Local businesswoman and entrepreneur Amy Chou (pictured above center) celebrated National Dance Day by offering free dance lessons to the public on Saturday.
National Dance Day was created by So You Think You Can Dance’s executive producer and judge Nigel Lythgoe as an annual event and grassroots initiative “to encourage the nation, young and old, to move.” In honor of the day, two new official National Dance Day routines were created by the Dizzy Feet Foundation: a Hip-Hop Master Class and an Everybody Dance routine from Zumba Fitness®, which instructors are teaching nationwide to encourage everyone to dance.
Chou is one of these dance studio owners that has joined in the celebration. Although the new location of her business, Feat Studios, has changed and renovations of the once warehouse building are about a month away from being complete, Chou offered a morning of fun to children and adults alike.
A lot of sacrifice has gone into the development of Feat Studios, not only time but personal sacrifice of the Chous who are selling their homes and the old studio Amy’s Dance Academy to fund their new venture, explained Chou. Their vision is to offer the community more in classes that provide not only a dance skill but also a different outlet for physical fitness.
“We will offer drop-in classes soon where you can learn a new routine each time and just come when you can,” said Chou, who explained that she realizes some cannot attend structured dance classes. “These classes will be more of a workout style.”
Chou stated that she wanted to offer more to her students than the usual small town dance experience.
“My goal is to provide them opportunity that they can use when they get out of school,” said Chou. “To know that they can be dancers on Broadway, for the NFL or a dance company as a career, they don’t have to stop with this instruction.”
With the support of their mother, Chou partners with her sister Rachel (pictured top right in pink) instructing many types of dance services. The Dance Academy is a school of dance teaching performance and competitive skills. The Chous will also soon offer community classes of group fitness, music, piano, and voice lesson, plus a summer intensive program and facility rentals of the FEAT Auditorium, studios, lounge, barn and reception hall.
Chou stated that she and her sister have taken dance lessons for years and that they continue to study dance; in fact, Rachel is attending the University of Texas at Austin and is currently training with Ballet Austin. Chou herself went to college in California and has trained there, New York and in Austin with Ballet Austin. Currently, they instruct well over 100 students each year from the Brownwood area but also some who travel from surrounding areas such as Brady and May to attend the Dance Academy.
Discipline and sacrifice is key to being successful in dance according to Chou.
“I don’t want my students to be the best, but I do want them to learn to be their best,” said Chou.
Besides dance companies and instructors, others are celebrating National Dance Day. Even the United States Postal Service is celebrating and will pay tribute to four influential choreographers – Isadora Duncan, José Limón, Katherine Dunham, and Bob Fosse – by offering some beautiful stamps with their images portrayed. These postage stamps were rolled out Saturday on National Dance Day.
Below are more photos from the event.
