Amy Johnston Downs, the owner of DancExplosion Arts Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, sees their studio as a family-oriented business. They stress the importance of art, creativity, and 
expression in an age-appropriate way. In addition, they have classes for all dancers and levels including beginning 3 year olds, teen beginners, and boys only as well as dancers pursuing a higher level of dance training and competitive dance. Their staff has structured lesson plans and a syllabus so that each teacher is focusing on core objectives. In addition, an important difference in their studio is that members of their staff have experience working with students with Autism and Down Syndrome as well as other special needs.
DancExplosion Arts Center stresses the importance of individual growth in the creative process. Amy believes not every child learns the same way or at the same pace so it is very important to focus on goal setting in a realistic and appropriate way. They like to introduce new methods of teaching and are constantly striving to meet and exceed those goals in the classroom and individual basis
Having begun her teaching career while she was in college, Amy has had the pleasure of watching many of her dancers grow, develop their skills, graduate, and go on to pursue dance at a higher level. As they progress through their own career and choreography, she is ecstatic that she was able to take part in their dance education and inspire them to love the art of dance. Each year as they come back from college, her alumni come back to her school and share their time and talent with her 
current students. She is most proud when she sees the circle that she is a part of through dance, both past and present.
Actually, the biggest mistakes Amy sees dancers commit while performing are a result of their teaching. “Too much too soon”. . . is one of the mistakes she see teachers make with dancers. Dancers are instructed what to do on the stage, but it is the teacher who guides the performance. As they grow, every dancer struggles with stage performance, turn out and technique; these aren’t “mistakes,” they are part of the learning process. Often the kids perform tricks or movements that they not quite prepared for or advanced enough to tackle which can cause lasting damage to their growing bodies. The careless floor falls without proper execution, although artistic, can be damaging. In addition, she sees younger and younger students dancing too old for their age with music and costumes that are not appropriate. The teacher guides these choices; which are not always appropriate and can be a slippery slope for educators and dance families as the dancer continues to grow.
In Amy’s opinion, the “must have dancewear for every dancer” is a black leotard and pink tights. She 
would love to see more dancers in appropriate dancewear. DancExplosion Arts Center dancers wear the classic leotard and tights in their ballet class. She believes there is a time and place for more fun outfits and the studio reminds their dancers when it is okay. She encourages them to express their uniqueness with fun dance outfits as long as their movement is not hidden and it is the appropriate time. She also thinks that dancers should be equipped with proper knee pads for rehearsal. No matter how you teach to execute the floor falls and knee work, dancers that are training several days of the week should have the extra protection.
As DancExplosion Arts Center just relocated in 2014, their goal is to continue to offer quality dance education that inspires creativity and the love of arts to the children in their community.
Amy had been working for a dance studio for a multitude of years and found that her love of teaching grew more and more with every year. As a result, when the opportunity to join the business came up, she decided that it was the appropriate career move for her and her passion for the arts. As time went on, she bought out her partner and changed the name and face of the business to suit the needs of their community.
If you have experience with DancExplosion Arts Center or Amy Johnston Downs please leave a comment below about your experience!
Check out their website at http://www.dancexplosionarts.com/ and follow them on Twitter @DEACDance
My daughters Claire and Maeve joined Amy Johnston at dance explosion arts center four years ago after having spent 10 prior years at another dance studio. The amount of improvement in both technique and artistry my daughters have gained is phenomenal. They are both on the competitive dance team and have shared amazing accomplishments through both awards and personal goeth and accomplishment. When they learn a new skill set they are so excited and their teachers share in their excitement and accomplishments. They have made great friendships as well. At the end of their dance days I literally have to say “come on let’s go” because they want to try one more thing or show me something they can do. I recommend this studio and all of it’s teachers to anyone looking to out their child in dance whether recreational or competitive. There is something for everyone and the staff specialize in different types of dance as well. There is something for everyone at Dance Explosion Arts Center.