Niantic Dance Center is the Arthur Murray Dance Center in Niantic, Connecticut. Arthur Murray Dance Centers are franchises and Jessica Megargle is the franchisee of this dance center.
Jessica describes their studio by the shore as a place to have fun, learn and socialize. They are like a big family there and all of their students, ranging in ages 5 to 75 years old, all support each other and share the same love and passion for dancing and the environment.
Jessica knows dancing has benefits in every school. But, she thinks what separates their dance studio from the rest are the teachers. They are unique because most of their staff started dancing in the school as students themselves. They all were inspired to teach because of how dancing improved their own lives personally and have chosen this as a career to pay it forward.
Her proudest moments coaching have been the less obvious ones involving staff. Often, staff tends to move on to open their own schools or manage schools in other states. Jessica loves that she is able to see them all still living out their passions and dancing and knowing she just touched them or helped to light the spark within them. She knows she is not responsible for their ongoing success but she loves that she was there in the beginning before they even knew what they would flourish into – seeing them transform into the dancers and teachers she knew they could be.
The biggest mistake Jessica sees their dancers making is when they focus on what their partner needs to fix above what they can do to improve in their own dancing and technique. Often there is not enough practice and self-reflection in ballroom because there is another person to blame!
Jessica’s biggest goal in the upcoming year is to get the community and public dancing! Jessica points out that it will be 30 years at their location and too many people still do not know they can ballroom dance and that it is affordable! Often, ballroom comes with a pretty price tag and she wants people to know that is not the case at their studio.
At the age of 17, Jessica started taking lessons at this very Arthur Murray Dance Center as a student and fell in love with dancing. But, more than that, she loved what dancing did for people. She saw immediate changes in people from the time they walked in the door and over just a few lessons. She witnessed marriages rekindled, confidence increased and social ease improvements in the lives of too many to count. She also saw people find a place they belonged – a dance family. This is what started the fire within her to make the place her own one day. As she progressed from student to teacher, she dreamed of owning the Niantic location and that dream became a reality in 2008. A strong work ethic and desire to learn led her from student to teacher to owner of the studio that changed her life. Now, as the Franchisee and leader of the Arthur Murray Niantic Team, she thinks that nobody exemplifies the benefits of dancing with 
Arthur Murray Dance Centers better than she does. Dance truly changed her life forever and she loves seeing how it positively changes the lives of all her students and staff members. She is passionate about teaching the world to dance and makes that her mission every day!
If you would like more information about Niantic Dance Center, visit their website at www.ctartthurmurray.com, email them at info@amniantic.com or call them at 860.739.3991. You can also “Like” them on Facebook, follow them on Twitter, and connect with them on Instagram.
Anyone who has danced at the Niantic Dance Center is invited to comment on our blog.
