By Mark Woolsey

Stopping by Kayla Stubbs’ fledgling Austell dance school, Dancer’s Dreamhouse, reveals kids and teens in leotards learning and practicing their moves under her watchful and patient eye.

But according to its owner, there’s a deeper subtext playing out. Stubbs wants to create community, both within the walls of her dance studio and in widening circles outside of it.

“I was born and raised in Miami and came to Atlanta as a teenager, I noticed there was a bit of a separation culturally,” she says, unlike Miami, which she says is a true melting pot.

That’s why she’s emphasizing a multicultural and inclusive approach.

“People tend to go where they feel seen,” she says,” where they see other people like them.”

As her website puts it, “picture a place where dancers not only learn the art of movement but also celebrate the richness of their diverse identities.”

Within that multicultural milieu, she instructs students in ballet, hip hop, tap and jazz. Summer classes and workshops are a part of the offerings While she works with teenagers and adults (with classes for adults on demand), her greatest emphasis is on kids from the ages of three to ten, noting that they can be more effectively molded. And she dedicates the greatest amount of her energy to ballet, which is the more recognized genre.

That is reflective of her schooling in ballet and other dance forms beginning at the age of nine, training honed further by stints with the CSU Dance Conservatory and the Columbus Ballet, among other venues. She mastered such challenging performances as The Nutcracker.

After a move to Atlanta, she taught dance at various spots and dreamed of opening her own school. That came to fruition with the Dreamhouse, which held its grand opening in the Threadmill Complex in late September.

She says it’s thrilling to see how her kids progress.

“I like to start by making sure they have a good quality education,” she says. “and understand the discipline that come with dance. There’s a culture that needs to be learned. How they dress and how they carry themselves, starting with that.”

At the same time, challenges come along with instructing youngsters in what she calls ‘the Tik Tok generation’ with its accompanying shorter attention span. She emphasizes that motivation, hard work, patience and consistency are all crucial.

“They want to dance on their toes,” she says. “And I explain that’s not going to happen anytime soon, “ that both strength and technique need to be cultivated.

She emphasizes such areas as social skills and self-confidence as she instructs.

Only a handful of students are enrolled currently, but she’s hoping to grow in the wake of the grand opening.

Dancer’s Dreamhouse is located in the Threadmill Complex, at 5000 Austell Powder Springs Road, Suite 311 in Austell.