By Julian MITCHELL

If you were to walk into the College View School, it would be relatively quiet. Students may be playing and instructors may be teaching, but all-in-all the halls remain quiet.

That is until Mrs. Julie Kay Stallcup comes to teach her dance class.

The halls are then filled with her music, her voice and, occasionally, her dancing.

Stallcup, owner and instructor of Revolution Dance Center in Montrose, comes to teach at College View School twice monthly. Her instruction brought visible delight to her special needs students as they prepared to boogie.

“If I don’t do the conga line, I’m toast,” shared Stallcup.

College View School is a school for special needs students, opening up its doors to students of up to 22 years old. Dancing is one of many activities that allows students to interact and works on their motor skills and physical senses.

“It’s very important [to have dance class],” said Corky O’Rourke, a teacher specialist at College View. “It warms your heart.”

The class incorporates lots of everyday activities into the dances Stallcup teaches. Class starts with a “hello” dance and dances include brushing teeth, bouncing balls and, of course, the conga line.

Stallcup has been volunteering at the school for seven years, but has had a “gift” for helping special needs people her whole life. Growing up, her next door neighbor had special needs and Stallcup found that at school she was the only person who could calm down the special needs boy. She realized in high school that this was something she may be able to do for the rest of her life.

“It’s truly a gift from God,” said Stallcup.

Stallcup’s first connection to College View began when O’Rourke’s son Tim joined Stallcup’s dance class over 10 years ago. After learning more about College View, Stallcup decided to start volunteering. Tim has been dancing with Julie Kay ever since.

“He is always so excited to go to dance class,” said O’Rourke.

Stallcup volunteers across the world through her career in dance. Recently, she began to travel across the United States teaching dance teachers how to incorporate special needs students into their classes.

On top of that, Stallcup and her Revolution Dance Troop will be traveling for the second year in a row back to Haiti to do charity work. Last year the troop raised $9,000 for a special needs orphanage.

Stallcup’s warm personality and positive attitude is palpable and infectious. She lights up her students’ faces and they return the favor.

If there is anything you could possibly fault Stallcup for is that she had to cut her class short … to volunteer at Children’s Hospital.

  Julian MITCHELL