Photo courtesy of The Pointe Dance Arts
Shannon Denney, owner of The Pointe Dance Arts, works with a ballet student during a class.
When Shannon Denney went to college at the University of Alabama, she dreamed of becoming the governor of Alabama one day and changing the world.
After graduating college, she worked in politics for a while but then realized she could change the world in a different way — by working with kids.
She opened a dance studio called The Pointe Dance Arts off Lorna Lane in Hoover in 2005. By 2011, the studio had grown so much that she doubled her space on Lorna Lane. Then in 2019, Denney moved into an 11,000-square-foot space with five dance studios in The Village at Brock’s Gap in the Trace Crossings community.
This year, the studio is celebrating its 20th year and has grown to about 750 students. The Pointe Dance Arts offers classes in ballet, jazz, tap, hip hop, contemporary dance and tumbling. There are recreational classes, three levels of competitive classes and an invitation-only intensive training program.
Her primary pupils are children ages 2 to 18, but in September, she started some classes for adults that she said have become a big hit. She has 25 adults signed up who come whenever they can fit it into their schedule.
“It’s a fun class, low stress jazz and hip hop,” she said. “It’s a great workout, great stress reliever for busy adults.”
Registration at The Pointe Dance Arts is open year round, but the general season is August through May. There also are camps and classes in June and July. Each May, The Pointe Dance Arts puts on a show at the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex. The 20th anniversary show will be “Annie” on May 16-17.
For more information about The Pointe Dance Arts, go to thepointedancearts.com.
