Head Instructor

Hattia has been dancing since the age of two. Her aunt Parthenia and her mother Lanita started her dance career at The Dance Studio in Cleveland Heights, owned by Frederick Moodie. At this specific studio you had to actually be three to enroll in classes but due to her ability to “catch a beat” she was able to enroll in classes such as Tap, Ballet and Jazz. While at The Dance Studio, she danced under the direction of a woman named Wasonna, who was her first instructor. While dancing for Wasonna, Hattia had many solos and highlighted features during end of the year recitals. Wasonna pulled and trained Hattia to bring out the dance ability that she knew Hattia had because she saw it in her. It was the time spent under Wasonna’s instruction that she knew that dance was a huge passion of hers. After Wasonna left The Dance Studio, Hattia continued dancing under the direction of Lori Simplican, who continued Hattia’s progressing in her passion and art of dance. 

Hattia continued to dance with The Dance Studio until the age of 15. Her, then, instructor Lori, left The Dance Studio and started teaching at Lauray’s Studio of Dance in Bedford, Ohio. Hattia followed Lori and danced at Lauray’s with Lori until she graduated High School. While in College, Hattia took Ballroom and African dance and choreographed routines for her cheerleading squad as well. Upon graduating College, Hattia went to an end of the year recital that featured her very first studio, The Dance Studio, where her little cousins were still apart of, and here she was asked by the owner, Mr. Moodie, to come and teach some summer classes. Without even thinking about it, Hattia answered and from that point on she added Dance Instructor to her resume.

Hattia taught Ballet and Jazz and to her surprise, The Dance Studio had added Hip Hop to their dance genre which she ended up teaching as well. In 2012, The Dance Studio came under new management owned and operated by Directors, Rhunette Lee and Monica McAlpine and was now renamed Soles In Sync. The new owners kept Hattia on as an instructor and even offered adult classes, where Hattia quickly became a part of. Now, as an adult, Hattia was teaching her own classes and still expanding her dance career under Monica McAlpine, who taught Hattia’s Jazz and Tap classes. During her adult Tap classes, Hattia fell in love with Tap and it became her next favorite dance genre right after hip hop. During her time with Soles In Sync, Rhunette and Monica trusted her and her choreography enough to introduce the studio to the world of dance competitions, where Hattia taught the hip hop competition teams.

During her dance career it has always been a dream to own a dance studio and give back what was given to her. To help bring out the dance passion of others and help further them in their dance career. Now that she has a daughter of her own, who is also involved with dance, she said it seemed like the right time to go for it.