Spotlight on Tonya Young
Right: Tonya Young greets Rejoice dancers. Image by Lydia McRae Photography.
As students approach the door to Rejoice School of Ballet, they are most often greeted by Tonya Young, School Associate. Her welcoming smile usually accompanies an equally welcoming acknowledgment, such as “Hello, sugar foot.”
A multi-generational love for ballet is born.
Tonya is no stranger to Rejoice; in fact, her association with the school is a family affair that spans generations.
In early 2000, Tonya and her four young children moved to East Nashville. It was her son Brandon who started the family’s journey with Rejoice. “He came home and told me – didn’t ask but told me – he wanted to start ballet,” Tonya shares. His interest was piqued when he experienced a Rejoice program at his school. Tonya would wait and watch Brandon’s class with her other “ducklings” as she calls them.
That was when her youngest, Janesia, who was only four-years-old at the time, first entered the world of Rejoice. “Janesia got up and started dancing. I was like, ‘Girl sit down, you are going to get us put out,” Tonya remembers. “But Miss Patricia stopped and said, ‘No, just let her keep doing it!’ And that’s what she did.”
Building character through ballet.
Brandon continued dancing for several years and, persuaded by Rejoice Founder Patricia Cross, Tonya’s other boys eventually joined him on stage. But it was Janesia who developed a passion for dance and ended up as the first Rejoice student to train from age 4 to 18. The best part for Tonya was that her daughter “learned how to carry herself. Not just as a dancer, but as a person, a human being, a teenager going through life.”
Tonya was also delighted to see that the Christian principles she was instilling at home were reinforced at Rejoice. She was always happy to hear her children comment that Ms. Patricia often told them the same things in class that Tonya said at home.
As her children studied with Rejoice, Tonya noticed their increased discipline and self-control. She credits ballet with Janesia’s confidence and leadership qualities. The culture at Rejoice creates space for the older dancers to help educate the younger ones. Janesia was frequently seen helping younger dancers and even dreamed of being a dance teacher one day.
A lasting legacy.
Sadly, Janesia’s life was cut short by gun violence and she passed away just after graduating high school. Tonya’s Rejoice community surrounded her during this tragedy, and to honor Janesia, a studio was dedicated in her name. “They dedicated the studio to her, which was amazing,” Tonya remembers. “It was the best way anybody could keep her memory alive, by naming a studio after what she did for the majority of her life.”
Over the years, Tonya’s other family members, including nieces, nephews, children in her care, and now grandchildren, have danced with Rejoice. She remarks how special it is to watch her grandchildren walk into Janesia’s studio to take class. Through it all, Tonya remains to watch over all the Rejoice “ducklings.”
For Tonya, working at Rejoice keeps her connected to her daughter. When asked to sum up Rejoice in one word, she said, “Family.”
Ms. Tonya with some Rejoice "ducklings" at a community event