A Dance Place with four studios in Colorado (Windsor, Greeley, Eaton, and Fort Collins) is fondly described as a family friendly studio whose goal is to build confidence and esteem in their students, while instilling a love of dance that will last a lifetime. They lpride themselves in welcoming all dancers, regardless of their ability or experience, and conducting classes in a positive, encouraging atmosphere. They are also very aware of family needs, so everything is age appropriate, including choreography, music, costume, and especially rehearsal times!
Farrah Dobbins, Business Director of A Dance Place, believes there are several things that separates their studios from other studios. One is that they are conservative and family friendly (as mentioned above) and have equal emphasis for both recreational and their Troupe dancers; their preschool program is top-notch; and they have a set curriculum and training program in place for all of their instructors. This curriculum and training program ensures that each student will receive the same quality instruction, no matter which studio they’re attending or what instructor they have. They offer instruction in Ballet, Lyrical, Tap, Hip Hop, Jazz, Kinderdance, Preschool Dance , and combo classes such as Jazz/Poms, Additionally, the Eaton studio offers a Dance & Tumble class and a Ballet/Poms class.
According to Farrah, her proudest moments occur when she sees some of her very first students whom she taught when they were very young graduate from high school was pretty awesome– and knowing that she helped provide something they enjoyed throughout their school years that made them feel very accomplished and proud.
Each of the four studios produces their own annual recital in June. In addition to the annual
recitals, A Dance Place produces an annual musical. This year they are producing their third musical, Seussical the Musical which is open to those who love to sing, dance and perform. Those cast will learn a song and dance and after a week of practice will perform for the musical director. The director will then determine where they will best fit in the musical. Everyone gets a part!
In her opinion, the biggest mistakes dancers make is their inhibition. Some dancers feel self-conscious and think holding back is “safe,” when, in fact, it lessens their stage presence and does the very opposite. The best dancers are not afraid to truly give it their all.
A Dance Place’s Performance Troupe is a group of students five years of age or older that want to take their dancing to the next level, beyond just a class or two a week. They perform at a variety of community and sporting events throughout the year, including: the Harvest Fest & Light the Night Parades, UNC and Northridge Basketball Games, NCMC’s Dance Day, Hip Hop Madness & Hip Hop Expo, Northern Colorado Children’s Festival, KAR Competition in Denver and more! Their Studio’s goal is to build confidence and esteem in their students, while instilling a love of dance that will last a lifetime and Performance Troupe is an extension of that philosophy. They achieve this mission by opting into events where students gain performance experience, receive applause, and leave them feeling accomplished and proud.
Their Summer Dance Camps are rapidly approaching. They are offering several dance camps and workshops this summer at their Greeley wsand Windsor locations. They believe that their camps are a great to try a new style of dance or perfect existing technique! The campers will learn and perfect basic dance technique specific to the style of the camp, then move on to theme-based activities and choreography. They have four themes: Princess Ballerina Camp, Dancin’ Divas Camp, Summer Musical Camp, and the Dance Troupe Workshop. The students will be broken up into groups within the camp, according to age and ability, so that each group can learn and grow according to their own ability. It is a great time to strengthen technique in preparation for fall classes or learn a new style of dance – and the theme makes it kid-friendly and fun!
In addition to Summer Dance Camps, they are offering a 5 week summer session to keep dancers brushed up on technique over the summer break or kick start a new style.
Farrah’s goals for this year is to provide great instruction, and have a well-organized program with great customer service for the parents.
Before she started A Dance Place, Farrah worked in “corporate America” for some time and was not very happy. When she wanted to start a business, a dance studio seemed a natural fit considering her background and the fact that her mom is a studio owner. Farrah has never regretted that decision. She loves running a business. Farrah’s business partner, Amber Walker, the Managing Director, would say because she loves dance. Farrah is more of a business person than a dance person, and Amber is more of a dance person than a business person. This is what makes them such a great team!
A Dance Place is very committed to running a good program–both the dance end and the business end. Many studios are started by people who love dance–which is clearly not a bad thing—but they do not have any idea how to run a well-organized business. At A Dance Place, they do both and each partner has a set of strengths that really complement each other.
If you would like more information about A Dance Place, visit their website at adanceplace.com, call them at (970) 590-9530 or email Farrah at farrah@adanceplace.com. You can also “Like” them on Facebook, follow them on Twitter, check them out on Google, “Pin” them on Pinterest, and connect with them on Instagram.
Please post a comment if you have had any experience with Farrah Dobbins of A Dance Place
