PRINTCha-cha changes
The new dawn of local dancing at Studio B
Daisuke Nakamura
Dance instructor Ashley Mayer watches the movements of Steve Holck and Tracy Hall at Studio B. During their hour-long lesson, they waltzed and did Latin dancing.
October 8, 2009 | 12:00 a.m. CST
Columbia’s waltzers and foxtrotters got some bad news in August 2008. Twilight Dance Studio, owned by Jo Fountain, had housed competitive ballroom dancers for years. But when two popular teachers left, students went with them, and Fountain soon decided to shut the studio’s doors on North Providence Road for good.
But Ashley Mayer, a full-time teacher at Twilight, knew people needed a way to keep on dancin’ and took the helm of the sinking ship — with plans to make it more inclusive.
Beginning Ballroom Mix (a new dance every week just for beginners — cha cha, waltz, mambo, foxtrot): Fridays, 7 p.m.
Hip-Hop (all ages and skill levels; first class is free): Tuesdays, 8 p.m.
Beginning Salsa (salsa basics): Mondays, 9 p.m.
Beginning Tango: Wednesdays, 7 p.m.
Regular Admission: $10; Students: $6 (per class). Buy a punch card for 7 classes and get one free.
Ballroom Mix social dance: Fridays, 8 to 10 p.m.; $8 general or $5 with a student ID
Latin Fusion Party: Second and fourth Fridays of the month, 10 p.m. to midnight; $10 on the 2nd (live band), $5 on the 4th
“There are so many people interested in dance here and so many different niches for styles of dance,” Mayer says. “I just wanted to create a place where they could all come together.” And so Mayer founded a new studio that would instruct more types of movers and shakers. She called it Studio B.
Since opening June 1, Studio B has started to change Columbia’s dance scene. Mayer kept Twilight’s phone number and bought equipment from Fountain, but she moved to a new location off of Grindstone Parkway near Highway 63. More important, unlike Twilight, Studio B offers a broad list of styles beyond ballroom dancing including club-style Latin dance and hip-hop.
That diversity in styles has, in turn, drawn out more diversity among dancers. On a Tuesday, students of various ages flood into the studio and gather in the lounge to be greeted by Mayer’s tiny dog, Dolce. Some are clad in sweats and look set for the gym, while others, dressed in leggings and skirts, could be ready for a night out. But all, even the first-timers, are smiling as they wait for the floor to clear from the previous class.
Twenty-year-old Ciara Corley, new to Studio B, was anxious to lace up her sneakers for some hip-hop. “I researched dance classes online and found out about this studio,” Corley says. “I plan to keep coming.”
Veterans Tracy Hall and Steve Holck, former students at Twilight, chose to follow Mayer to Studio B. “We were relieved to hear that Ashley was going to be opening a studio,” Hall says. “We were worried that we wouldn’t have a place to go.”
And they weren’t the only ones. “I was obviously looking for a place to teach and so were a lot of the other teachers,” Mayer says. “By sticking together we were able to keep costs down and continue instruction with our former students.”
Mayer doesn’t have experience owning a company, but she does know how to dance. The tall, slender 26-year-old Taylor Swift look-a-like is a natural on the floor. She’s taught dance since her high school days, and she competed as a ballroom dancer after giving up the physically demanding world of ballet. When Mayer’s ballroom partner moved away, she faced the decision of finding another or settling down as a teacher. Now she’s an instructor and an entrepreneur.
Studio B sees about 150 to 200 patrons per week. The six Twilight teachers who joined Mayer each pay to “rent” the floor for their private lessons, and instructors of group classes get paid a portion of the profit from the class. Dominic Vendegna, a hip-hop teacher, was one of three additional instructors hired by Mayer. He enjoys working with the spectrum of students.
“I have had a 14-year-old girl in my class and a 45-year-old mom,” Vendegna says. “Everyone has different needs, so I just try to make something work for everyone.”
Mayer admits that she is pleased with the changes that have occurred in the past year. The closing of one studio allowed the opportunity for opening another. And despite the initial worry, Columbians still have a place to break out some good vibrations.
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