monticellotimes . com All About Kids • Thursday , May 9 , 2024 Page 3
Dancin On Broadway celebrates 40 years of dance in community
Dancin On Broadway is thrilled to announce their 40th anniversary celebration . Since opening their doors in 1984 , Dancin On Broadway has been a staple in the community , providing top-notch dance education and unforgettable performances .
Dancin On Broadway opened its doors in 1984 by Tammy Thiel and her sister Debbie Thiel in Brooklyn Park with only 97 students the first year . It was an exciting time for two young girls to begin their business adventure . Tammy , at the time , was a merchandizing assistant for JCPenney , which was quite an accomplishment for the then 18 year old . Debbie was just starting high school . Every day at 2:05 p . m . Tammy would be at Osseo Senior High to pick up Debbie from school to head to the studio where each day was filled with scheduling , book keeping and choreography , advertising , newsletters and creating costumes . Evenings and weekends were filled with classes , more classes and even more classes .
Dancin On Broadway grew by 100 dancers each year . By year number 3 , the pair had expanded to double their current space in Brooklyn Park . The new space would include a larger waiting area for the families and added the Dancin On Broadway store . Growing up Tammy and Debbie struggled to find dance shoes , attire , and other dancer needs . Tammy knew she wanted her families to have immediate access to all necessary merchandise and was excited about this addition of the DOB Store .
In just a couple short years , and a few hundred more dancers , Dancin On Broadway added another dance floor . They had run out of space in their schedule and every class was full . But , this would only be enough for a short time .
In just a couple short years , and a few hundred more students , Dancin on Broadway had run out of physical space and all classes were book full . The sisters needed another dance floor to accommodate , but this would only be for a short time .
A few short years later , Dancin On Broadway needed to grow their space again . By this time , Tammy and Debbie ’ s sister , Laurie , was teaching too . They added a third dance floor and an even larger store . With this growth came even more teachers and teaching assistants .
When asked if they had ever been nervous about growing their business , Tammy responded with
“ We were never the kind of people to look back and wonder if we should do something . If we have our minds set on it , we will make it happen !” said Tammy .
“ Sure , things were hard , but then we just worked harder ,” added Debbie .
With their youngest sister , Michelle , now ready to teach dance , they added a fourth dance floor , and a larger waiting area .
By the time their youngest sister Michelle was ready to begin teaching , they needed a fourth dance floor and even larger waiting area .
While this story seems to keep repeating itself , it doesn ’ t end there .
“ We kept growing ! Our studio was always busy , always a full schedule . We had to add more to keep up with the needs of our community ,” said Tammy .
In 2004 , Dancin On Broadway opened their second location in Elk River . The four sisters would take turns splitting their time between the two locations .
“ Both studios compete at the same competitions and have their recitals together . Most of the teaching staff also taught class at both locations ,” said Laurie . “ We are one big happy family .”
The Elk River studio started with two dance floors , a store and nice size waiting room . In less then 9 months they were offered more space by the land lord . So , they added a third dance floor .
“ The whole operation has grown tremendously ,” Tammy proclaimed . “ We ’ ve added more teaching staff , more assistants , more desk staff .”
Then in 2007 the sisters had the opportunity to grow their business again in Maple Grove . They open the Maple Grove location in November and built classes to begin in January . Those classes were also a part of the
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Dancin On Broadway is celebrating 40 years of teaching dancing in the Maple Grove , Osseo and surrounding communities .
DOB Spring Recitals .
At this point , Dancin On Broadway consists of 12 large class rooms , two solo rooms , 3 large retail stores , and a staff of over 75 .
“ It is incredible when you think of how far we have come in all these years ,” said Debbie
Aside from the basic common dance classes of ballet , jazz , and tap , dance classes , Tammy has added many creative classes to their schedule over the years . Some of them include : Father / Daughter , Mother / Daughter , Line
Dancing , Break Dancing , Father / Son , Tae Bo , aerobics , strength and fitness classes and more .
Having multiple studios was extremely hard on the sisters , so they decided to bring all of their dancers under one roof in Maple Grove . You will still see all of them at the studio every day . Their current teacher staff has 14 teachers that used to be Dancin On Broadway students themselves . One of those is Tianna , Tammy ’ s daughter . Julia Jones , instructor said , “ I am now on my 37th year at Dancin
On Broadway . My lifelong dance friendships and love for dance created a passion for teaching and choreography . It only made sense to do it at the place I call my second home .”
When you sign up for class at Dancin On Broadway , you know you are getting a fantastic dance education from a quality dance program . “ It is so nice to see dancers bringing their friends to class with them the next year . They enjoyed it so much ,
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