Dear Lonna,

My daughter has danced since she was 3 years old at different dance studios, but we were always disappointed feeling like she was just learning a routine for a recital and never being pushed to the “next level”. Once we found South Coast Freestyle we knew this was it… it was everything we had been looking for. In 6 months time we have seen tremendous growth and development. Lonna pushes hard and praises, our daughter always leaves practice feeling good about herself, and excited about the new things she has accomplished. She has gained confidence and poise and has made many new friends. South Coast Freestyle is the kind of place that you feel good about when dropping your child off. I know that she is getting an incredible workout and is around people who truly care about her and her well being and want to see her become the best young woman she can be. We have felt so welcomed at South Coast Freestyle. We truly feel part of a family. Our only disappointment is that we didn’t find it sooner. Thanks Lonna for everything!!!

SCF Parent

Dear Lonna,

I wanted to take a minute and send you my appreciation for all you do! My daughter has blossomed into a confident, graceful and driven young woman under your direction and I am so pleased to be part of the South Coast Freestyle family. I also appreciate the “girlpower” attitude of the other dancers that you have fostered and it is awesome to see how they all encourage and motivate each other. I am grateful to have found South Coast Freestyle, thank you so much!

Sincerely,
Karen Wardman-Oller

How do I best describe South Coast Freestyle to someone unfamiliar with it? The most accurate metaphor would be to say South Coast Freestyle is the best kept “superior gem of a studio” especially when compared to other ones.

One’s first impressions is that with only two small studios and strictly drop in classes, it can’t be that powerful nor provide camaraderie with other dancers and instructors. Well, this couldn’t be further from the truth! Lonna has built a studio that lets her know the students by name and pass on her true passion, with by far the most advanced teaching methods that inspire dancer’s to push themselves harder than they have ever been pushed before, while still loving every minute of it. Her classes and instructors never just go through the motions – she is constantly looking at everybody individually and providing concrete tips on how to grow and improve. My daughter started attending South Coast Freestyle a year ago and her growth and confidence in her own dance abilities has grown beyond measure. She is currently on her second year of her High School’s Varsity Song team, as well as a first year member of South Coast Freestyle’s Senior World’s Team and South Coast Freestyle can rightly claim a majority of the credit for making this happen.

We could not be more pleased at having found Lonna and her “gem” of a studio. One will not be disappointed with the results.

Nancy Speros

I am very proud parent of South Coast Freestyle All-Star Dance and coach Lonna Albert. I have never had the experience if interacting with a coach who makes her teams such a priority. Her primary reason for coaching is to help our children grow, mature and develop in to successful, well rounded and respected adults both as athletes and in their personal lives.

My story is one of many that demonstrate why Lonna is such a special coach. My daughter was diagnosed with severe scoliosis at the age of 11. Our biggest fear was confirmed when doctors told us her back could only be corrected with spinal fusion surgery. Our daughter underwent spinal fusion surgery in November 2008. It was a long painful surgery and recovery that left her with thoughts that she could never compete again. She had always been a self confident young girl who enjoyed sports.

Less than a year after surgery I entrusted my daughter to coach Lonna Albert, because she wanted to try dance. Lonna quickly recognized my daughter lacked the self confidence in her ability as a result of her surgery. She mentioned that she had another dancer a few years back that also had spinal fusion surgery and was now a successful dancer on her high school song team. My daughter wanted to quit, but Lonna stuck by her and quickly recognized that the only way to turn this around was to introduce my daughter to her former dancer. Lonna facilitated a meeting with my daughter and her former dancer. Her former dancer was able to show my daughter that she had the ability to be a successful dancer. Shortly after this meeting, I instantly saw a new passion in my daughter’s eye. She had a renewed enthusiasm and confidence in her ability to dance. It was Lonna, who rebuilt my daughters confidence and she suddenly blossomed. This was achieved because Lonna never gave up on her and her ability.

Lonna instills important values in her dancers. She focuses on discipline, hard work, conquering fear and tension, having pride in themselves and their teammates, establishing attainable goals, and more importantly striving to accomplish those goals.

She also portrays enthusiasm. The thought of working with her dancers motivates her and gets her excited about what they are accomplishing. Her patience is outstanding. She has the ability to go over things again and again, never losing enthusiasm. She is a mentor who has the patience to teach the fundamental of dance and any level.

Lonna is also sincerely concerned about her dancers, first as human beings and second as dancers. She listens well and empowers her dancers to try their best. It is difficult to differentiate between patience and persistence; they go hand in hand for a coach. Lonna teaches her dancers to persist. Persistence to me, is never giving up. She had the sense to not give up on my daughter.

If you are looking for a studio…..South Coast Freestyle Dance is it!

Rob S.- Proud SCF Parent
 

Prior to joining South Coast Freestyle Dance last year, my daughter had received primarily classical ballet training from some of the finest ballet academies Orange County has to offer. These programs emphasized discipline, focus, and excellence in technique. The student-teacher relationship was formal and distant, leaving the student with only her annual evaluation to determine her progress. Unfortunately, while providing a strong technical program, this type of environment fosters rivalry and insecurity among the students. As a result, dancing becomes more of a “job” than an outlet for style or expression.
South Coast Freestyle has completely changed my daughter’s attitude and commitment toward dance, and we owe all of this to her coach, Lonna Albert. Last year, after a brief evaluation, Lonna generously gave my “ballet girl” daughter the unbelievable opportunity to dance and compete with her elite Senior World Team in both Jazz and Pom. Lonna’s passion, high energy and dedication to each and every girl on the team inspire camaraderie, confidence and an intensity to excel. South Coast Freestyle has not only transformed my “ballet girl” daughter into a jazz and pom dancer, it has made her a stronger and more confident young lady!

Lisa Lee -SCF Parent

I am writing in regards recommending South Coast Freestyle and coach Lonna Albert. I am a parent of a dancer who was in Lonna’s program for 5 years. My daughter has moved on to high school but her experience with Lonna will be with her for a lifetime. In eighth grade we found out that my daughter would need major spine surgery to correct her scoliosis. This surgery requires her spine being opened all the way down her back and two permanent titanium rods being attached to the spine. This surgery required her to be out of school for 6 weeks and no physical activity for 6 months. One of the doctors even suggested she find another sport because he didn’t think she would be able to dance any more. As you can imagine she was devastated! Her biggest worry was dancing on Lonna’s team. The day we had to tell Lonna what the situation was she cried all day. As a parent this day was also devastating for me. Lonna’s support not only as a coach but as a friend started from the first moment we told her. Her comment to my daughter was, “Don’t you worry about your spot on my team, you only worry about getting healthy. You will always have a place in my program.” These words were not only lip service to us but Lonna backed them up with her actions. From the first day of surgery Lonna supported and encouraged my daughter to keep a positive attitude and to work had to heal. Lonna encouraged her to visit the studio whenever she could. When we would take her by the studio to watch her team Lonna would have her sit up front and help critique the routine. Now as we all know, no coach needs a dancer to critique her work but Lonna found a way to make my daughter feel like part of the team. As her mom I saw the motivation Lonna gave her to get better. I truly credit Lonna, her program and my daughters teammates for the astounding recovery that she made. Her spine specialist was amazed with her recovery and has had my daughter speak with some of his young patients who are also facing this surgery. My daughters surgery was in April and in December she not only competed on Lonna’s junior team but was the center in both the pom and jazz routines. This junior team, Vampires, went on to when a National title in Florida. This would never of happened if Lonna had not taken the time and interest in my daughter to constantly encourage and support her recovery. This experience is only one of many I could talk about regarding Lonna as a coach. Her passion for the industry and commitment to her dancers is unmatched. She teaches her girls life lessons that they will remember long after their days at SCF.

Thank You,

Anne D.

Proud SCF Parent