Shaw Dance Medallion Classic 2016

Shaw Dance History Part 2

Shaw Dance Studio History Part 2 (1994-2000)

 

 

By the fall of 1994, Shaw Dance Studio had grown to approximately 80 students. It was at this time that director Jana Shaw recognized the need for more space for the dancers. Shaw Dance moved to the main upstairs area of Sunset Square and went from Jana's small garage to 1100 square feet. Following the move, after just one year, the studio was flourishing and because of complaints from other Sunset Square tenants regarding the noise that comes from loud music and hard dancers, Shaw Dance moved a short distance to its current location in the basement of Sunset Square. In this new basement location, there was a small office space, lobby, parent viewing area, and what is recognized today as dance room one was actually two separate small dance rooms. It was a cozy, family-oriented space where the dancers felt at home.  Jana also increased her staff, welcoming a few more teachers, one of which is the amazing Cheryl Martinez.

Shaw Dance was in a time of growth and consistency by 1995. As more dance space was needed, two more rooms, which are recognized today as the preschool room and room four were added to the studio dance space. The staff at Shaw Dance continued to teach classic dance genres as well as add new forms of dance classes when needed. The implementation of Shaw Dance's Dance Achievement Awards began. This achievement is still given today to those dancers and their families who have been dancing with Shaw Dance for five or more years. Suzette Stewart also joined the teaching staff at this time and Shaw Dance continued to be very successful in its recreation as well as in their competitive teams, receiving high ratings and being awarded many first and second place trophies. In order to accommodate Shaw Dance's larger teams, room one was opened up to create one large dance room with double the space.

Jana and her family moved to North Ogden and realized the need for her to branch out to her community there. She opened a small branch of Shaw Dance Studio in her new home's basement. In this small studio space she taught approximately 35 students and kept this branch of her studio going for five years before deciding to consolidate those two spaces and teach only at the Sunset Square location once again.

A new adventure began for Jana as her daughter McKenna was able to begin classes at Shaw Dance and her first son Logan was born in 1997. This only fueled her love of dance, music appreciation, and passion for teaching. She has always encouraged her students to continue in their passion and learning. As a great mentor even to this day, Jana continually attends conventions in order to keep up with current dance trends and pass that knowledge on to her dancers. This attitude of continual learning has influenced her dancers over the years. Focusing on technique and the philosophy that anyone can be a great dancer with perseverance, hard work, and dedication, Jana and her dance family have been able to grow Shaw Dance Studio and its dancers into the powerhouses that they are today.