Friday's Internet Edition, July 25, 2008.
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“It’s just time,” Hunter said of her impending retirement. “I’ve been doing this a long time, and I want to do other things while I’m still in excellent health.”
Hunter, 64, looks forward to gardening, reading and spending more time with her husband, four children and four grandchildren. The Lexington native has been dancing for practically all of her life. She took lessons at Lummie Jo Huneycutt’s dance school in that city and concentrated on ballet. Later she lived one summer in New York with an older sister and took ballet lessons in the Big Apple. She followed her family tradition and enrolled at Duke University, but after two and a half years and three major changes, she transferred to the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, where she received her degree in dramatic arts.
Upon graduation from Carolina, she became a social worker in Greensboro, but, as in the case at Duke, she was unhappy in what she was doing and left that job after six months.
“I decided I wanted to go back into the arts,” Hunter recalled. “Lummie Jo wasn’t teaching at the time, so I called her and asked her how I could get started. She said, ‘I’d like to do that again myself.’”
As a result of that conversation and its aftermath, Lummie Jo and Bobbi’s School of Dance was started in 1968. There were two locations, one in Lexington and the other in Thomasville. The Thomasville location, 15 Trade St., across from City Hall, was in the same building as Bobbi’s School of Dance is today, although it started with less space.
Huneycutt was moving to Thomasville, where her husband Durwood had just become superintendent of Thomasville City Schools. Since Bobbi was commuting from Greensboro, initially, Thomasville was also a more practical location for her. Eventually the partners hired Emily Robertson to run the Lexington location and eventually let her take it over.
Huneycutt retired in 1982 and the school became Bobbi’s School of Dance.
Throughout the existence of both schools, there have been many success stories, as the trophies that adorn the walls can attest. One former student, Anne Pelakakie, eventually joined the legendary Rockettes. Another, Leah Gallimore, became a dancer at Disney World. A third, Cody Tilley, studied dancing at North Carolina School of the Arts.
“It’s been interesting, because the children grow after they have finished taking lessons with me and then they’ll see me out at Wal-Mart or somewhere,” Hunter said. “They’ll recognize me, but, by then they have changed so much that I’ll have a hard time recognizing them.”
Even though the Lexington location is no longer part of the school and Huneycutt has retired, the business has actually expanded. Ten years ago, Hunter added the space next door, which had been occupied by Herron House of Flowers, which moved to a nearby location on Main Street. This allowed room for three large studios, a shop for dancing shoes, outfits and accessories and a break room.
This permits three classes to be conducted at a time, and these studios are constantly in use. This year, which coincides with the academic school year and is coming to an end, the school had 350 students.
As a result, the faculty has also expanded. It includes Barton, who teaches jazz, tumbling, pom-pom and cheer; Jennifer Baldwin, who teaches lyrical, ballet, tap, tumbling and cheer; Heather Barnes, who teaches pre-school, Kinderdance, ballet, tap and Tiny Tumblers; Andrea McQuaigue, who teaches tumbling; and Dare Wilson, who teaches tumbling, hip-hop and cheer.
Hunter herself hasn’t taught in two years. This is part of her planned retirement.
“About three years ago, Bobbi asked me if this was something that I’d like to do for a living,” Barton recalled. “I said, ‘Of course!’”
Hunter’s question was music to Barton’s ears. Barton, 27, had danced at the school since she was four. While she was a student at UNC-Greensboro, she instructed at Bobbi’s on a part-time basis. Upon graduation with a degree in business, she became a full-time instructor there.
“Bobbi’s been teaching me along the way and getting me used to the business side of the school,” Barton said. “She has gradually let me do a little bit more, such as take over the competition, work with the parents and other things.”
Barton is looking forward to putting her business degree to work, while still doing something she loves.
“This is going to be a very exciting adventure,” she said. “It’s nice to be able to come to a job that allows you to have a good time.”
Hunter has felt the same way since 1968.
“It’s been a very good career, and it was fun,” she said. “My grandchildren are taking classes here, and Ashley knows that I’m only a phone call away.”
Staff Writer Kevin Reid can be reached at 472-9500, ext. 230, or at
reid@tvilletimes.com.