Providing Dance Instruction in Jessamine County Since 1993

Mindy’s JSCD is proud to be a studio that gives our dancers the opportunity to perform in 2 shows a year. This gives our dancers the chance to excel in all the dance forms they are studying. In December, we present The Nutcracker and “Holiday Review”. In May, we present our Annual Spring Recital which encompasses ballet, hip hop, tap, jazz, and contemporary dance.

Which class is right for my child? Email Miss Mindy for her recommendations.

Testimonials From Our Parents & Dancers

“Mindy, you and your studio of teachers and helpers are truly a blessing! I can't wait to watch my daughter continue to grow in dance and life lessons with you! Thank you!
Kelley Vock Lassiter

“Mindy is a great instructor. I danced there for most of my life, starting when I was 2 years old and dancing for 16 years. Being a male who danced I was always told, “That’s not cool”, or “Boys shouldn’t dance.” But the studio was always the one place I could be myself and the one place I was truly accepted. I learned a lot more than just how to dance. The biggest lesson I learned is even though you may be judged for something, if you love it keep doing it. All my peers were always so supportive. They were always giving me advice and accepting me as me.

Growing up dancing in the studio was one of the best things for me. It gave me an escape from reality. It helped me let go of stress and worries. When dancing, you get lost in the music and movement and you are free from the world. I was 7 years old when a family member questioned a boy dancing. I responded to them with, “It’s honestly cool for a boy to dance, you don’t see it often, but it is perfectly okay.”

Back to Mindy. She is an amazing instructor and growing up in the studio, she became a second mom to me. She helped guide me in the right direction. I could go to her about anything, even if it were not related to dance, and she would listen, help, and give the best advice. Mindy helped shape me, along with dancing, into the person I am today.

I love seeing when new male students enroll. It breaks society’s image of what men can and cannot do, and what men should and should not do. It encouraged me to stand out against the crowd. Going against “the norm” shows courage and strength. Thank you, Miss Mindy, for all you’ve done and continue to do for not just the girls who dance with you, like my sister, but also the boys who love growing up in the studio like I did.

One final thought, parents with boys, if you are unsure about putting them dancing, please do it. It'll be the best decision you have ever made.”
Zac Tyson

”My girls have grown up with Miss Mindy. Poise, grace, self-confidence, friendships and true dance talent are but a few of what they have learned from her.”
Susan Lackney

“I have two daughters who have danced in Mindy's studio. Jillian (graduating this coming May from West Jessamine) started when she was in elementary school, and Madeline (a 6th grader at West Middle) started when she was in Kindergarten. I never imagined, even in my wildest dreams, that I would become a "dance dad."

Twice a year, my home is "glitter-bombed" from the girls' dresses for the Nutcracker and Spring Recital performances. But I don't mind, because I get to see how they've grown and developed as dancers when they take the stage. And some of the photographs taken over the years are nothing less than magical.

Mindy's studio is NOTHING like what I expected when my wife suggested our daughter take up ballet to "keep her active and keep her busy." There are all kinds of girls, all shapes and sizes, all kinds of abilities - EVERYONE is welcomed. There's no obsessing about a particular "body type" or how you look - but, rather, the kind of person you are. Older girls help lead the classes for younger ones, they help keep the studio clean - in other words, there's chores...just like at home.

A few years ago, they were "short" parents in the party scene (you dress up in Dickensonian clothing and do some mild contra dances) - so my wife volunteered us. At first, I was reluctant - but now it's become a tradition (and I see how much the parents miss it, whose children graduate and move on).

Everybody talks about how inactive kids are these days - and while sports is one, clear way to get kids moving, dance is another. I can tell you my daughters have come home from rehearsals good and tired.

Mindy (and others at the studio) has become what I like to call a "third, strong voice" for my daughters. As it turns out, Hillary Clinton was right after all - it really does take a "village" (meaning ALL of us TOGETHER) to raise kids, and my kids need good, strong voices inspiring them to be the best version of themselves and pointing them (in the same direction) as their mother and I do.

I would hazard to guess that Mindy's studio is one of Nicholasville's many surprises. I don't think, coming in, you would expect something like it here...in Kentucky...in NICHOLASVILLE. And yet, here it is...flourishing with several hundred dancers (which the community sees now every Halloween for "Thriller").

My two daughters who dance for "Miss Mindy" couldn't be more different: one is quiet and introverted, the other can't wait to take the stage and loves to be the life of the party. Both have flourished at the studio. Both have learned important skills (caring for others, hard work, mastering something, etc.). And both wouldn't trade it for anything.

I am so GLAD you opened your studio in Nicholasville. You teach dance, yes. But you teach so much more than that. You know what true beauty is (and no, it has nothing to do with the size or shape), you know how to help girls believe in themselves and care for one another - and you expect them to do so. You DON'T do dance competitions - not because you don't want girls to get better - but because you want them to do so in healthy ways. THANK YOU for sticking with it. Most folks, when things get hard, just tap out or walk away. Thanks for hanging in there.

Thanks, Miss Mindy. :)”

Max Vanderpool
Lead Pastor, Generations Community Church

“Almost 18 years ago I signed my 2-year-old daughter up for dance at Mindy’s Jessamine School of Classical Dance. Her younger sister, Tarenne, who has Down syndrome would sit on my lap in the lobby as her big sister participated in the class. During this time I was very active on Down syndrome support boards online. A lady told a story of trying to sign her daughter who had Down syndrome up for dance classes in their community. She was met with, “we don’t have classes for kids with special needs”. The next week as the dancers came out at the end of class I hesitantly pulled Mindy aside and asked her if Tarenne would be able to take classes there. She looked at me like it was such a strange question and emphatically said, “Of course she can! I can’t wait to have her in class!”. When I explained why I was sheepish in asking she was just as upset as I was that someone would discriminate against kids who are different. A few months later she added to her brochures, “For every girl who wants to dance”.

All 4 of my daughters have danced for Mindy over the years, but Tarenne has stuck with it for 16 years! JSCD has become her home and her refuge. It is a place where she is welcome and loved…. And she knows it! She is free to be herself while in the dance studio. Mindy has inadvertently acted as Tarenne’s psychologist, physical therapist, speech therapist and educator. Tarenne is now a confident, independent 19-year-old and our family knows that her successes are in a large part due to Mindy’s role in her life.”

Nicole T. Maher
Self Advocacy Project Coordinator, Commonwealth Council on Developmental Disabilities