Inspired to Inspire: The Party’s Just Begun for Community Leader Charon Aldredge
The greatest thing about living in America is the opportunity to dream big for the future. Children grow up wanting to be everything from doctors and police officers to astronauts and movie stars. But unfortunately, many of those dreamers ultimately lose their youthful sense of wonderment because they don’t have enough encouragement, support and inspiration along the way. That’s why dancer, choreographer and community leader Charon Aldredge, who has always believed in life’s infinite possibilities, has dedicated herself to bringing arts education to young people in impoverished communities throughout the country.
“I just want to inspire children from the youngest age and show them they can do anything,” gushes the founder and artistic director of Kiddie Rhythms Performing Arts Program and Workshops, which she created to “inspire and give today's youngest generation the gift of expression through the arts.”
Aldredge, who appeared for two years as a dancer on the hit children’s television series “Kids Incorporated,” was just a preschooler when she discovered the power of the arts. A ballerina came to her school, and Aldredge was mesmerized. “She was a real life ballerina!” she recalls, still awestruck at the thought. “When you grow up you think they aren’t real or it’s unattainable, but she was a real person. It was then I knew I could do anything.”
Aldredge was too young to enroll in dance classes, and her feet were too small for tap shoes, but that didn’t stop her from shuffling around in her patent leather Mary Janes. When she started lessons a couple years later, she didn’t want to do anything else but dance. “I knew I loved it,” reveals Aldredge. “I’ve always loved it. I was born to do it.”
From that point onward, her life was a dance whirlwind. At the age of eight, she studied tap with the late Alfred Desio. Shortly after, she trained at Universal Dance Design with Paul and Arlene Kennedy, who have groomed some of the foremost tap dancers today. “Everybody came out of there,” informs Aldredge. When she was about 10 years old, she auditioned to dance with Honi Coles at the Colorado Tap Festival. “All the famous tap dancers were there like Brenda Buffalino,” recalls Aldredge, “and I was chosen to be one of them. But I wasn’t scared. I was a kid just having fun.”
Professional dancers like Honi Coles and Savion Glover were huge sources of inspiration for Aldredge as a young dancer. Another significant mentor was Debbie Allen. “She was my idol!” Aldredge admits, who danced with Allen at the age of 12 in “Polly.” She reveals, “They called us ‘Debbie’s Divas.’ It was amazing!” One of the biggest lessons she learned during her experience with Allen was the necessity to study all forms of dance to be as versatile as possible. “With Debbie I was dancing jazz, but still keeping up with the tap,” says Aldredge. “It’s important to be an all-around good dancer.”
That versatility is what helped her score a role on “Kids Incorporated,” even though she was told initially that she was too tall. While most of her peers were off at camp, Aldredge spent her summer vacations taping three episodes of the show per day. “I learned discipline. It was amazing,” she says. More importantly, though, the experience on “Kids Incorporated” reinforced the idea that she could accomplish absolutely anything she set her mind to. “All of the older people [on Kids Incorporated] made me bigger, better and let me know I could do anything with how hard I worked.”
After her run on “Kids Incorporated” came to an end, Aldredge began teaching dance and fell in love with it. Although she was only a teenager at the time, she realized that through the power of dance she could influence the lives of others. “It was pretty amazing to have my peers listen to me and take knowledge from me,” reveals Aldredge. There was no doubt in her mind that she would continue teaching, passing the art down to those most in need of inspiration.
Years later, after graduating with a B.F.A. from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts and performing with numerous shows including “Riverdance,” Aldredge decided to commit herself fully to teaching. She learned so much during her experiences throughout the years and wanted to share her knowledge with up-and-coming generations of young dancers. “To show children the things I learned, it’s just a blessing. It’s a joy,” she confesses.
Emily Long, Victoria Vasta, Charon Aldredge, Sarrissa Powell, and Sachi Johnson of Dance Horizons-Redlands, California
Starting Kiddie Rhythms, which strives at “developing self-awareness, creative expression and the imagination” in young people was no easy feat. Aldredge was in the process of getting the business together when something propelled her to work even harder and with more haste. She was walking down the street and she overheard a young girl singing along out loud to a very “inappropriate” song. “I said to myself, ‘Oh my goodness! Are you kidding me?’” Aldredge recalls. “I thought, ‘Oh no, we need age- appropriate programs for these kids!’ That’s when I really went gung-ho.”
Unsure where to begin, Aldredge headed for the library and checked out every book she could on not-for-profit organizations. She remembers, “It was such a labyrinth of information, right there in the public library.” Aldredge became an expert on nonprofits, but realized that it was not the right avenue to pursue for Kiddie Rhythms.
“It came to me that I wasn’t supposed to be asking people for money,” reveals Aldredge, “but making my own. So now I’m funding the program myself by focusing on real estate.” In addition, Aldredge is planning to publish a children’s book, which she wrote and produced herself.
With her entrepreneurial and altruistic spirit, Aldredge has been forging full speed ahead with Kiddie Rhythms. And along the way, she has learned much about herself, including her unique knack for teaching.
“I’ve noticed I’m able to see a student and I can teach them at an accelerated rate. I can tell them, ‘Stand here or loosen this,’ and I’m able to teach them very fast, faster than a normal class. I think that’s a gift,” she says. “I’m able to get in when they think they can’t do something and show them that they can. I relate to each one individually. If I do that just once, they are with me.”
Aldredge is kind and gentle, yet firm and authoritative, a combination that helps students trust and believe in her as a teacher. Having seen the way some instructors discipline their students, she has made it a top priority to remain positive and patient in class.
“I have a student, I’ve been teaching her a tap solo, and she told me another teacher made her cry,” reveals Aldredge. “It really disturbed me. Yelling in class is sometimes good, but this was different - it was name-calling. Teachers need to make sure their criticism is uplifting and doing the student good and not tearing them down.” She concludes, “If the teacher is having a bad day, they need to leave that at the door.”
Aldredge knows firsthand how difficult it can be to overcome and persevere. A survivor of domestic violence, she discovered that teaching dance to children helped make her feel whole again. After escaping the relationship, Aldredge channeled all of her energy and emotions into making Kiddie Rhythms a reality. She hopes to continue using her influence as a community leader to help others in need by donating a portion of her profits to women’s shelters.
But her aspirations for the future do not end there. First and foremost a dancer and choreographer, Aldredge plans to form her own company called Norach Dance, which will be a combination of every kind of dance - pointe, African dance, hip-hop, etc. “I still dance with my friends and do shows with them now,” explains Aldredge, “but I also want to save up to do my own shows, with my own choreography, to bring the community together and inspire everybody!”
In addition, Aldredge plans to keep fighting and pushing for affordable and accessible arts education for all children. “There’s a huge void in arts education,” she explains, “in many communities and in public school. My goal is to inspire thousands of children across the world, and I will.”
The battle has not always been easy, yet Aldredge has remained undaunted. “Early on, I went into businesses saying, ‘I’m doing this for the kids,’ or I went on the street asking for five dollars,” she explains. “But they just didn’t care.” Instead of letting the public’s apathy get her down, she used it to empower herself to push forward. “It made me dream big, dig deeper and fighter harder, and now I’m unstoppable.”
And with a new love in her life, the party has really just begun for Charon Aldredge. “I never thought I would have it again,” she confesses. “Now, I’m just so complete and basically have risen above everything.”
To learn more about Kiddie Rhythms or how to get involved, visit http://www.kiddierhythms.com. A portion of all online T-shirt sales goes directly to funding arts education in low-income communities.