New Dance Studio for All Ages Opens in Pittsfield
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| Lee opened KOVA a few weeks ago and has been pleased with the response. |
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Nineteen-year-old Addison Lee is following her dream by opening KOVA Elite Dance Company, with classes starting about two weeks ago.
Lee has been dancing since she was a toddler. Last year, she attended High Point (N.C.) University for dance under Caitlin Baldwin and Lindsey Howie.
"I've been a competitive dancer for 10 years, and I started dancing when I was 2. I danced locally here, and then I went down to North Carolina and I studied dance there for a year, and I had some really great teachers down there," she said. "They really showed me what it's like not only to teach dancers but to teach humans."
Lee grew up dancing at Terpsichore Dance Center not far from her location at 141 North St.
"Terpsichore showed me my love for dance and the art, and what I learned from those professors at school is how I want to teach and the kind of community I want to build."
Lee said dance has always been her passion and she wanted a place where young kids can find their passion as well in a supportive and welcoming environment. She named her business after four core values: Kindness, Opportunity, Voice, and Ambition (KOVA).
Lee says it's always been her dream to open a dance studio and she began looking for a space in January, while still in school, telling her parents she was ready to start full time after the semester ended. Once she got back in March, she started getting it ready.
"They're definitely fully supportive parents. My whole entire family, my grandparents, my sister, I owe them everything. But they're really letting me take charge and be like, 'This is what I want to do. This is what I want to do,'" she said. "This has been my dream forever. We always knew this was going to happen. So when I gave my mom that call and I was like, 'Hey, I'm gonna drop out of school. She was like, yeah, that sounds about right.'"
KOVA has programs for all ages. The pre-competition is for ages 3 to 4 years old, introducing them to the foundations of dance. Competition is for ages 5 to 18, who do competitive routines and compete by auditioning for the team. There is also an adult hip hop class for a fun workout and looks to be a favorite for students on college break.
"It's just kind of a way to get some exercise and have fun. You know, it's a bunch of moms who are like, we want to dance, too. And I'm thinking, there's nowhere even for me to go take a hip hop class right now," Lee said. "So people my age, when they come home, like a bunch of dancers from different studios who go off to college. They've signed up for Christmas break, and they're like, 'We want to dance when we come home.'"
Lee is not done yet; she soon hopes to add more classes and start a management agency for her students who are interested.
"I definitely in the future have plans to start some sort of management agency, so I can get these kids into modeling, acting, singing. You know, doing commercials, movies. There's nowhere in the Berkshires right now, at least that I know of, that has a really big platform for that," she said. "Because when I was in high school, I did a lot of modeling and acting, too, and that was something that I think really helped my confidence. So I want to be able to get them into that."
She also hopes to add more recreational classes as well.
Lee said she is grateful for the community that she has been able to build and is excited to see it grow.
"We're really focused on building a community here. It's been so wonderful to have such a positive place. You know, we've only been open really for two and a half weeks, and we already kind of feel like a family," she said. "And I'm so thankful for the people who are trusting me with not only teaching their kids how to dance, but how to be a human."
You can view more on her website and sign up there.
Tags: new business, dance,
