The Eastern Greenbrier Middle School second period dance class welcomed two guests to teach on Tuesday, September 17: Kayla Hutchens and Sean “Fresh” Redding. Visiting Lewisburg from their home studio in Los Angeles, CA, the pair spent time at EGMS teaching students hip-hop choreography.
Members of the dance class began the session shyly clustered together, with Shelley Neal, the EGMS dance/choir teacher, telling the class to spread out. By the end of the class, however, everyone had relaxed, with Redding calling different groups of students to dance front and center.
Redding, originally from Hartford, CT, now teaches dance at the Debbie Reynolds Dance Studio in Los Angeles. He has performed and choreographed dance for television, commercials, and music videos, appearing in Dancing With The Stars, Ellen, and music videos for Will.i.am, Justin Bieber, and 50 Cent.
Hutchens is a Greenbrier Valley native, having originally studied dance under Neal, who is also the owner of Images of Dance, a studio in Lewisburg. After graduating from Greenbrier East, Hutchens moved to Los Angeles and studied dance under Redding at Debbie Reynolds Dance Studios.
Last year, Neal brought members of Images of Dance to Los Angeles, where Hutchens organized the group to attend Redding’s dance class.
“I always love to travel and dance,” said Redding. “[I met Kayla] about a year and some change [ago]. Then Shelley [Neal] came down earlier this year, and she had her students with her, and they asked if I could squeeze them into my schedule, … and I was like, ‘Yeah, sure, let’s make time for that.’”
After the lesson, Redding and Hutchens answered questions posed by the class about their work in the entertainment industry, life in Los Angeles, and which singers and dancers were the best to work with.
“I’m actually lucky compared to a lot of people in my career,” Redding said. “A lot of people end up with like Miriah Carey and J Lo, who act like divas and [the dancers] are treated like crap. I’m lucky in that I love everybody I’m with. I really can’t think of [one that stands out], maybe Pharrell was amazing, will.i.am. Those people appreciate what you have to offer to the project.”
In addition to the class at EGMS, Images of Dance will also host Redding on Wednesday, October 18, where he will be doing an open hip-hop class for ages 9-18, from 5:30-7 PM.
To register for the class, call Images of Dance at 304-573-4051.
Read more in the Wednesday, October 18, edition of The West Virginia Daily News.
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