Dancers party before parting

Deepa Bharath

The air was heavy in that hall with hardwood floors that is normally

filled with laughter and the happy shuffle of feet.

At Chorusline Ballet Studio in Corona del Mar, there were tears

and hugs Wednesday evening as students bade a sad farewell to Jett

Sharen, the woman who they say had been a teacher, friend and mom to

them.

Sharen, 72, will move out of the building on Friday to make way

for a new tenant.

“The fear of not dancing or teaching again kept me from crying all

week,” she said, visibly overwhelmed by the farewell party students

and parents had put together for her.

It was hard for her to hold back the tears when a student gave her

a toast.

“A couple of years ago when I strolled into this studio, Jett told

me, ‘I want you to be one of my daughters,’” she said. “Now, I know I

have become a daughter to her. To Jett -- the mother and friend

everybody benefited from knowing.”

Another student, Danielle Weiner, has been coming to Sharen’s

studio for the last eight years. The 17-year-old is part of Corona

del Mar High School’s dance team.

“I don’t want to go anywhere else,” Danielle said, tears rolling

down her face. “I love her. She is like a mother figure.”

Sharen was there for her students always, she said.

“When my father had cancer, she prayed for him everyday,” Danielle

said. “She’s not just a dance teacher. She’s part of my family.”

Danielle’s mother, Darlene Weiner, called Sharen “an incredible

blend of strength and beauty” who inspired her students.

Bryan Buchert, another student, received a three-week scholarship

at the American Ballet Theater’s summer program at UC Irvine.

“She cares about her students,” the 12-year-old said. “I’m going

to miss the atmosphere and the people. I used to be able to ride my

razor [scooter] down here. But now my parents are going to have to

drive me to another school.”

Sharen said she has derived a lot of pleasure seeing her students

grow.

“They come to me as little girls,” she said. “And 17 of my

students have made it to the Corona del Mar High School dance team.

I’ve done a lot of work professionally, and that gave me happiness.

“But this is a different kind of joy,” she said.

Sharen said she will move to Northern California where her son

lives, but that she definitely hopes to continue to teach.

“This is my life,” she said. “If I don’t teach, I’ll die. That’s

how much I love what I do.”