Having two left feet may be the perfect excuse to sit out of a dance at your cousin’s wedding, but learning to dance at Miranda Dance Academy is a skill that they say can be learned by just about anyone with enough practice. Miranda Dance Academy encourages their students (who are of all ages by the way) to never give up and to try many different classes — there’s always something new to learn! In this week’s “7 Questions With … ” business profile, we spoke with owner Margret Lynch about the evolution of the dance studio located right here in West Seneca.
Miranda Dance Studio has been in business for 45 years. How has art of dance evolved during that time?
Dance is a constantly evolving sport. There is always someone coming up with new steps and tricks. With dance constantly evolving, that’s how I fell in love with it as you’re never going to run out of things to learn. Without any change, things would get boring and old quickly, and people will start losing interest.
Have popular dance shows on television, such as So You Think You Can Dance and Dancing with the Stars, had a positive impact on the number of students registering at your studio?
Dance-themed TV shows haven’t increased our enrollment, but rather it had inspired the students to want to try new things. I hear students every day come in wanting to learn something new that they saw on either So You Think You Can Dance or Dance Moms.
What types of classes are offered at Miranda Dance Academy, and are there classes for all ages?
We offer a range of classes. We offer tap, jazz, ballet, pointe, lyrical, modern, musical theater, hip hop, acrobatics/tumbling and Timeless Tappers. Classes are offered to anyone age 3 up through adult. Timeless Tappers was a class that we added a few years ago for adults who have never taken a dance class but wanted to start.
What are the most popular classes among your students?
Students at a young age start off with learning tap and creative movement. Around age 6/7 they get split classes of tap and jazz, and they’re also allowed to take other classes as well. Mostly everyone at the studio takes tap and jazz each week, but then there are students that take seven classes a week.
We know the days leading up to dance recitals can be stressful; what is your favorite part about recital day?
I’ve always loved recital day. It’s more than just the lights and the stage. It’s about putting everything that we’ve worked on over the course of the dance season all together and showing family and friends what we’ve learned.
If you had one piece of advice to give someone taking their first dance class, what would it be?
Dance isn’t easy, but don’t ever give up. Your dance teacher is always going to be there to help you and support you. They wouldn’t teach you something if they knew you couldn’t get it down. We want to see you grow into an amazing dancer, so if you can’t get a step down, don’t give up. Hold your head high and try again. New things aren’t taught in a day. Usually it’s easier the next week.
You were a student of the dance studio for years and have recently taken over. What is it like running the studio from a new perspective?
I knew all the students from watching them on stage, seeing them in passing or actually taking classes with them. This has always been my dream ever since I was a little girl. So when I got this opportunity, I had to take it. It was a little scary at first, but since the start of the dance year it’s been an amazing experience. The students are all eager to learn. I’m so excited to see where I can take the legacy my dance teacher created and see how I can keep it going.
If you are a West Seneca Chamber of Commerce member and would like to participate in the “Seven Questions With … ” business profile feature, please contact the Chamber at 674-4900.
