The Daily News

BOGALUSA - Dance instructor Ashley Perrin would cut out little hearts made of construction paper for her students to tuck in their shoes when they danced.

She told her students the little piece of paper ensured that "my heart is always with you, and to keep my angels on their feet" said Kelly Ard, a Varnado resident whose daughter has been receiving dance lessons from Perrin for the last eight years.

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Ard and countless other area residents were shocked to hear the news earlier this week that Perrin, 25, was killed in a car crash.

"Total devastation," Ard said of the reaction in the dance community.

Perrin and her parents, Marguerite and Barry, and sister, Brooke, ran All That Jazz, a dance studio in south Bogalusa. The family gained national attention last year when Marguerite starred in "Trading Spouses: Meet Your New Mommy" on the Fox Network. Ashley and rest of the family were also on the show.

There are about 200 children who currently attend the dance studio, and at least 500 or more have come through since the business opened in 1999, Ard said. And Perrin touched the lives of them all.

"If a child had low self esteem, she would build that child's self esteem," said Ard, who had to pause when thinking about how special Perrin was. "There are just no words to describe her because she's such a unique person."

Perrin took her students to national competitions, helped instruct the dance team at Franklinton High, and her local recitals would always sell out, Ard said. She was inspirational and had a big impact on the lives of her students, Ard added.

Perrin, a Ponchatoula resident, was driving a mini-van about 2:30 p.m. Tuesday when she crashed into a guardrail along a service road of Interstate 55, Ponchatoula Police Department Lt. Raymond Mauterer said. Perrin was driving alone, on her way to pick up her 8-year-old daughter, Abigail, from school. She was ejected from the vehicle and was dead by the time rescuers arrived, police said. Perrin was not wearing a seat belt.

Mauterer said Perrin was also well-known dance instructor in the Ponchatoula community.

"She was a very good person. She loved to dance," he said. "It was very unfortunate."

A memorial service is planned for 1:30 p.m. Saturday at the Vintage Court, 75082 Hwy 25, in Covington.

"We're going to celebrate her life," Ard said. "Her life was a dance."

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Abigail G. Allen Fund at First Guaranty Bank. Condolences may be sent to: condolence@bellsouth.net / subject line: Perrin.