“Are you better today than yesterday?”

Stephanie Powell pushes her students by challenging them. She says her goal is to build strong dancers who are also strong people.

A Professor of Dance at Long Beach City College for the past 16 years, Powell teaches all aspects of dance, including four different levels of classical ballet, Pilates, modern dance, choreography, and performance workshops.

“My students range in age from 15 to 80,” Powell said. “Some are recreational, some have real potential. But I love them all. They are my kids, my babies, and I want to help them grow.”

Powell has spent her entire life in the dance world. She started when she was 3 and, by the age of 9, she said she knew that dance would be her career.

“I was taught by Cindy Trueblood, the amazing owner of the Civic Dance Center in Bakersfield,” Powell said. “Cindy’s classes were a combination of structure, discipline, and love; she gave me wonderful opportunities and she trained me to succeed.”

Powell went on to tour internationally. Her professional resume includes time with Oakland Ballet Company, San Francisco Opera, Dance Theatre of Harlem, and Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. She spent a year performing “The Lion King” at the Pantages and danced commercially for M.C. Hammer, Kenny G., Janet Jackson, and Beyonce Knowles. Powell still travels and performs as the principal interpreter of the works of legendary choreographer Donald McKayle.

“Stephanie has an unbelievable background,” said fellow LBCC Dance Professor Martha Pamintuan. “She could literally teach anywhere, but she chooses to be here, teaching in the community and making a difference. Students often tell me ‘Miss Stephanie changed my life.’”

Joshua Dunn, now a student at the University of La Verne, said Powell taught him how to conduct himself professionally and helped him with the “do’s and don’ts in dance and in life.”

“Even when I’m not with her,” Dunn said, “I hear her saying ‘there’s a better way to do this.’ She is not someone who will hold your hand, but she will give you every single tool you need to survive and thrive.”

Inspired by her leadership, Dunn made a documentary about Powell and her impact. Dunn’s film reveals another aspect of Powell: her tireless commitment to open doors for her students.

In 2017, Powell solicited the assistance of Bernard Geddis, her former dance partner at Alvin Ailey and “The Lion King.” Excited about the abilities of her students, she asked Geddis to create a piece that her students could use in competition at the American College Dance Association (ACDA). At ACDA, the LBCC dancers did the impossible; they were chosen to advance to the prestigious Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival in Massachusetts.

“It was very unusual to achieve such an honor,” Geddis said. “It was a really big deal for community college dancers to have an opportunity like that.”

Realizing the significance of the moment, Powell jumped into action. Determined to guarantee her students this experience, she contacted donors and spearheaded fundraising. She even used thousands of dollars of her own money to reserve airline tickets for the group (she was reimbursed later).

“I knew this would be my students’ first opportunity to fly, and the first time they would get to perform a professional piece on the road,” Powell said. “This was a historic achievement for LBCC and nothing was going to stop us from going.”

On the LBCC campus, Powell fiercely advocates for “her kids.” To give them a true dance experience, she insisted that songs be played by a live pianist rather than pre-recorded tracks. When the school faced budget cuts, Powell led fund-raising efforts to cover the pianist’s salary.

“I’ve always been a fighter,” Powell said. “I know what my students need and I’m going to make sure they have it.”

Her efforts have paid off. Felix Marchany, who danced with Powell at LBCC in 2008, graduated from UC Irvine and went on to become a professional dancer. Marchany has performed on cruise ships and in numerous performances, including a year as Dance Captain in the National Broadway tour of “Rent.” Marchany credits Powell with his success.

“I am incredibly grateful to her,” Marchany said. “She’s a hard teacher, but my work ethic comes from her discipline and practice.”

Marchany, who now lives in New York, said he visits Powell’s class and brings her a dozen roses whenever he is in town.

Brandy Factory, another former LBCC dancer, said Powell’s methodology makes a lasting impression on students.

“With Stephanie Powell, dance is a safe space to be, no matter what life is like outside the studio,” Factory said. “She encourages students to perform acts of kindness for one another and she fosters a feeling of family within the group. We all put our best foot forward because of her.”