High society
for the younger set

By Diane Prokop
Times Staff Writer

At just 9 years old, Ashley McGee has more grace on the dance floor than many with a few more decades under their toes.
The soon-to-be fourth-grader at Aloysius Fitzpatrick Elementary School in the Far Northeast is a ballroom dancing champion, having competed and taken first place in two competitions earlier this year. They were the first of her young career.
The silver-shoed dancer is following in the footsteps of her brother Daniel McGee, co-owner/instructor of Top Hat Dance Studio, 10771 Bustleton Ave. In business since 1995 — before Ashley was born — McGee has been teaching her ballroom dancing for about a year.
Come Sept. 5, Top Hat will offer ballroom and Latin dancing classes for students ages 6 to 17.
In these classes the students will focus on International Standard and International Latin dancing as described in the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing (ISTD) syllabus. They will also be introduced to hustle, swing, salsa and other dances, according to studio manager Michele Moyer.
"There’s great interest. People [were] calling and asking why we don’t provide it," McGee said.
Ballroom dancing offers students a lot more than just the waltz and the hustle. It also hones their social skills.
"You’re working with one partner with a common goal, and because of social etiquette [that’s] involved, students become more comfortable with it. It’s also a great way to get kids to compete [outside of athletics]," McGee said.
McGee started talking ballroom dance lessons in high school and found it immediately rewarding.
"It’s something I could do forever. Unless you got to Broadway or a ballet company, what do you do with it? At a wedding , anybody can do a tango or cha-cha or salsa. Now [the children’s]eyes are open to some of that. They can do this forever," McGee said.
Ashley’s favorite dance is the Hustle.
"It has a lot of moves, it goes fast. It’s easy to learn," she said.
According to McGee, while some ethnic communities offer some ballroom dancing classes for their own community’s children, Top Hat is the only studio that offers it for everyone.
"It’s very exciting and an opportunity to compete over the tri-state area in nationally recognized competitions," McGee said.
On Sunday, from noon to 3:30 p.m., Top Hat will offer a free dance workshop for ages 4 to 10.
In addition to pre-bronze ballroom and Latin dancing for ages 6 to 17, the studio also offers creative movement classes for ages 3 to 5, dance fundamentals for students ages 5 to 9, ballet and hip-hop.
Its adult classes include hip-hop, ballet, yoga, ballroom, swing and salsa.
Top Hat was recently nominated by Fox 29 as part of myfoxphilly’s hot list as one of the Philadelphia area’s best local businesses. It was nominated in the health and fitness/dance studio category. Voting began for the eight-week competition on July 23. Go to http://myfoxphilly.com/hotlist to cast your vote. ••
For more information about dance programs, check out www.tophatdancestudio.com
Reporter Diane Prokop can be reached at 215-354-3036 or dprokop@phillynews.com