Rhonda’s FooteWorks is an established dance studio in Watertown, New York, that is owned and directed by Rhonda Foote. They have offered quality dance education in a warm and welcoming atmosphere for 29 years. They are an outreach based, community service studio which also enjoys success in the competitive arena.
In Rhonda’s opinion, her dance studio is separated from other dance studios by its realm of community service. They also have the FooteStomper Clogging Team, which is unique to their area. They are a rare being in that they have a high technical level of performance AND a tremendously strong recreational dance program. They offer Ballet, Pointe, Tap, Clogging, Jazz, Hip Hop, Modern, Contemporary, Lyrical, Acro and Cheer Clinic in their curriculum. Rhonda’s FooteWorks worries less about competition, and more about creating dance experiences, like this one, when they danced at Disney World last year!
Rhonda says picking her proudest moment coaching is a tough one! She has had 29 years of amazing moments. In the end, watching her own daughter on stage has to top them all. Her daughter is a miracle baby who is now 18 and a choreographer at their studio.
The single biggest mistake that Rhonda sees dancers making today is a lack of loyalty. The dance community is very small. She believes that the studio hopping; the singular notion that winning is based on the dancer’s talent without acknowledging the journey with the studio, is harming their industry. She says any successful performer will tell you that
word of mouth is important. She also believes that burning bridges versus building relationships is a bad idea. She thinks this could be fixed if parents stopped watching shows like Dance Moms and started really looking at the history of successful dancers. If parents could stop focusing on “their child” and see “all of the children,” the dance industry would improve drastically.
Rhonda is gearing up for Rhonda’s FooteWorks’ 30th season in 2016-17. This is incredibly exciting for her. This year, they are continuing to focus on successful pre-school and beginner level programs; and are teaching their older dancers in 5 week blocks throughout their 30 week season. These blocks are dedicated to dancers within a genre that she wants them to emulate. People like Bob Fosse, Martha Graham, and Gregory Hines (to name a few) are being focused on. It is very gratifying for her to see them embrace “the old” and realize how it continues to form “the new” in their dance society.
Her Mother, Donna Foote, owned and operated a very successful studio in their community for 38 years. Rhonda did not intend to follow in her mother’s footsteps, but 
when Fort Drum military base nearby expanded, she was asked to come back and run a studio “for a few years”. She never left. They lost her mom in 2001 to a brain tumor. Rhonda is so thankful that she stayed and had that time with her.
Rhonda’s FooteWorks is very supportive of their large military community. They keep the studio’s fall registration open until February 1 to accommodate families who moves in to the community. They also run Spring and Summer sessions which means there are dance opportunities year round. The studio hosts many guest artists and make dance accessible on a high level for local children. This is something of which Rhonda’s FooteWorks is very proud.
If you would like more information about Rhonda’s FooteWorks, visit their website at www.rhondasfooteworksdance.com, call them at 315-771-8089, est. 1987, or email them at rfwdance@gmail.com. You can also “Like” them on Facebook, follow them on Twitter and connect with them on Instagram.
Please post a comment if you have had any experience with Rhonda Foote of Rhonda’s FooteWorks.
Written By Cyndi Marziani
Owner
BDancewear.com
