In 1968, Terry Farrington had a decision to make. As a flight attendant for Delta Airlines, she was told she was going to have to relocate away from Birmingham. Donna Jones was active in her daughter Paula’s dance studio and good friends with its owner.
Terry’s mother convinced the girls into opening a studio and they chose the then eight year old city of Hueytown for the location. Terry had a strong background in dance and theater, while Donna had a strong background in music and voice.
With the help of the Baumann family, they opened TeriDona School of Dance in a small building by Baumann Coatings. It soon moved to a location in Caffey Junction then to its current location in Hueytown, Alabama, which was purchased from the Vernon family.
For over 50 years, thousands of students have walked through the studio doors. Many went on to use the training they got from TeriDona in performance-related fields, while others simply reminisce on the skills that would help them throughout their lives. One of the original TeriDona dance moms was none other than Jane Roton, whose daughters Paige and Peyton were among the first students.
In 1971, Renee Lamar walked through those doors for the first time. Her mom had taken her to another studio for her first year of dance, but she attended a TeriDona Recital and made the decision to move her to that studio. Donna was Renee’s teacher and she immediately was drawn to her. Renee worked as hard as she could for Donna. Renee eventually worked her way into the more advanced classes taught by Terry and solos taught by Paula. The focus was always on the performance and knowing your audience. Being classy and entertaining. Working hard and having fun while doing it.
Heather Goolsby showed up in 1997. A transfer from another studio, she was a handful. But she was spunky and funny and actually had talent. She worked her way up from a student teacher to an assistant and then a teacher.
Renee and Heather knew they had some large shoes to fill when they took over in 2013. Living up to such a huge legacy has been challenging but one they never lost sight of. Every decision they make takes into consideration what Mrs. Terry and Mrs. Donna would think about it. Today, TeriDona School of Dance rehearses in Hueytown, AL and travels the world to perform in competitions, parades, and performances to showcase the talent of every dancer that steps into the studio.