When Karyn Perry first started her dance studio more than 30 years ago, it was a small one-room studio on Cedar Street that hosted a handful of passionate, aspiring dancers. Today, the studio has grown by leaps and bounds. Located on Holt Road, Karyn’s Dance Place now has three studios that house a growing roster of dancers, from ages 3 to 93.
“We have something to offer to everyone in the community, not just little girls,” she said.
The studio offers ballet, tap, jazz, hip-hop, musical theater, lyrical ballet, and modern dance classes for dancers of all ages and ability levels. Perry’s dancers even have the opportunity to join performance companies. These dancers perform for local events around Holt, join professional dancers on stage during Wharton Center performances, and even travel to dance for events like the Sugar Bowl.
“It gives them a lot of confidence in themselves,” she said. “There’s a lot of life experiences that you take from dance. It’s a team sport but it’s also an individual sport at the same time. It’s the best of both worlds.”
Some of the studio’s dancers go on to enjoy successful careers in professional dance companies. But Perry also enjoys providing an opportunity for people to discover dance for the first time, regardless of their previous exposure or ability level. The studio offers several adult dance classes, one of which has a former dance student, her mother, and grandmother who routinely attend together.
“We feel like we have a reach to everybody,” Perry said. “There’s something in dance that everyone can learn from or enjoy.”
As Perry and her staff of 10 instructors continue to grow the studio, they continuously search for more chances for their dancers to travel and share their love of dance with the community, the nation, and the world.
“I’m just always trying to move forward and give new opportunities,” she said. “It’s about dance, but it’s also about sharing that cultural experience.”
Karyn’s Dance Place is at 4462 West Holt Road in Holt, 517.694.3907, www.karynsdanceplace.com.