Conversations with Tiffany Payton

Today we’d like to introduce you to Tiffany Payton

Hi Tiffany, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
Tiffany Payton has had a life-time love of dance and a passion for dance education believing in its superior cognitive, physical, and mental health benefits for children. Originally from the Atlanta area, she performed with Georgia Dance Theatre under the direction of Sherri Davis and attended Florida State University. Tiffany is a certified teacher with the American Ballet Theatre® National Training Curriculum, Pre-primary through Level 5. Tiffany is honored to be a 4-time recipient of the Tennessee Governor’s School of the Arts Teacher of the Year Award. Her students have been accepted to the most elite summer intensives in the US including the Susan Farrell Cedar Island intensive, American Ballet Theater, American Ballet Theater Collegiate intensive, Joffrey Ballet, Orlando Ballet, University of North Carolina School of the Arts and more. Many of her students have gone on to dance in college (Belmont University, University of Alabama, University of Tampa, Western Kentucky University.) Others have gone on to perform professionally with the Walt Disney World Company, cruise lines, the Grammy’s, Dancing with the Stars, music videos, print and television commercials, and Busch Gardens Tampa. Her students have also taken part in study abroad programs that bring dance arts to third world countries. Not all of her dancers pursued a dance career, but all contribute part of their success to their dance training. Many participated in dance companies and classes through college as they worked toward degrees in medicine, law, education, and aviation.

Tiffany is the founder and artistic director of Dance South Performing Arts in White House, TN which she established in 1997. Dance South Performing Arts has an award-winning competition team, as well as a youth performing company that has been invited to perform multiple times at Walt Disney World and Universal Orlando. With Dance South Performing Arts, she partners with the Nutcracker Magical Christmas Ballet. This world-renowned ballet company tours the US every Christmas season inviting children from each city to perform with the professional cast. The youth company performs with dancers from Japan, Italy, England Denmark, and the Ukraine. This year’s performance is December 13th at Belmont University’s Fisher Center.

In 2016, Tiffany also established the Middle Tennessee Youth Ballet a 501c(3) non-profit youth ballet. MTYB is an outreach and scholarship program promoting dance and the cultural arts in rural communities. Each Year MTYB awards scholarships to up to 30 dancers to attend programs in dance. All are pathways to colleges and careers in the arts.

Most recently, in 2019, Tiffany founded the creative team of Celebration Dance Festival. Celebration Dance Festival is a dance convention and performance showcase that puts the focus back on the dancer’s education. CDF celebrates the art of dance and the dancer. CDF offers dancers the practical experience needed to prepare for a future in the dance industry. Tiffany believes dance education reinforces lifelong lessons in teamwork, discipline, and confidence and looks forward to many more years educating dancers through an innovative approach that welcomes diversity and ensures unanimous participation and achievement by all students. Through Celebration Dance Festival, it is her dream to help dancers achieve their dreams too.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Challenge: Economy. Since starting I’ve been through a recession and a pandemic. The ebb and flow of small business is expected but no one teaches you how to handle it when you want to be a dancer or dance educator. Especially in the 90s. You have to know how to persevere. And you have to love it enough to want to.

It’s not really an obstacle or challenge, but something I was not prepared for. I never thought about how bittersweet it would be when my students graduate. School teachers have a student one maybe two years. I’ve had students for sometimes 15-16 years. I’m an empty nester in a way every year. It’s so rewarding to see the amazing young men and women they have become. I have students that now bring me their children. So it comes full circle.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am a dance educator, choreographer, studio owner, and artistic director. My studio is different than most my area because we are ballet based with concert style dance as well as competitive dance. I enjoy choreographing dances for all ages to perform locally and presenting works at festival, Walt Disney World and Universal Orlando. My last piece was a mini-ballet based on Disney’s Haunted Mansion that we performed at Disney Springs this past June.

My greatest joy is not just in the works I choreograph but also in the dancers I train. I am so proud of their accomplishments as well.

You will find more answers in my bio on the first page of this questionnaire.

Where we are in life is often partly because of others. Who/what else deserves credit for how your story turned out?
I love the expression that collaboration happens at the top. Because I truly believe it does. I’ve been in the Nashville area almost 28 years. Dance South Performing Arts and everything that has followed has always been a collaboration. There is no way for me to list the supports, cheerleaders, and people that have played a role in the success of my business. It is truly humbling to say this. I wish I could list them all because they deserve so much recognition.

Alton and Jill Payton – taught me about being an entrepreneur, they taught to believe that the only way you could fail was by not trying. Whether it’s some new choreography I’m creating or a new career venture, I start with “so what are my chances” and then we go for it” and it usually works.

I have a long list of mentors and dance educators that have shaped me into the person I am today. Jerri Aldridge, Magdalena Maury, and Sherri Davis, I do not step into the studio that I do not use something that I learned from one of these amazing women.

I would like to share my travel partner for Celebration Dance Festival, Jana Smith, Main Street Travel – She came to me with the idea to put together a parade and dance trip for Walt Disney World and from there Celebration Dance Festival was born. Unfortunately, so was covid just a few months later. Slowly we are working our way back to that parade. Meanwhile enjoying some other trips!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.celebrationdancefest.com and www.dance-south.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/celebrationdancefestival/ and https://www.instagram.com/dancesouth.performingarts/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/celebrationdancefest/ and https://www.facebook.com/DanceSouth