For graduating seniors, it's like a sisterhood at Music General
Call them the Sisterhood of the Traveling Dance.
Randie Swanson, Emma Palm and Laura Pfeifer of Brainerd and Sarah Brill of Little Falls have been dancing together at Brainerd-based Music General since they were 2 or 3 years old, but they'll go their separate ways after graduating from high school - and the dance studio - in the spring.
Pfeifer got a bit misty-eyed when the subject of future plans came up during a recent interview.
"Now you're going to make me cry," Brill told Pfeifer with a laugh.
Music General dancers Sarah Brill (left), Laura Pfeifer, Emma Palm and Randie Swanson rehearsed Nov. 24 in the downtown Brainerd studio. The four graduating seniors will be among the performers in Music General's holiday shows Saturday at Tornstrom Auditorium. Brainerd Dispatch/Steve Kohls» Purchase reprints of this photo.
Usually, when these four friends go off somewhere, they go together. They count the 2007 trip to a national dance competition in Las Vegas as a career highlight.
"We were the best we had ever been," Pfeifer said of that event. "Our group was closer than ever before, and it was fun hanging out in Vegas. As a group, I think every year we get closer."
As they sift through prospective colleges, all four plan to continue with dance, even if it's just as a hobby. Sue Kuhn, Music General instructor and founder, is accustomed to seeing her graduates leave town, but that doesn't make it any easier to say goodbye.
"These are my girls," said Kuhn, who has two sons. "I say God knew I couldn't handle them at home and handle them here too, so he gave me boys. I really appreciate the fact that they think of this as their second home."
The four seniors, ages 17 (Pfeifer and Brill) and 18 (Swanson and Palm), have put in eight hours of dance per week since they were toddlers, while also spending extra time at the studio.
If you go
What: Music General annual holiday show.
When: 2 and 5 p.m. Saturday.
Where: Tornstrom Auditorium, Washington Educational Services Building, 804 Oak St., Brainerd.
Tickets: $6.50 (adult advance), $3.50 (12 and younger advance), $8 (adult day of show), $4 (12 and younger day of show). Tickets on sale at Music General, 416 S. Seventh St., Brainerd.
Phone: 829-0076.
"It's gonna be a tough year because not only do they dance here, but they also work for me," Kuhn said. "They'd work with pre-schoolers; they'd be the demonstrator. Randie and Emma have worked with me for a really long time; I think they were probably 9 or 10. ... You don't always get kids who are this dedicated to the studio."
The dancers set examples for younger students in unique ways. The quartet described each other: Swanson is the hard worker who always "has the counts solid"; Palm is the easygoing one who manages to "make dance funny"; Pfeifer is the late bloomer who eventually figures out the moves, "even if she can't do it at first"; and Brill is the "little sweetheart" who "never gets mad at people."
Kuhn counts on senior leadership from all four.
Dance isn't all fun and games, of course. This foursome's devotion to Music General has caused them to miss high school pastimes like football games and, ironically, school dances.
"Having dance all the time, you miss out on school-related things and things that your friends do," Swanson said. "And at the time, you'd rather go to those events, but once you go to dance you end up having fun. Because these are my friends."
Today, the seniors are glad their parents enrolled them at Music General.
"I remember my first day I told my mom I wanted to quit," Pfeifer said. "And Sue was carrying me out and I was crying. (My mom) was like, 'No, you're staying in.' So if it was my choice, I probably wouldn't be here."
"And being here has kept us out of trouble. Sue is like a second mom - in a good way," Palm said with a laugh.
These friends might take different forks in the road, but dance will always be with them, sometimes in not-so-obvious ways.
"Right now, I'm looking at pre-med, where I think dance would help a lot, because I'm dedicated to this and it's a rigorous major," Brill said. "I want to keep up dancing for sure. After this long, it's not something I can just quit."
"I think you learn how to stay dedicated to something just because you come here all the time," Pfeifer said. "And you gain so many friends. It's like a family. You get along well, but some days you can't stand each other."
"But then as soon as you come back the next day, everything's OK," Palm said.
JOHN HANSEN may be reached at john.hansen@brainerddispatch.com or 855-5863.