New Folsom dance studio all in the family

Talent runs, dances and tumbles in Cynthia Hall's family. In Motion Dance and Tumble on 304 S. Lexington Drive is the latest project of mother and daughter dance instructor duo Hall and Haylee Wharton. Having owned Fusion Dance Company for three years, 20-year-old Haylee Wharton said merging her company Fusion Dance Company with her mother's Cynthia's Dance Center was the perfect union because together they are able to cater to all dancers from toddlers to adults. I've put together shows with her growing up, Wharton said. So I was always the right-hand man with her.Wharton focuses on jazz, tap, tumbling and hip hop with young adults, while Hall enjoys teaching children and adults ballet and jazz. Hall's specialty includes Storybook Ballet, which takes students from 2Â½ years old and teaches them beginning dance steps and movement. Children are sponges, said Hall. That's why I like them at such a young age. It helps explore the spirit of the child.Having recently enrolled her 2Â½-year-old daughter in Storybook Ballet, Christina Lee said the class is a fun way for her daughter to learn grace and good posture. I think it teaches kids, especially little girls, self-confidence, Lee said. While most dance instructors will only take students older than 5, Hall said children learn the most and fastest between ages two to five. I think each child is special and I want to help them be the best that they can be, Hall said. Hall has been teaching dance at Cynthia's Dance Center since 1978 and has won several national awards. She said one of her favorite memories was a first place trophy she won with Wharton, who was 4 years old, performing the Dippermouth Blues.Diane Whitsel, who took jazz with Hall for three years and whose daughter is taking hip hop with Wharton, said she and her daughter enjoy the performances Hall hosts twice a year because they allow students to overcome shyness and gain teamwork skills. I love working with my students and seeing how they progress, Hall said.