Meet Your Neighbor

Donna Davis

July 01, 2007

Dance instructor
Teacher to more than 8,000 area students

This June marked the 52nd annual recital for local dance instructor Donna Davis, who during this period has taught more than 8,000 students. To recognize this milestone, Davis' granddaughter, Cecily Konicek, an incoming senior at Sun Prairie High School, wrote the following tribute.

Maybe you've seen this Sun Prairian walking her dog every morning or supervising even more children down at Eastside Elementary playground. Either way, there is probably not one person in the entire town who hasn't heard the name Donna Davis.

Her career in dance began when Sylvester Hulszier, Donna's father, returned from the service in 1945 and wanted more than anything for his daughter to dance. She was eight years old and not too long afterwards she and her younger brother Deanie joined the dancing craze.

Together, the duet performed tap dancing acts with their ankles chained, and danced their way through school musicals. They even took home a first place ribbon from the country fair for their tap dancing performance.

However, no one seemed to love the thrill of the dance more than Donna herself. At age 13, she set her goal to become a dance instructor.

Donna began teaching her own ballet classes in the old library basement when she was only 15 years old. She taught 50 students on Saturday mornings.

During three summers while in high school, she attended the Chicago National Association of Dance Masters to improve her skills and earn a degree for dance. She then graduated from Sun Prairie High School in 1957.

Ever since, Donna has been teaching kids from as young as 3 years old to as old as 13, Monday evenings through Thursday evenings. "It's a lot of hours, but I really like it. I don't consider it work," says Donna.

Throughout Donna's career, she has only missed a few days of her work. She recalls the only time in her earlier years that she had to halt her teaching when she had the mumps. "I missed the prom that year too," she recalls.

Donna has three children: Tom, 48, Tim, 46, and my mother, Tami. But the boys weren't really interested in dancing.

"I got them into the recital when they were about three or four but that was about it," Donna remembers.

Tami on the other hand was a dancer and assisted Donna when she was younger. Donna even comments, "I remember teaching the night before Tami was born. She should have been born dancing, I guess."

Donna teaches four types of dance: ballet, tap, jazz and pointe. Jazz has become the most popular, but Donna prefers the classic ballet because that is the majority of all her classes. It's amazing how she keeps an original recital every year.

Donna says if the students get her motivated, the choreography comes easy. "I usually get my ideas during class and -- now don't laugh -- while I'm waiting for my washer and dryer to stop. I work on a lot of different routines and then, of course, I choose a different theme and music."

Out of 52 years of precious recitals, Donna can only evoke a few real embarrassing incidents.

Three incidents that she recalled are: her daughter's skirt completely coming undone and falling right off her; a little boy standing through his entire routine in shock and wetting his pants; and a tornado going on outside and nobody informing her.

While only a few students have continued dance professionally, some have opened their own studios.

The big question for me always was, should I carry on the business? Unfortunately, no. There is a special feeling of being taught by the one and only Donna Davis, the single owner of her studio who teaches in the basement of Forester Hall.

I did not pull out a career from my personal dancing experience; instead I remember it as one of fun and learning ... being taught by my talented Grandma Donna.