This weekend, she and more than 300 dancers will be celebrating the anniversary of the studio with two performances of a 58-number recital at Georgian College Theatre.
“I started in Stroud, actually. When I opened my studio I wanted to be in a community where they didn’t have a dance school. I’m from Barrie originally, and we only had one dance school here when I was a young girl, which built my love for dance. When I moved back home to have my children I realized... there wasn’t much here. So I thought it was time to open my own studio,” she says. “We outgrew the place in the first year. I opened my doors thinking, “Oh, there will be five or six kids,' and I ended up at capacity. I only had a one-room studio, and I only had rented the space for two nights a week, and I had 52 students when I opened my door. Within a year, we grew to 150.”
Twenty-five years later, Dance Incorporated teaches about 325 students in a three-room space, taking over 500 class spots as many kids take more than one class.
“It’s nice now to be able to give them more individual attention,” says Wood.
“I’m a little bossy with them... they’re used to me,” says Wood, with a laugh. “I’m a bit of a perfectionist.”
Wood indicates that about half of the teachers who are with the school now – she refers to them as being "home-grown" – started at there when it began 25 years ago, when they were three or four years old. She also offers an alumni number in the final show that sees many dancers from over the years come back to perform.
“It’s a really great staff... we’re kind of a family here,” says Wood.
Over the years, Wood has noticed a change in dance trends and the kinds of classes students are seeking. While Wood is a classically trained dancer, over the years she has incorporated dance trends into her studio offerings, including hip hop, Riverdance, ballroom and barre.
“More adults are finding it’s OK to have dance in their life, too, so we’re kind of going that route. We’ve diversified with lots of different things we offer here,” she says. “A lot of people think, if you didn’t start young, you can’t... but that’s not true with dance. I have teens that have danced for years, and I have teens in Year 1. Tap is huge this year, so I think many kids are going back to basics. But I push that. I love classic-style dance.”
The competitive team with the studio showed well this year, receiving over 100 awards in various competitions, and several scholarships were handed out. A full list of all the awards and scholarships won this year by dancers from the studio is available on their Facebook page. One of the dancers from the studio was even chosen for the World Jazz Team to represent Canada next year in Spain.
“I’m really excited for the kids. They’ve worked really hard,” says Wood.
When walking into the teen dance class, most of the girls there say they have been dancing at the studio for around six years.
“I find this studio is really, like, family-based. All of us in our classes are super close to each other. I hear stories of other people at other studios who fight with people on their teams, where it’s more of a competition within a team. Here, we all cheer for each other,” says Riley Williamson, a student in the teen class.
All of the students in the teen class say they see themselves coming back to teach as they get older, and some are considering a career in dance as a result of their experiences with the studio.
“I think a lot of us even look forward to coming back and joining in the alumni dance as we get older... joining the family again,” says Williamson.
Emily Williams, who started at the studio when she was nine years old, lives in Niagara now but comes back every year as an adult to MC the year-end show. She has been participating as MC for 10 years.
“It really is like a second family here, at the studio, for me. I spent all my free time here as a kid. We all became very close. Even when I went away to school, I continued on with dance and musicals. I always kept that passion that started here,” she said.
The recital is taking place Friday, May 25 at 6 p.m. and Sunday, May 27 at 2 p.m. at Georgian College Theatre and has about 58 numbers, totalling a run time of about two-and-a-half hours.
“It’s quite a production, with the costumes and lights,” says Wood.
For more information on the recital or to inquire about classes at the studio, visit danceincorporated.ca, call 705-735-2755 or email [email protected].
