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WALLACE — After more than five decades of teaching and inspiring generations through the art of dance, Jane Highsmith, owner of Dancer’s Corner, has retired. From tiny ballerinas taking their first steps to teenagers performing on stage, Highsmith has guided countless students with unwavering passion, patience, and dedication.
Highsmith’s love of dance began in childhood, sparked by a doctor’s suggestion to strengthen her “weak ankles.” Her mother, a devoted schoolteacher and farmer’s wife, drove her and her sister to dance lessons in Wilmington every Saturday.
“There was no one around that taught dance, like there is now. … The only way she could get my sister and I dance lessons was to take us for private lessons every Saturday… and I loved it,” Highsmith told Duplin Journal.
Looking back, she reflected on her mother’s dedication—chauffeuring two little girls in leotards on her only day off— and how that planted the seeds for what would become a lifelong passion.
Her teaching journey began when a friend who was pregnant reached out for help giving dance lessons. They had both learned from the same teacher. “I went and taught my first lesson, and I loved it,” she recalled. And just like that, a dance teacher was born.
“I love children and I love music,” said Highsmith. “It’s amazing what music can do.”
With a record player, a stack of records that she still keeps, and a trunk full of determination, Highsmith started traveling to small towns to give dance lessons. There were times when the ceilings would leak, and they had to place buckets beneath them. Despite those conditions, she loved teaching dance.
“The first place I went was Hampstead to the community center, and the children would come there,” said Highsmith. “I went to Warsaw and taught at the armory, and I believe the next place I went to was Kenansville, and taught on stage at one of the elementary schools.”
A few years later, she started teaching in Wallace and later purchased an old beauty shop, which she renovated to establish Dancer’s Corner.
“Back then, I did it all by myself. I taught from 2 to 18 years olds, just one class right after the other,” Highsmith recalled. For 20 years, while running her dance studio, she also worked as a school teacher’s assistant.
“I would do that in the mornings and then leave there and come teach dance because I was a single mom,” Highsmith explained. “I had two girls and I had to make ends meet, so I had two jobs which made for long days but that’s okay.”
For Highsmith, teaching tap was the most fun and helped the kids learn the beat of the music.
“It’s rhythmic and it kept their interest. That’s what I always started my babies in,” said Highsmith, adding that the duck song never failed to engage children and help them feel the rhythm. “Because it started quack, quack, quack, quack, quack, quack, quack, quack,” and every baby lit up the moment they heard it. “I can see them right now.”
“It truly has been a lifetime of happiness,” said Highsmith, who at 71, remains physically active and full of energy, attributing much of her vitality to her passion for dance.
Highsmith had two daughters—Georgia and Harley. The active mom worked through both of her pregnancies without skipping a beat. “I taught right through them. I held my stomach while I danced,” Highsmith recounted.
“My daughter [Georgia] is the only one I ever threw out of class for misbehaving,” reminisced Highsmith with a chuckle. “[She had] long, curly hair, she was probably like four. … I opened the door and said, ‘Out! Just go!’ The waiting room was full of people, and I thought, well, that didn’t sound good. So I opened the door back and said, ‘she’s mine; it’s okay,’ so they wouldn’t think I was just throwing out some random child.”
When the world shut down during the COVID-19 pandemic, Highsmith kept her studio alive by creating taped-off boxes on the floor, each of which the students called their “house,” allowing them to dance safely.
“Everybody was thrilled because nobody could do anything and the children went crazy. But they could come to dance,” Highsmith explained. “They all wore their masks. But they stayed in their little house—you can make anything fun.”
This small but clever innovation preserved a sense of structure, turning an obstacle into something fun and novel for the children during a time of widespread disruption.
Highsmith shared that over the years her students taught her patience. She finds herself deeply moved by the children’s continued capacity for love.
“They’re just so loving. They’re so loving and forgiving. And you can be in the worst mood in the world and walk into that room. And all that goes away,” she explained.
Creativity has been a hallmark of Highsmith’s work, particularly in her annual recitals—51 in total, each unique. From choreography to costume selection, she meticulously planned every detail.
“I never, ever had the same theme,” said Highsmith, adding that she likes to create. The music had to suit the children, the costumes had to flatter diverse body types, and everything had to align to tell a cohesive story. This thoughtful approach made her recitals not only entertaining but meaningful, reflecting her artistic vision and high standards.
Highsmith considers herself lucky and believes that her love for children and teaching them dance is what made her studio special. She wanted her students to also learn about perseverance, compassion, resilience, and teamwork. Over the years, many of her students have brought their own children to learn dance with her, and she affectionately refers to these students as her grandchildren. Others went on to teach and carry on her legacy.
“Two of them are still teaching,” said Highsmith. “That makes me feel good because I know how much both of them loved it as little girls.”
The decision to retire from her dance studio was not an easy one for Highsmith. Although she initially considered retiring in 2024, at the 50-year mark, she found herself holding on. Her decision to step back from teaching was driven by an awareness of changing attitudes in dance education.
“I don’t want to babysit. I want to teach and some of the children are not willing to work now,” she said, adding that her approach to dance was more traditional, particularly the commitment she brought to annual recitals. Her process required nearly a full year of planning and fine-tuning—from August through April. While she’s open to teaching again, she humorously admits she’d only take on the youngest dancers.
“I would go teach for somebody else where I could walk in and walk out. But give me the 2-year-olds. Don’t give me the teenagers,” she said with a chuckle.
Though the spotlight faded on recital day without tears, Highsmith shared that it was the quiet moments in the week before when the emotions truly danced in.
Her final recital, themed “Broadway,” was a celebratory close to an extraordinary chapter. As her students took their final bow, they carried her legacy in every step, leap, and turn.
Although retired from her studio, Highsmith continues to inspire young minds at Wallace Christian Academy, where she teaches in the computer lab.
