Barely had the new flooring had a chance to settle, or the new paint dry, before other movement instructors came knocking on the door of Tiffany Dodge’s Aloha Dance Studio, Inc. Located in the Lihue Shopping Center Annex along Kuhio
Barely had the new flooring had a chance to settle, or the new paint dry, before other movement instructors came knocking on the door of Tiffany Dodge’s Aloha Dance Studio, Inc.
Located in the Lihue Shopping Center Annex along Kuhio Highway, the former offices of a loan company have been transformed into Dodge’s longtime dream of her own dance studio.
The studio had barely been opened when other instructors, wishing to offer classes in free-movement, yoga and other disciplines, began calling, she said.
She has accommodated them by offering sign-up sheets on the doors of the studio, trying to match up instructors with students with convenient and open time slots.
While her dream of opening her own studio has been a long-term adult goal, Dodge’s dancing shoes have been filled since she was four years old, when she began taking ballet and tap lessons.
Jazz sessions soon followed, and she quickly progressed from being involved in twice-a-year performances to dancing at regular appearances during the summer outside the studio, at malls and fairs.
By the age of 15, Dodge was assisting instructors in younger children’s classes, and began working part-time at studio desks, doing some bookkeeping.
She also did modeling part time, in fashion shows and photo shoots for hair magazines, while also dancing for international hair shows in the Seattle area, where she was born and raised.
Dodge became a spokeswoman for the agency at conventions, continued assisting classes, while taking over eight hours of classes a week, and still maintaining school and social demands.
When Dodge was 18, her studio’s owner took a five-month sabbatical, and Dodge began teaching her own classes and handling the associated bookkeeping as well. Tap, jazz and hip-hop were the first classes she taught.
In the last three years, ballet and modern classes have had Dodge as teacher. She also has experience in choreography for gymnastics floor and beam routines, school plays, and local theater presentations.
Dodge has taken classes in both Los Angeles and New York, and has knowledge of classical and modern ballet, pointe, tap, jazz, modern, character, hip-hop, showbiz, lyrical ballet and jazz, and Spanish.
After moving to Kaua’i in January, she signed on with the Small Business Development Center at Kauai Community College, and began her entrepreneurial journey.
Her goal for Aloha Dance Studio is to provide the island with a mix of different styles of dance in a central location. An introduction to dance course is a two-month program designed to expose the community to new and different styles of dance, and a fall program will essentially mirror the public school year, she said.
The studio will be holding two shows a year beginning in May of next year, and classes are available for students ages three and up.
Dance, Dodge says from experience, not only teaches one to move to music, but also instills self-confidence, poise, grace, agility and flexibility. It is also great exercise.
The introduction to dance session began at the end of last month, and runs through Saturday, June 22. The summer workshop begins Tuesday, July 9, with registration beginning Wednesday, June 5.
The summer session meets each Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, through Thursday, Aug. 15. The fall session begins September 16, and registration for that begins September 4.
For more information, please call 245-1810.
