If any of you are on Facebook, you've seen Your Daily Blossom, a fun photo of my new dog, Blossom, that I post every day. She's about 4 years old, a miniature poodle mix, and she loves being in the studio! I've always wanted to have a dog in my class.
Blossom is still learning the ropes. She sometimes follows me when I demonstrate at the barre or in the center but much of the time she will stay in her bed. I have to teach her "stay" so she won't follow me - if anyone knows how to train dogs and would like to help me, I will gladly barter for classes. She knows how to sit and she knows her name.
She has a lot going for her: her size (tiny), her temperament (playful and happy), her lack of barking, and her hypoallergenic coat. She loves to be petted and will often roll onto her back in front of a student for a belly rub. She also likes to greet each student when they walk in the door.
So far, I haven't met a student who has not liked her! But I wanted to tell everyone about her so they know she will be there on Monday and Wednesday nights. Saturdays are too long for her and currently, my Tuesday and Thursday classes are at Dance Arts which doesn't allow dogs.
Which brings me to another change...Dance Arts Academy, a fabulous studio in LA, is closing its doors at the end of June. It's tremendously sad! Flamenco dancer Carla Luna opened it almost twenty years ago, transforming a former bowling alley on the second floor of a building on La Brea near Wilshire into 5 studios of varying sizes. The place was a treasure for all kinds of dancers, from classical ballet with Reid Olson and pre-professional studies with Marat Daukayev to modern dance and jazz and tap, it was a welcome rest stop for dancers who were touring Los Angeles, for new residents to the area, for dancers who wanted a variety of teachers in many disciplines.
Unfortunately, the area has been getting more and more populous with many developments on the horizon. The new owners of the building don't want a dance studio, which is such a shame. So many beautiful studios are being bought and demolished! Just before this was the famed Debbie Reynolds Studio in North Hollywood. These studios were institutions!
For dancers (and studio owners) affordability is absolutely imperative. Dancers don't truly need much: an open floor plan, raised floors, barres and mirrors for ballet, a dressing area and bathroom, and in LA especially, a place to park. Let's be honest: dance isn't exactly a money-making business. We get by and we do it because we love it, but it's not really a business that will get you rich. (If anyone knows how, please share!) But where a yoga class can pack a small room mat-to-mat, a dance studio needs space to move. Where do we go to find that? That's the problem in a city like LA: there aren't many undiscovered areas where rent is cheap. (And yes, if anyone knows the answer to that, please share!)
What does that mean for me and my classes? Well, we'll be moving. Tuesday and Thursday classes will be at 2 different studios on the east side. More details on this will follow soon but for now, let's just dance at Dance Arts Academy and enjoy the big beautiful space that Carla created!
Happy dancing~
