Steeple Arts celebrates dance academy’s 90th anniversary

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Back when only two buildings stood in Mountain Brook, Steeple Arts Academy of Dance was in one of them. Though back then, the academy was known as the Lola Mae Jones School of Dance.

Jones started the school in 1935 upstairs over Browdy’s and offered classes in ballet, tap, jazz and ballroom. Then in 1958, the academy moved to its current location in the red church building in Crestline. When Jones died in 1971, her daughter, Lola Mae Coates, continued the tradition until she also passed it on to her daughter, Deanny Coates Hardy.

Hardy took over as director of Steeple Arts Academy of Dance in 2002. Through the years, the studio has seen its share of students, teachers, families, renovations and dances, and now it’s experiencing an impressive milestone. The 2025-2026 season marks the academy’s 90th anniversary.

“It’s an exciting year,” Hardy said. “I’m just proud to be continuing the tradition of my mother and grandmother and everyone else.”

But that longstanding history of the “dance center of Mountain Brook” is about much more than teaching dance. Though they do instill students with dance fundamentals, Hardy and the rest of the instructors also focus on inclusivity instead of trophies and competitions. They work to cultivate a love of dance, self-confidence, leadership, friendships among the girls, grace, poise and social amenities that will stay with the students long after they graduate.

“We want them to be the best they can be for themselves,” Hardy said. “We just want them to experience dance and have a love for it. To us, it’s more important [to share] with them the joy of dance, regardless of their age or abilities.”

Like her mother used to say, they are taught to “hold their pretty heads high, have self-confidence and be proud of themselves.” Having studied all styles of dance since she started at age 2, Hardy continues her mother and grandmother’s legacy by sharing her expertise, passion and skills with all the students who attend the academy.

“I love to teach the students and see their progress from the beginning of the year to the end,” Hardy said. “It’s very rewarding to see that transition through the year.”

Many of the mothers and grandmothers who now drop off students for class once attended the academy themselves. Hardy often hears them say how Steeple Arts is the same as it was when they were a child. Staying true to their traditional and conservative roots is something Hardy values, and she’s glad to hear others do as well.

“It warms my heart that the community still loves Steeple Arts and that they’re so supportive, loyal and appreciative of the traditions,” Hardy said. “It’s special we’re getting third- and fourth-generation students.”

In addition to the dance classes they offer for girls throughout the school year, the academy also teaches basic ballroom dancing for sixth graders during the fall. It’s a longstanding tradition where they teach girls and boys how to dance and help them interact with students from different schools.

They also offer dance for adults, with classes consisting of both previous students and others from the community.

“Once you’re a Steeple Arts dancer, you never leave,” Hardy said. “You’re always part of our family.”

To showcase those dancers, Steeple Arts holds recitals every other year, giving the students more time to progress in between the performances. They will celebrate the 90th anniversary by presenting a gala performance titled “Dance Around the World” on May 3 at Samford University’s Wright Center. The event is for dancers and their families and friends.

From the 2-year-olds up to their high school students and adults, all their dancers will participate in the recital — including several of last year’s graduates. The 80-minute recital will take the audience on a trip around the world with music and dances inspired by countries like Scotland, Ireland, the Netherlands, Spain, France and the United States.

“We mix it all together, and it’s interesting to watch,” Hardy said. “I love all of it.”

Hardy’s husband, Sanford, assists with the recital by designing and building the sets for the performance. He also helps teach the sixth-grade ballroom classes. In fact, everyone who works with Steeple Arts has deep ties to the academy.

All their instructors are past students, including Annette Troxell Collins, Lucy Spann and Bee Lewis, to name a few. Lewis said the thing that she loves the most about Steeple Arts is that it’s more than a dance academy. They take an interest in each student to encourage her both as a person and dancer.

“We’re teaching them dance, but we’re also teaching life skills, manners and respect for adults. We’re also helping the girls build relationships with each other,” Lewis said. “I know what it was like for me as a child to have those relationships and all of those skills that come with what we teach. It’s not just ballet.”

They now have third- and fourth-generation students who attend, making it special for both the girls’ families and the instructors.

“I’m teaching my second generation, and I love it,” Lewis said. “Teaching the child of someone you taught as a child is a very magical thing.”

When grandmothers, mothers or past students come back to the studio, they always comment on how it’s exactly how they remember it, Lewis said.

“Some things never change, and Steeple Arts is one of those things,” Lewis said.

Hardy plans to continue that tradition for many more years to come. Though she has no plans to retire anytime soon, Hardy said she hopes to one day find a former student who might be as passionate as she is about the academy to continue the legacy.

“Steeple Arts is a very unique place,” Hardy said. “I’m proud to keep it going and continue that.”

Steeple Arts is at 36 Church St. in Mountain Brook. For more information about the dance studio, go to steepleartsdance.com.