We are DS Dance Unlimited – Home of the Durant Stompers National Clogging Champions in Durant, Oklahoma. Established in 1996 by owner Mindi McGehee. We offer different genres of dance including clogging, ballet, jazz, tap, and hip-hop for ages 4 and up! We take pride in our art and we love to share our talent with our community. We would love for you to join us!
Meet our Instructors:
Mindi McGehee – DSDU Owner/Instructor since 1996
I first began teaching dance when I was a Freshman at Southeastern Oklahoma State University in Durant. I taught the first 10 years of my dance career working for other studio owners, however I always kept my identity, style, and my aspirations for my dancers at the forefront of my teaching. We had our own activities and created traditions so, when I began my 11th year of teaching, I decided to open my own business.
I have been teaching our students in Durant for 25 years. There have been challenges and struggles along the way, however I love all of my students and their families. I now teach the children of several former students! I have been blessed beyond measure by many of these people and I could never repay them for the loyalty, dedication, and appreciation they have shown me throughout the years.
I personally feel that there is more to our studio than dance classes. I want my students to leave me better than when they came. I want them to have confidence, not be afraid to express themselves to others, and learn who they are. As a teacher, I feel like it is my duty to help mold and shape our future generations into good people and future leaders.
Paige Smith – DSDU Instructor since 2009
I started dancing in 1995 and began teaching in 2009. I have experience in the genres of ballet, tap, jazz, clogging, hip-hop, lyrical, pointe, and pom. I was on the Durant Sparklers High School dance team/color guard for 4 years and the Southeastern Sparks dance team for 1 year. I graduated from SOSU with a Bachelor’s degree in 2013 and, in addition to teaching dance, I work full-time at First United Bank. My husband and I have been married since 2014 (we actually met across the street at the gym where the Durant Stompers used to dance!) and we have one son, Garon.
Some of my best dance memories are from competitions I attended in Dallas, Oklahoma City, Tulsa, Fort Smith, San Antonio, and Las Vegas. I also loved performing during the halftime show at the Liberty Bowl in Memphis, Tennessee…twice!
I teach dance simply because I LOVE to dance. It’s part of who I am and I want to stay involved as long as I can. I love watching my students learn and grow, have fun, and become more confident in their abilities each week. When they step on stage to perform a routine that I created, with their pretty costumes and big smiles, it is one of the most rewarding feelings ever. I hope that I can help my students find joy in dancing and love it as much as I do!
Hope Williams – DSDU Instructor since 2019
I began dancing when I was just 2 years old. My mom always told my sisters and I that she put us in dance so we would have rhythm. Little did she know it would become our passion. Growing up it was normal to have dance classes multiple nights a week, to spend our weekends traveling to competitions, and to dance any chance I got.
I have experience in genres of tap, clogging, ballet, pointe, jazz, and hip hop. I was on the Gainesville High School Electric Red Drill Team and the Southeastern Oklahoma State University Sparks Dance Team. I graduated from SOSU with a Bachelor’s degree in communications and a minor in dance in 2013. I have called Durant home now for 10 years and have truly came to love this community and the people in it. I have a daughter, Haven, who also dances with me at DSDU!
I am excited to watch our students grow, not only with their dance abilities but also to grow in confidence. I truly believe when they are on stage and those lights come on each student can shine in their own individual way.
Mackenzie Powell – DSDU Instructor since 2019
I began dancing in 2003 when I was just three years old. My mother put me in dance because she said I loved being the center of attention. Apparently she was right because I have danced for 15 years. I was even taught by Miss Mindi herself.
Clogging has helped me in so many different ways. It taught me rhythm and how to catch the beat in songs. It also taught me how to have quick feet which, also being a softball player, helped me on the field. Lastly, it taught me to have confidence and perform in front of people. My stage confidence even allowed me to win the Miss Rock Creek pageant in 2017, with clogging being my talent.
I graduated from high school in 2018 and I’m currently attending Southeastern Oklahoma State University to pursue a Bachelors of Science in Medical Sciences (Interdisciplinary Double Major in Biology and Chemistry). When I receive my degree, my hope is to attend Oklahoma State University’s School of Osteopathic Medicine to become an Emergency Room Physician. Along with teaching at the dance studio, I also work at Alliance Health Hospital in Durant as a phlebotomist.
I am beyond excited to teach and help students find their love dance. It is great to continue my passion for dance and pass it down to others. Just remember, great dancers are not great because of their technique, they are great because of their passion.
Terra Jackson – DSDU Instructor since 2022
I started dancing in 1999. I began by dipping my feet into several genres including jazz, ballet, lyrical, hip hop, and clogging. I always favored clogging, and that became what I specialized in over the years. Dancing allowed me to gain many friendships that I still cherish years later into adulthood. It also allowed my family and I to travel all over Oklahoma and Texas for competitions. My favorite memories from my past dancing days are competing in Las Vegas, and spending my evenings traveling to dance classes with my grandpa, who we deemed “dance grandpa”.
I graduated from SOSU in 2014 with my BS in Medical Sciences, and went on to graduate from ECU in 2017 with my BS in Nursing. I currently spend my days as an RN and Assistant Director of Nurses at Grayson Home Health. I married my husband, Kannon, in 2015, and together we have a daughter, Kenzington, who is the light of our lives. In our spare time we enjoy working on our cattle ranch, gardening, and spending time with family.
I look forward to introducing your little ones to dance, and watching them learn and grow as they build fundamentals and friendships along the way.
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DS Dance Unlimited 