Teaching dance at Franklin school is a labor of love

Home News TribuneBy MARY ANN BOURBEAU • STAFF WRITER • 
February 8, 2010 

FRANKLIN — Ginger Haithcox has been dancing 
since the age of 2. It's been a big part of her life, 
and now she wants to share it with others who may 
not be able to afford traditional dance schools.

Haithcox started Modern Motion, a nonprofit dance 
school for beginner and advanced dance students. 
Classes, which began on Jan. 25, are to be offered at 
the Holy Trinity Lutheran Church on Amwell Road 
on Monday evenings. She created the school as a 
nonprofit so she could keep the tuition lower.

"Dance has always been a part of my life and I'm 
delighted for the opportunity to share it with 
others," said Haithcox, a member of the National 
Dance Education Organization and Dance New 
Jersey. "My hope is for the school to grow and 
expand to its own facility, and to bring dance to 
those who haven't ever taken a class before. Many 
people, both children and adults, say they never 
took dance classes because they couldn't afford it."
One of Haithcox's goals is to offer a wholesome 
experience to children that will counteract the 
mature images they see on television and in 
magazines.

"They are bombarded with strong sexual innuendo," 
said Haithcox, who works fill-time as a Girl Scout 
leadership development specialist, and in the 
summer as a director at Oak Spring Camp in 
Somerset. "Kids don't get to just be kids. Dance is 
good, clean fun."

At the recitals, the students will be dressed in age-
appropriate costumes and parents will be given free 
tickets.

"Parents invest so much of their time and energy 
driving their children to dance classes," she said. 
"Having to pay to see the final production can be 
cost-prohibitive."

For the past 10 years, Haithcox has been dancing 
and choreographing at area studios, colleges, 
schools, youth programs, churches and camps. 
She teaches ballet, tap and jazz and will be starting a 
liturgical dance class in the spring.

"It's a combination of ballet and modern dance set to 
traditional hymns or gospel music," she said.

Haithcox, 28, said all the profits will be put toward 
furthering the mission of the school, eventually 
offering scholarships for dance classes or for 
college dance majors.

For more information, visit www.modernmotion.org.