Jackson Free Press

When, at about 3 years old, Mia Whitehead first began tagging along with her mother while she was teaching dance, she never imagined that she would one day share the same passion and fate. Today, Whitehead, 28, is a dance instructor at Jackson Public Schools' City- Dance program.

"My mom danced growing up, and she became a dance teacher," Whitehead says. "She would sometimes have me with her, and she said she would see me moving around and thought maybe it would be good to put me in some classes. That's how it all got started."

Whitehead grew up in Jackson and attended New Hope Christian School until the first grade when she was homeschooled, which allowed her more opportunity to be in the dance studio. Around age 6, Whitehead began taking formal training at Ballet Magnificat!, a professional Christian ballet company in Jackson. She also began taking ballet and dance more seriously by focusing on her specific technique. The dedication that Whitehead put into dancing eventually led her to dance for Ballet San Antonio, a company in Texas, from 2007 to 2010.

Now, Whitehead is teaching young students to transform their "moving around" into an art form, just as she did when she was a young dancer. CityDance, hosted by the USA International Ballet Competition, is a ballet program for Jackson Public Schools students between ages 7 and 12 years old. Participants receive free weekly dance training as well as free dancewear, provided by sponsors such as Jazzy Dancer. Due to limited resources, students must pass an audition process that usually takes place in September in order to participate in the program.

Whitehead says she has found fulfillment working with CityDance over the last four years, even during the more challenging times. One of her favorite memories is from the first year of the program, when she was dealing with many petulant children whose parents pushed them into the program.

"I remember butting heads with certain students ... but at the end of their performance that year, I came out and spoke," Whitehead says. "I remember, afterward, all of the kids getting up and running over to me, hugging me and telling me, 'Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!' That was just a moment that I will always remember because it's the main students I butted heads with that come up now and thank me for what I did and give me a hug. So you never really know how you're impacting them."

Whitehead alternates her time between CityDance and Belhaven University, where she also teaches the art form, staying busy doing what she loves most: watching her students progress and develop into beautiful dancers.