teridona school of dance
Est. 1968About In 1968, Terry Farrington had a decision to make. As a flight
attendant for Delta Airlines, she was told she was going to have to relocate
away from Birmingham. Donna Jones was active in her daughter Paula’s dance
studio and good friends with its owner. Terry’s mother convinced the girls into
opening a studio and they chose the then eight year old city of Hueytown for the
location. Terry had a strong background in dance and theater, while Donna had a
strong background in music and voice. With the help of the Baumann family, they
opened TeriDona School of Dance in a small building by Baumann Coatings. It soon
moved to a location in Caffey Junction then to its current location in Hueytown,
Alabama, which was purchased from the Vernon family. For over 50 years,
thousands of students have walked through the studio doors. Many went on to use
the training they got from TeriDona in performance-related fields, while others
simply reminisce on the skills that would help them throughout their lives. One
of the original TeriDona dance moms was none other than Jane Roton, whose
daughters Paige and Peyton were among the first students. In 1971, Renee Lamar
walked through those doors for the first time. Her mom had taken her to another
studio for her first year of dance, but she attended a TeriDona Recital and made
the decision to move her to that studio. Donna was Renee’s teacher and she
immediately was drawn to her. Renee worked as hard as she could for Donna. Renee
eventually worked her way into the more advanced classes taught by Terry and
solos taught by Paula. The focus was always on the performance and knowing your
audience. Being classy and entertaining. Working hard and having fun while doing
it. Heather Goolsby showed up in 1997. A transfer from another studio, she was a
handful. But she was spunky and funny and actually had talent. She worked her
way up from a student teacher to an assistant and then a teacher. Renee and
Heather knew they had some large shoes to fill when they took over in 2013.
Living up to such a huge legacy has been challenging but one they never lost
sight of. Every decision they make takes into consideration what Mrs. Terry and
Mrs. Donna would think about it. Today, TeriDona School of Dance rehearses in
Hueytown, AL and travels the world to perform in competitions, parades, and
performances to showcase the talent of every dancer that steps into the studio.
