{Small Business Spotlight} The Studio Atlanta Dance at Vinings

With the start of school comes the start of many after school activities. Summer is as good as gone and we now have to go back to using a calendar again. When a little girl was brought into our lives, it did not take me long to start getting excited about ballet classes. I started taking ballet when I was 2.5 to 3 years old and continued my dance for many years. My brothers were dragged to ballet recitals every spring and I loved every minute of it. So, when my daughter became old enough to start ballet, I was ready to sign her up. If she didn’t like it or take to it, that was fine. I just wanted to expose her to something that I have always loved.

I first became familiar with The Studio Atlanta Dance – Vinings location – when I moved to the Smyrna area in 2006 and I saw that the studio offered drop in adult classes. I missed having dance in my life and decided to start going to some of their Hip Hop classes. I am not sure they still offer adult classes, but it gave me a connection with the studio and I knew it was of high quality. So, when my daughter came along and was ready to start ballet, I knew this was the place I wanted to take her.

The Studio has two locations, one in Buckhead and one in Vinings. I have several friends that take their kids to the Buckhead location and also love it. The Vinings studio is actually in Smyrna and is located in One Ivy Walk on Atlanta Road (the same collection of shops as South City Kitchen). I could not recommend The Studio more as a place to nurture a young interest in dance. They have classes from 2.5 years old through 18 years old. The studio is great about working with you to make sure your child is placed in the right class for their age and skill level.

It was important to me for my daughter to receive a high quality and somewhat traditional instruction to her ballet. Ballet teaches discipline and I wanted that to be an element in her teaching. However, I most of all wanted her to develop a love of dance and movement and just have a good time. The Studio brings all of these components to her dance education and my husband and I have been more than pleased with her experience so far. Her first year went really well. She was in a small class with four other girls and they all became fast friends. They always started the class on the floor in a circle, moved to across the floor moves, and later worked on a routine. The last part of class was always free form and playing games. One of the best parts of the experience for my daughter was her teacher, Ms. Lindsey. We are thrilled she has her again this year.

We were a little nervous about the recital experience in May, especially because she didn’t seem to want to perform for her in-class holiday dance in December. It could not have gone better. The recital experience has come a long way since the days of all day performances. The Studio breaks up the recitals into four or five different shows so the kids are never sitting and waiting for very long. They also have the older kids performing on a completely different weekend. Our performance was no more than 45 minutes and a positive experience for everyone, even for my friend’s two-year-old who was actually able to sit through it.

Our daughter will be starting the 4-5 year old ballet class next week. She is excited she will have at least two of her friends joining her at the same time. We saw a big confidence boost in our daughter over the course of her time in ballet, not to mention her technique. She improved her listening skills as well.

The Studio also offers great camps in the summer – many of which are connected with the Vinings School of Art next door. Megan has been signed up two summers in a row and feels very comfortable spending a half-day at The Studio. The camp signups start in February or March each year. I highly recommend them too.

If you are interested in signing up or even testing out a class, give them a call now as classes officially start next week, Monday, September 8. All of the information about tuition, class schedule, and uniform requirements are on their new and improved website. They have three different options on paying tuition. You are required to purchase the required uniform (leotard, tights, shoes) at their studio store, but I do find their prices to be reasonable.

So, if you are looking to start your daughter or son in dance, no matter the age, I would encourage you to give The Studio Atlanta Dance a try!

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    Alicia

    A New Orleans girl turned Georgia peach and stay at home mom to 2 daughters. Before taking the leap into full time mothering, I worked at at an Atlanta-based advertising agency. I have lived in Smyrna for almost 10 years and am still not sure how I managed to find a job more chaotic and unpredictable than advertising.
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