Our Story
Purely Dance is a family owned and operated dance studio that holds high standards in dance instruction, clean music, modest costumes and respectful choreography. Kurt and Carolyn Kolaga own the studio while their daughters, Amber and Kimberly, teach and manage the day-to-day operations.
Let's start from the beginning...
Amber and Kimberly grew up dancing at Arrowhead Dance Academy. When the studio closed it's doors, the girls went in search of a new dance family. They tried classes at several local dance studios but couldn't find a studio that shared their values and offered the dance training they were searching for. Many times they were met with poor dance instruction, disorganized staff, bullying in class, music with inappropriate language, costumes that didn't belong on children, questionable choreography and an unwelcoming studio atmosphere.
Discouraged by yet another poor studio experience, the family sat around their dining room table expressing their frustration and dwindling hope of finding a new place to dance. Kurt spoke up and said "We can't be the only family out there looking for a studio and struggling to find one. We should make our own!" Carolyn, Amber and Kimberly brushed off his comment with a chuckle, eyeroll and "Sure Dad." Life moved on and the girls continued looking for a new studio to call home.
Several weeks later, around that same dining room table, Kurt presented what he had been working on in secret for weeks... the beginnings of a business plan for what is now Purely Dance!
A Studio Emerges...
In the spring of 2006, walls were being built, a dance floor installed, teacher's hired, and a desk prepared for a brand new dance studio. The Kolaga family put in countless hours working not only on the building for this future studio but also on the administrative aspects of the business. In July of 2006 Purely Dance opened it's doors to aspiring dancers for the first time. Purely Dance was a small, one room studio in a small out of the way shopping complex, referred to as a hidden treasure by several families. After finishing out the first year with 21 students, the dream of becoming a studio teaching and inspiring hundreds of young dancers seemed far off. However, all great things start out small...
Then...
Over the next several several years Purely Dance began to grow. More students came, new teachers were brought into the family but the passion of the staff and dancers never faltered. Purely Dance never lost sight of the values it was founded on or the dream of inspiring a passion for dance in the next generation. Then, the decision was made to expand the small, one room dance studio into something more...
The Move...
In January of 2012, Purely Dance moved to it's current location which allowed for two room along with an expanded offering of classes. Over the years, Purely Dance grew, continuing to be a positive influence on dancers, their families and the community as the studio culture flourished with the support of everyone who walked through the doors. Purely Dance was no longer a hidden treasure but an established studio in dance community.
Today...
Purely Dance is thriving! Our studio has grown and has impacted the lives of over a thousand students and families! We have wonderful, dedicated and knowledgeable staff. We now provide a variety of classes for all ages, offer year round dance training, and have a growing community of like-minded dancers. But the most important thing is that Purely Dance is still providing a safe, fun, family friendly environment for students to grow their passion for dance. Our hope for the future is to continue to teach, inspire, and encourage our students both in and out of the dance room. No matter how many students we have or how large the studio becomes, we will always stick to our values and strive to be the best studio we can be for our students and families.
Have a question? We are happy to answer!
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