Miss Susy's Classes: Kid Paradise
by Jessica Davis
Susan Porter brings an infectious
sense of fun to her long running "Sing, Dance and Play" classes.
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Originally from Ohio, Susy Porter,
like so many transplants, moved to Los Angeles to pursue a
career in entertainment. But while making ends meet as a party
entertainer, she met a clown (really!), married him and ended up raising her
family in Culver City.
Filling up six “Sing, Dance
and Play” classes a week for almost a decade since then, she's now in
the enviable position of having gotten to know hundreds of Culver City families
and watch them grow up, including mine.
It was in 2004 that the Culver
City Living Catalog first introduced my to Susy’s classes at the Veterans
Memorial Building. It was my first regular opportunity for “me” time, and
then-baby Trinity’s first experience in a classroom.
One of Susy’s many strengths as a
teacher is that she relates to each child exactly as he or she is, and
accommodates the quirks and gifts of each. Always an observant child,
Trinity preferred sitting on the sidelines versus mixing it up with the other
kids. Five years later, baby Ashton took a different approach. A man of
action, his biggest challenge was putting the instruments back in their baskets
when class was over. He just wanted to keep playing. Despite their
different learning and participation styles, however, Susy made
it easy for both of them to enjoy the classes on their own terms.
It’s not only the kids who have a
good time, though. There's plenty for the adults to enjoy as well. The jokes
and humorous asides can fly fast and furious in between songs and activities,
and Susy’s ability to bring her unique—and occasionally naughty—sense of
humor and fun to class is another one of her gifts.
Culver City Patch, April 15th, 2011
