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Dance community shocked by teacher molestation incident

Posted at 7:56 PM, Jan 11, 2017
and last updated 2017-01-12 06:24:06-05

NORTH PORT, Fla. -- The lights are out and the doors are locked shut at Haven Dace studio in North Port. The dance studio’s Facebook page and website has been shut down since parents received a vague e-mail letting them know the studio would be closed “immediately.”

Arrest reports revealed the director and 38 year old Lauren DeBenedettas is facing two counts of lewd and lascivious battery against a minor.

For parents like Michelle Lippert it still seems unreal.  “My daughter loved her. I would have never looked at her and thought she was capable of something like that,” Lippert said.

She can’t believe her daughter’s dance teacher would be in jail accused of sexually abusing a student.  “There’s was no words at the time. I was literally in shock.”

While DeBenedetta is innocent until proven guilty, a 15 year old victim has told detectives she has been intimate with Debenedetta many times at Haven Dance studio that is now closed until further notice.

“If she is guilty, my heart goes out to the child or the family that has to deal with this,” Lippert said.

The news has shocked the dance community, which is also why studio owners like Trudy Weaver-Fuller with Elite Fine Arts Academy is trying to help parents and student during this time.  “I was shocked,” Fuller said. “I knew nothing so it was definitely shocking.”

Many parents have reached out to Four In Your Corner worrying about tuition and costume money already spent that they may never get back. Weaver-Fuller says her studio will be accepting students and waive the registration fees for former members of Haven Dance hoping to help parents ease the financial loss.

“They’ve been working at a studio all year and now its just been pulled from right under them so that’s why we are really trying to be accommodating to them.“

Elite Fine Arts Academy is also looking to partner with people in the community who may be interested in sponsoring students whose parents may be have trouble getting their money back.