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Anding
Therapeutic
“The things that
stay in motion
stay in motion.”
JoyCamille
This is an adage that Anthony Thomas, instructor and
owner of Gotham Dance Club, has been endorsing and
demonstrating for over three decades. Moving feet and body
to the rhythm of music appears to be a natural gift for Thomas,
but the accomplished dancer/performer states with resolve,
“I’ve never met anyone I cannot teach.”
Such affirmation hints of elitism, but one only has to watch
his fluid, rhythmic moves on the dance floor to recognize his
mastery of dance. Other factors also confirm his assertion.
During Thomas’ high school football days in Clinton, he
was a talented athlete, winning the “Most Valuable Player”
award his senior year. After graduation in 1983, he applied
for a summer job at Jackson Dance Club. He began training
to be an instructor and after only three months, the studio
owner invited him to open another dance studio in Baton
Rouge, Louisiana. Thomas was now a very young but gifted
instructor, and his desire to travel and see the world beyond
Clinton was about to materialize. He would never have
imagined that dance shoes would be his ticket.
One year later, Michael Howard of Hattiesburg offered
him a teaching position in Phoenix, Arizona. His skill
progressed, and in 1988, Thomas was offered an instructor
position that moved him to Manhattan, New York.
After teaching in the “hustle and bustle of the big city”
for thirty years, Thomas decided to return to his roots of
Clinton and continue his career in his own studio. In 2019,
he opened Gotham Dance Club located at 207 West Jackson
Street in Ridgeland. Bringing his talent and experience to
Ridgeland has attracted eager students from the area.
Cassandra Walter teamed with Thomas soon after he
opened his studio – not as a fledgling student but as an
accomplished dancer. Not only was Cassandra excited about
having an outlet for her “dancing addiction,” she became an
associate of Thomas to assist in classes and compete in
competitions.
Hometown RANKIN • 97