Today in our interview we will meet Maria, the founder and dancer who made her dream come true by opening Dance Dynasty dance studio. Maria will share with us her unique story about the difficulties and triumphs of creating her own dance space. Let’s find out what was the key inspiration for creating Dance Dynasty and how this dance project is transforming the lives of Ukrainian women and beyond in this difficult time.
Maria, good afternoon. Please tell us how you got the idea to create Dance Dynasty, and what was the key inspiration for opening your dance studio?
I lived in Kyiv for two years and moved from Donetsk in 2015. By 2017, I already had several dance groups in different parts of Kyiv, and I had a dream of opening my studio. It happened naturally, as I already had a significant demand for my lessons. During the classes, I realized that I wanted all my students to be in one place. I have always dreamed of my own dance space, where there would be no traces of other studios, only my logo and the atmosphere I created. I wanted it to be not just a hall, but a kind of “dance house” — a place where girls could unleash their energy and feel at home.
At the time, it was a purely female creative dream. I had no idea how I would have to face business and develop in this direction. Initially, I opened a studio based on creative endeavors and some general plans, ideas of dance, but without a specific strategy, marketing and content planning. It was a kind of experiment, but with the passage of time and work, I was able to change three locations and by 2019 open a full-fledged, beautiful space with a developed structure and team.
However, the original idea of creating a women’s community and teaching girls from scratch remained unchanged. I dreamed that the girls would not only dance but also radiate energy through dance. My goal was to create a unique space where girls could develop and become teachers, continuing my work. Now I have teachers who came to me from scratch, developed and are now successfully working in the studio. This is confirmed by the name of the studio, which reflects the story of how my students became teachers, continue to develop within the studio and create their own unique dance stories.
Almost two years have passed since you left. How do you assess the success of the studio in Kyiv without your presence? What challenges did you face in the process of developing the project?
When I left, I had a lot of questions and concerns about how my business would develop in my absence. I faced uncertainty and made various decisions about closing or continuing the business. Despite periodic downturns, the business continued to grow.
One of the main difficulties was the change in the team. The administrator changed, and I had difficulties with the marketing team. There was a turning point when I had to introduce new employees to the team. However, thanks to clearly defined work processes and the structure of the studio, the new employees quickly merged into the working atmosphere.
We overcame all the difficulties, and now the studio team works in a well-coordinated manner. There is a director who deals with all aspects of management, and I focus on marketing and brand development. Although sometimes questions arise, I stay in touch with the team daily. The studio’s processes have settled down, and now I can work on brand development even while I’m in Miami.
These two years have been a period of significant change, a transition from being a business owner to an owner who manages processes remotely. Having a trusted person on site makes it much easier to make decisions and control processes.
Your brand pays a lot of attention to unleashing women’s energy and self-love through dance. What values are at the heart of Dance Dynasty’s mission?
First, through dance, girls can show that each of them can learn to dance from scratch, regardless of age, weight, or experience. That is, everyone can master the art of dance, feel the maximum energy, escape from everyday life, distract from everything and express themselves. The emotions she experiences fill her life with new meaning. I am convinced that every girl must first love herself and, based on this love, attract only the best into her life.
Tell us about the Dance Dynasty Travel project. How did it come about and what role does it play in your brand? What unique features of this project would you like to highlight?
“Dance Dynasty Travel is a project that brings girls together, and it may seem like it’s for professionals. But no, it’s also for beginners and those who don’t dance. At first, I created a similar project in Ukraine, where we went on a dance tour while traveling. Now I have an idea to do something similar in the United States because I believe that you can get the most drive and pleasure from dancing and traveling. I decided to combine these two components, and now, together with my friend and partner, we are engaged in such travels. My friend has been working in the travel business for a long time, and I have a lot of experience in dancing. We decided to join forces and create original tours where we rent beautiful villas in beautiful places. There is a place for dancing, morning dance meditations, and then a tour of beautiful locations. Such a tour, for example, has already taken place in Hill, and we had a rich program of dance training and socializing. This project strongly unites the girls in the community, they get to know each other, share experiences, and recharge their batteries. The next tour is scheduled for April, we will go to California in Nappa Valley. This is a real vacation for body and soul.
In Miami, you continue to develop your brand. How do you adapt your studio to the local peculiarities and how does the Ukrainian service integrate into this process?
Now, without standing aside, I continue to develop my brand by creating my courses. When I came here, I realized that a different method of teaching is used here, and my courses remain unique. Regardless of my experience, I continue to create courses from scratch. When it comes to local peculiarities, at the beginning I was guided by our experience in Ukraine. Now I have full groups, and they are mostly our girls who appreciate dance, strive for development and are looking for new energy.
Recently, I started teaching courses in English to a new audience in America. It’s a new experience, as I have to adapt my methodology to them. At this stage, I’m getting positive feedback, and I like the way things are going. It’s also a new format of information for them, and they appreciate the opportunity to learn from scratch and the detailed explanations.
My plans include the development of methods, step-by-step development and, of course, my development. I can’t move forward without my dance development, so I attend classes of world choreographers in Los Angeles, where there are also various dance studios.
Your mission is to show every girl that she can dance, regardless of age or experience. What are the benefits of dancing, especially in such a difficult time for all Ukrainian women?
In this difficult time, it seems that dancing has risen to a new level, giving an incredible amount of energy. When it all started, I had doubts about whether my studio would close. However, I decided to continue its work based on my students’ opinions. They said that they missed this space, and at first, it was better to continue developing the business. It was a difficult decision because you don’t know if people even need dancing at these times.
However, it turned out that, on the contrary, people require places where they can get away from their everyday worries. We often receive feedback, which makes us realize that our place is important. People come to relax, let go of their thoughts and enjoy the moment. Dancing gives you extra energy, opening up new sides of your personality. At this moment, you are in the process, of having fun and forgetting about worries. This is why I try to support the studio so that it continues to bring joy to the girls, allowing them to enjoy themselves no matter what.
Plus, when you come to the dance and remove all expectations, the result is amazing. The girls share with me that they get an incredible boost of energy. They want to do even more, to express themselves, and their inner state inspires them to become the best version of themselves and love themselves in a new way.
For example, some people start expressing themselves through their clothes. If they come to the first lesson in a closed uniform, like in a gym, then by the end of the course they are motivated to buy nice clothes, do makeup, and make a dance video. This inspires them to set new goals for growth and development.
There are also examples of girls who say that they have changed since they started dancing. For example, someone who has always been in a routine with children says that dancing has brought such a fire to her life. Dancing becomes a way to get out of the routine, and it helps to keep you motivated, energized and inspired to express your femininity and sexuality. I am sure that dancing helps every girl to get the most out of life.
In addition to the studio, I help girls online through my project. I have an online course in which I introduced such a format as dance practices. For example, a girl came who did not dance at all, and this story inspired me to create the Dancing Like An Adult project, where I combined not only dancing but also added meditation and practices for unleashing female energy. Thus, I deepened the approach to not only develop through dance but also mentally.
You are inspired by the creation of a large community. How do you see Dance Dynasty’s impact on the lives of the girls who attend your studio? Can you share a story of an incredible transformation or change from your experience?
There are tremendous changes, first, within yourself. When you come to dance, you discover a new potential and a charge of energy in yourself, which can affect various aspects of life. For example, for some, this leads to changes in their personal lives — girls often share how their sex life has improved and how they have become more confident. These changes can also be manifested in everyday life, feeling more self-love.
Plus, when you come to dance and remove all expectations, the results are simply amazing. The girls share with me that they receive an impressive boost of energy, they want to do even more, express themselves, develop internally and love themselves in a new way. It’s inspiring, and a new goal appears — to grow and develop.
There are examples of girls who have come to dance classes and changed radically. They tell us how they have changed since they started classes. For example, the one who used to be stuck at home with her children says after dancing: “Wow, there is so much fire there!”. Dancing awakens this fire, because, in the daily hustle and bustle, we often lose ourselves, our motivation, energy and inspiration to express ourselves and learn new things. I am sure that dancing 100% helps every girl to reveal the maximum amount of femininity and sexuality.
