United in Dance, Focused on Change

story by JENNIFER BROWN-CARPENTER           photos by PAUL NURNBERG

The dance world can be as complex as it is beautiful. Studios, owners, teachers, and dancers are all doing whatever they can to make the world a more beautiful place. These studios have the chance to change the world, and that is what matters most to Hannah Lienhop.

Hannah started dancing when she was five years old. Her parents, Mike Lienhop and Vicki Gault, saw that she danced a lot and loved it, and decided to send her to a studio. Her first best friend, Zoe Becker, was dancing with Deanna Francesca at Lowcountry School of Dance, and Zoe’s mom encouraged Mike and Vicki to send Hannah to Deanna’s studio as well. Zoe and Hannah started dancing together and fell in love with the studio, Deanna, and dance.

Deanna Francesca was a huge inspiration for Hannah as she learned from her. Watching her teach made Hannah want to be just like her — learning alongside Zoe also inspired Hannah, becoming like an older sister to her.

Mike and Vicki have always supported Hannah, allowing her to try different sports along with dance. Hannah attended Coosa Elementary, Lady’s Island Middle in 5th grade, and then began Lowcountry Montessori, where she will graduate this year as the vice president of their National Honors Society.

Another important mentor in Hannah’s life has been her older sister, Emilly Anne. Not only does she provide great support, but she is also one of Hannah’s biggest role models, always providing her with any advice she needs and a listening ear.

Hannah loves her school because it provides her with a more one-on-one aspect to learning. As someone who can struggle to learn in large groups, it is helpful for Hannah to be in a smaller class and have the ability to really talk to her teachers. Hannah finds it easy to be herself in her school without worrying about judgment.

Hannah has done a little bit of everything regarding sports: cheerleading, horseback riding, some swimming, volleyball, and even played piano for three years.

When Deanna moved, Elyse Larew, the tap teacher at Lowcountry School of Dance, took over the studio, and it eventually became The Larew Centre. Hannah danced with Elyse until last year when The Larew Centre closed.

Hannah’s first private lessons were with Kimani Brown-Carpenter when she was eight years old, and he is now teaching for her at United Dance Plex. Her favorite types of dance are contemporary and hip hop as well as jazz fusion. She loves intricate, complex movement and then the abstract aspect of some dance styles.

After Elyse closed The Larew Centre, Mike and Vicki went to Hannah and talked to her about the possibility of opening a dance studio. Hannah already had her business plan ready; it had been one of her dreams for so long to open a studio just like Deanna. She was so thrilled to be able to get started. Hannah had always wanted her own studio — to go and dance any time she wanted — and have a place where her best friends could come dance when they wanted to.

Mike and Vicki looked over Hannah’s business plan and loved it. It was something different, something that isn’t provided in South Carolina, much less in Beaufort. Hannah’s inspiration was her love for dance conventions. She loved being given a schedule and dancing for hours for days at a time. That is where she got the idea for her studio schedule. In larger cities, like New York and Los Angeles, you can attend any studio to take classes and teach anywhere, and that was something Hannah wanted to bring to Beaufort. Hannah wants to break the stigma of ownership in the studios in the South. “I don’t own my teachers. They have the power to teach anywhere they want. If they aren’t allowed to teach in other studios, students won’t grow. Not letting your students dance where they want is also not good for them because it can hold them back. And that might be controversial, but that’s my experience,” Hannah said. “Every single person that I have encountered in my dance career is someone that I appreciate.”

Hannah is not just another dancer in Beaufort. She has been dancing for 13 years and teaching for three. Her level and knowledge of dance provided her with admission to the SC Governors’ School for the Arts and Humanities summer program in 2019, where she studied dance under teachers such as Irina Ushakova, Thomas Shoemaker, and Josée Grant. In 2020, while the world was on lockdown, she participated in Brian Puspos’ Summer 2020 online dance program. And she has competed at multiple dance competitions and attended conventions such as DanceMakers, Inc., Jump, and Showstoppers.

The studio space had to be renovated: adding a wall and installing new flooring. Those things were easy compared to deciding on pricing and scheduling. “It was hard to run numbers, with no idea of what the numbers really were.” Hannah knew she wanted to offer as many classes as possible, but it often felt like there wasn’t enough time in the week. The hardest part was opening the studio and not knowing who would come in for classes. Opening in the middle of the pandemic was hard; opening in the middle of the dance season was even harder. Most students sign contracts through a dance season, so they aren’t able to try out other studios.

It was hard in the beginning, with classes being small or even empty sometimes. Hannah rests in the fact that she only wants to make the community better and share her love for dance — and that everything has and will continue to happen for a reason.

Hannah currently has nine teachers in her studio each week, including herself:
• Kimani Brown-Carpenter teaches contemporary, hip hop, and jazz. He is excellent with kids, breaks things down super easily, and constantly learns along with his class.
• Shykeem Gardner teaches hip-hop classes, and while he may look intimidating, he is a big teddy bear. He cares about his students so much and takes extra steps to get to know them on a personal level.
• Ashley Gonzales teaches ballet and is very down-to-earth. She brings a fun side to her classes while encouraging her students to be determined in a way that is subtle and not overwhelming.
• Morgan Towry is a military retiree and a powerful person that brings determination into the studio. She teaches the fitness and heels classes, letting her students know that being insecure can be normal, but you should always be working toward loving your body.
• Solomon Towry is strict and straightforward, teaching fundamental and tourography classes. He brings a very professional aspect into the studio because of his professional dance background. He also helps out with promoting and marketing at the studio. For students who are eager or hungry to learn, Solomon will work hard to make sure they can do so.
• Erin Filler teaches modern dance. She is very straightforward and firm, bringing tons of structure to her classes and pushing her students beyond what they think they are capable of.
• Carolyn Leslie teaches acro classes and is the “mom” of the studio. She is super sweet and shows that she cares deeply in the studio.
• Chilton Simmons teaches adult barre classes once a week, giving adults another chance to get into the studio and do something fun and good for them. Chilton is very professional and gets a good workout going in her classes while also being encouraging and kind to beginners.

United Dance Plex has also provided some great master class opportunities so far, hosting Brianna Campbell, D’Angelo Castro, Kasie Auten, Alesa Dellaria, Jamal Tisdale, Daequan Hardeman, Jordan Maria, and Victoria Watson.

Hannah’s primary future goal is to franchise the studio, but her smaller goal is to create a community of equality and equity. “That’s why it’s called United Dance Plex. I want to gather the community together, with no judgment over how skilled you are, how your body looks, etc. It will be a welcoming space for everyone. I want to create not just a better dance community, but a better community in general.”