Life Center Aims to Teach Kids Dance – And Much More
By Greg Ritchie
Messenger Reporter
CROCKETT – The Life Center has opened its doors in Crockett, looking to teach kids about dance and other arts, as a way to create leaders and role models among youth. Now offering dance classes each Tuesday night, the project is the creation of Kim and Tim Mehne who were inspired to start the project to give young ones a healthy and productive activity.
The classes, held from 5-6:15 p.m. in downtown Crockett are designed to teach jazz, ballet and lyrical dance to the sounds of Christian music as the kids learn confidence and self esteem in the process. The Mehnes have a background in working with children in both the arts and cooking, and after moving to Houston County, felt a calling to offer their skills to local youth.
Kim had a dance studio in Houston before moving to the area before she and husband Tim moved to the area to be with her aunt. She said, for her, dance is fundamental to life.
“For me, dance is a lifeline, honestly. Without dance, I wouldn’t have become the person I am. Dance helped me to find myself; to find my creativity and my self expression. And with kids it helps them in learning in school. It helps them with their brain development,” Kim said. “A lot of times with what’s going on, with the computers and phones and all of that – there’s not a lo of ‘pretend.’ Kids don’t know how to pretend! When I was growing up, we just made up dances and we performed and all of those things help.”
Tim worked for many years as a chef, working with kids and finding how the creation of food can also be a form of art. Working at church camps and other venues, the two taught not only how to make some tasty dishes, they tried to teach the kids about the business side of food, too, and some of the basics of running your own business.
At the recent Peanut Festival, the pair were showing kids how to make peanut butter, seeing the inspiration on their faces as they learned something new. The two were packing up and about to leave when there was one voice asking if it was too late to make some real, homemade peanut butter. The young boy with a shaved head was worried he was too late to give it a try.
They agreed to make one more batch, and when the boy’s mother began to video the exchange, the Mehnes realized the boy was suffering from cancer and this was one of the things he wanted to try. He lit up when they agreed to show him how fine peanut butter is created.
It took effort for the young man to get the mixer to work, but in the end he made his own batch and was gifted by Tim with the remaining peanut butter the two had made. They felt it was a small miracle – had they left even a moment sooner, the young man might have been denied that small moment of happiness, trying something new.
This proved to them their efforts were not in vain, that even something as small as a dance routine or completing a simple recipe could, in fact, be an important step in a young person’s life, giving them happiness and confidence in themselves.
The two worry with all the modern distractions and kids out of school one day a week, the lack of positive training can lead to depression and other problems, as kids are eager to learn and participate, if given the chance. They like to let the kids run the show at times to teach them and give them confidence – from coming up with their own choreographies at dance class, to helping them design the logo for the Life Center itself.
The Mehnes also designed a website intended to both promote the local dance studio, as well as someday, morph into possibly something more. Perhaps an expanded art studio for local children or a center to learn business, creativity or entrepreneurship. The site is www.lifeyounivercity.com.
The studio was started, in part, by a wish from the two to do something constructive for kids, and from a strange and random donation made by a lady they happened to speaking with at last year’s peanut festival. Kim said kids need something more in their lives than the fast-paced world of video games and cell phones.
“I’m trying to help them with something other than what they get at school. At school, often our kids are told to sit down and be quiet. And the teacher does all the thinking for you. They don’t have to be creative, because they’re glued to their devices and the creativity is whatever in the game,” Kim said. “Dance and art is part of their self expression and competence, And to me, it’s exercise also – kids don’t even ride bikes, anymore.”
The two hope their passion and mission will catch on in Houston County, their new home.
“We absolutely love living here because it’s so different from Houston. I think there’s so much potential here that is untapped. And there’s not a lot for kids to do. Living here, we don’t realize the gems we have. City people would kill for what we have here, like fresh milk and eggs. Kids need this program and we need them to help it grow and make it better.”
Greg Ritchie can be reached at [email protected]
