3 minute read

The DANCING Doesn’t Stop

story by Rachel Stanton

Choreographing a dance and having several students time their steps in one smooth, rhythmic movement can be paralleled with the efforts taken to build a life together. The skills involved for both take patience, practice, and purpose. Sid Newman and Burnadene Kelley-Newman, owners of KFA Dance and Gymnastics, are not only dedicated to spending as much time as possible together as a married couple but are also meeting the demands of running a successful business together.

Burnadene and Sid met in high school but it was years later that they began a relationship after reconnecting through social media. Burnadene grew up in New Zion, South Carolina, a small town bordering the southern edge of the Pee Dee. Sid was just a short distance away in Sumter, South Carolina.

Her college years included double majoring in Dance and Elementary Education while his was spent at the University of South Carolina gaining a degree in Civil Engineering. It was in 2012 that the two shared their first Valentine’s Day and one month later, on March 30th, they were married.

To make up for lost time, Sid and Burnadene decided that working together could help fill the void of those lost years. Burnadene opened KFA Dance in 1989 and founded the KFA Dance Company in 1991. Sid saw an opportunity to trade in his career to work with Burnadene at KFA where he can wear many different hats. Burnadene along with her daughter Alexis McDonald teach, choose music and costumes, and decide on choreography for recreational and competitive dance. Sid is responsible for general business and accounting for KFA, public relations, building maintenance, prop building, and occasionally filling in for gym teachers. However, he says his most important job is to keep Burnadene calm!

When Burnadene was a little girl, she would tell her mom that she wanted 100 children. “My mom would recite ‘There was an Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe’. That sort of became a reality with our KFA Dance Company. For our 30th birthday, we did a hip-hop production to that nursery rhyme,” said Burnadene. Having Sid’s handyman abilities helped bring the dance to life. “Sid built a shoe large enough for the dancers to literally slide down…it was amazing and something I’ll never forget.”

“When graduating with a dance degree, one of my main goals was to bring back more opportunities for dancers in our area,” explains Burnadene. “Over the past 34 years, we have performed at Macy’s, on Carnival and Royal Caribbean Cruises, Disney, Universal Studios, the Bahamas, MGM Las Vegas, Gator Bowl, Citrus Bowl, and taken lots of trips to New York for classes and workshops. I simply never know where we are headed next but I can assure you we will stand by our motto – Anytime anywhere, we are ALWAYS DANCING!”

The dancing doesn’t stop with Sid either. When asked how often they get to dance together, Sid replies, “Every chance we can! In the kitchen is where it happens most often but these days we mostly dance with our granddaughter, Kelley Ann. She tells us what moves to do and we do them.” However, the couple performed together last year for the Miss South Carolina Pageant representing KFA. “It was so much fun,” says Burnadene. “Sid had recently had back surgery so we had to play it safe but it was still a lot of fun dancing together in front of a crowd.” kfadanceandgym.weebly.com

Over the past 34 years, we have performed at Macy’s, on Carnival and Royal Caribbean Cruises, Disney, Universal Studios, the Bahamas, MGM Las Vegas, Gator Bowl, Citrus Bowl, and taken lots of trips to New York for classes and workshops. I simply never know where we are headed next but I can assure you we will stand by our motto – Anytime anywhere, we are ALWAYS DANCING !

A love story is unique. How a couple meets and decides that spending time together is the ultimate goal…each pair shares an experience unlike another. Sid and Burnadene have been blessed as soulmates, excited to surrender to the music. They will always have KFA’s studios buzzing, the music thumping, and the dance floors alive.

843.629.0033 kfadance@yahoo.com

Sid and Burnadene, together, are parents to five and grandparents to one with another on the way.

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