound time for “date nights while our girls were in class,” she and her husband both performed in showcases alongside their girls, “which made these performances a way for all of us to be a part of the excitement.”
Participation in Weave Dance classes has strengthened the relationship between the three siblings in other ways. “They share both the routine of getting ready and going to dance classes several times a week as well as the excitement of performances. It's definitely been a bonding experience for us,” she said.
Eva, Katja, and Annika have each discovered and developed new skills through dance.
“Annika discovered a love of dance that she didn't know she had, and she ‘teaches’ dance classes to her dolls at home almost every day, complete with music and original choreography. Eva and Katja have learned how to push through challenging workouts and difficult choreography, learning how satisfying it is to master a dance that initially seemed too hard. As homeschoolers, Weave has really helped them to have teachers outside our family to challenge and encourage them,” she said.
Weave’s dance instructors have made a profound impact on the family. “Mrs. B (Bernadette Upton) has a special ability to take dance seriously and demonstrate the movements clearly while engaging the hearts of her students. My girls have been challenged to push their bodies to get stronger, without any negative body image messages,” Mrs. Fischer said.
Weave’s emphasis on body positivity sets it apart from other dance studios, said creative director Travis Upton, who is married to Mrs. B.
“We love the fact that Mrs. B and Mr. Travis respect the dignity of our daughters in their music, costuming, and choreography. We observed other dance competitions where this is not the norm,” Mrs. Fischer said.
While Weave’s overall approach to how they treat their students is unique in the dance world, Mrs. Fischer says what makes Weave really stand out is the experience it creates for its students and their families.
“With any class or activity, it's the intangible things like the attitude of the teacher and the atmosphere of the class that makes or breaks the experience. At Weave, our girls have experienced the best of both worlds: serious dance instruction and a warm, encouraging dance family,” she said.
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