The Mississippi Dance Doctors,
Pearl
By Cynthia
Wall
Special
to Rankin Ledger
Mike Day and Lisa Lathem
offer dance instruction through their business, The Mississippi Dance
Doctors, at Dance Connection Dance Center, 306 N. Bierdeman Road, Pearl.
You can find out more at www.msdancedoctors.com or by calling (601)
932-2374.
Q | Describe your business.
A | We teach ballroom, swing and Latin dancing. Private lessons are
available Monday through Friday with a group class for beginners and above
offered on Thursday evenings. Our mission statement is "To offer the very
best in affordable social dance instruction and to provide opportunities
for dancers to use their skills."
Q | How did you get into this line of work? Why did you start your own
business?
A | I (Mike Day) started out watching the disco dancers in the late
1970s and realized that if I could dance, I'd have a lot more fun when
going out. It was so true! I really got into dancing at that time, and
after winning numerous amateur disco dance contests, I decided I wanted to
do this as a career. I began teaching at a local dance studio. It was very
rewarding, but unfortunately, most of the studios where I worked wanted
their students to purchase large dance programs, and that made it
difficult for the average person to afford lessons. As a result, several
years ago I decided to offer dance instruction without the long-term
commitment. That is when my partner, Lisa, and I started The Mississippi
Dance Doctors, where we offer private lessons along with very affordable
weekly classes and dance parties.
Q | What is most rewarding about this work?
A | Happiness! One of the greatest rewards of our work is seeing the
results of our teaching. When a student is learning to dance, they
experience many different emotions, and joy is the most apparent.
Q | What are your goals for the future?
A | We plan to keep our present classes growing but would also like to
develop a dance program for local high schools in our area. Something
similar to the type offered in other metropolitan areas. The film "Mad Hot
Ballroom" featured these types of classes in the New York school system.
We have already taught ballroom and salsa classes at Hinds Community
College for a couple of semesters as well as several classes at Terry High
School.
Q | What do you do outside work?
A | My dance and teaching partner, Lisa, who is also a veterinarian,
spends her non-dancing time with her "Moondog Bakery" business creating
healthy dog treats for our students, friends and family. She is now
offering her treats to everyone on her website:
http://www.moondogbakery.com Teaching, holding dance functions and baking
dog treats takes up most of our time, but we really love to travel when we
have the opportunity!
