Today we’d like to introduce you to Lisa Lee.
Lisa, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I started teaching classes in my neighborhood clubhouse after a friend of mine asked me to be a substitute teacher for her dance company 20 minutes away. I enjoyed it so much that I started my classes locally. I still remember the first time I reached 40 weekly dancers there! I was so excited! At the time, I only taught beginner Ballet and Tap to ages 2-7. Since then, we have continued to grow, moving three different times to where we are now with over 230 dancers learning Ballet, Tap, Jazz, Acro, Modern, Contemporary, Musical Theatre, Hip Hop, Latin Dance as well as other classes: Tumbling, Gymnastics, Cheerleading, Kickboxing, Karate and Zumbini Music for toddlers!
Has it been a smooth road?
It has not been a smooth road! Some of my most stressful times include being forced to find a new location for my classes in three days when I was 39 weeks pregnant, having teachers leave to start their own studios close to mine and attempting to take my customers (this happened twice and one time was a month after I had my third child!), finding and renovating three different studios, accommodating my three children while I taught in another room and babysitters wouldn’t always show (in the seven years I’ve been open, I’ve had two more children), and all the typical rush and work that comes with holding two dance recitals a year.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
We teach Ballet, Tap, Jazz, Acro, Modern, Contemporary, Musical Theatre, Hip Hop, Latin Dance as well as other classes: Tumbling, Gymnastics, Cheerleading, Kickboxing, Karate and Zumbini Music for toddlers. However, we are different from other studios because we focus on having fun as opposed to perfectionism at the beginner levels. Our teachers are kind and gentle with the children and encourage them in their dance steps by complimenting them and giving them one detail at a time to work on. For example, if we are practicing a battement kick, and their leg is straight but their toe is not pointed among other things, we will focus on pointing the toe instead of adding that their posture is off, their hips aren’t square, their other foot isn’t turned out, they are not looking forward, their thumbs are not tucked in, etc.
At the intermediate and advanced levels, we do expect more of them but correct them in a positive way, not in the negative, strict and perfectionistic way all of us teachers grew up in. Additionally, we use clean, age-appropriate music, costumes that are not suggestive, we offer a free trial class the first time a new dancer wants to join, we allow parents to stay in the room until their child turns three and watch through a window (not video camera screen) when their children are three and up. We don’t require makeup at recitals (that should be at the discretion of the parents) and we keep our class sizes small.
Is our city a good place to do what you do?
If I knew how many dance studios were in this area, I would have never started mine! I planned on just teaching a few classes a week in my clubhouse for a few years and then using my master’s in counseling degree to counsel children. However, we keep growing despite tons of competition and I love what I do! This city is good because we have lots of families.
Pricing:
- $15 per class and a free trial class
Contact Info:
- Address: 3957 Jog Road, Greenacres, FL 33467
- Website: www.LisasDanceandExercise.com
- Phone: 5613175738
- Email: lisasue2003@gmail.com
- Instagram: @LisasDance3579
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/LisasDanceandExercise
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