Keely Harles hopes the girls she coaches today will become tomorrow’s cheerleaders. HARLES, 32, is no stranger to cheer or dance.
Harles is opening her Spirit Nation Dance & Cheer studio at 320 W. Garfield. The program will emphasize cheer and dance routines.
Classes begin Jan. 6. Registration began Saturday and by Monday 30 had signed up.
“I want classes to coincide with school,” which starts after the holiday break at most area schools on Jan. 6.
Information is available from Harles at 817-455-2564.
Her concentration will be on cheer, Harles said.
“I loved to cheer and dance, but I love coaching most of all,” she said.
“There already are opportunities for dance here,” Harles noted, which means most of her dance instruction will be of the drill team variety. She also will teach basic tumbling.
“We’ll start out and see where it goes,” said Harles, who was an all-American high school cheerleader. “Eventually I’d like to have a competition cheer team.”
She began dancing not long after she learned to walk and was a cheerleader at Clovis, N.M., High School. From there she went to Eastern New Mexico University, Portales. She didn’t cheer in college, but did teach dance.
Her husband, Stanley Harles, has been a civilian contractor for the military — he previously worked at Cannon Air Force Base, outside Clovis — and returned home from an assignment overseas Monday night.
“He’s going to work for Burlington Northern (Santa Fe Railroad) now,” she said, which drew the family to Moran, his hometown.
Together they have four children, including two younger boys, ages 1 and 8, still at home.
“I’ll have lots of girls at the studio and two boys at home,” Harles laughed.
She is eager for her new business to unfold in a positive way and has spent many hours cleaning and decorating the building that will house the studio.
Spreading spirit one step at a time
