Exploring Life & Business with Callen Douglas of Evolution Dance Company

Today we’d like to introduce you to Callen Douglas.

Hi Callen, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I started dancing when I was about three years old. A company called “Dance Tree” came to my daycare and taught us a few basic things as a fun activity for the day. After that class, the dance company told my mom to enroll me in dance classes full time, because I was hooked! My mom said that dance was the only thing that ever interested me, and she jokes that she liked it because it’s an indoor sport (but we all know she’s serious).

Within the next couple of years, I started dancing competitively on a local team. That quickly became my obsession. Every night and weekend was consumed by dance. It was all I knew! My mom was strict about doing well in school, so dance helped motivate me to finish my homework and projects during the day so I could go to practice and focus on dance once the school day was over.

In high school, I was offered a job as a long term substitute dance teacher for an instructor who was on maternity leave. The next dance season, I was offered a full time position. I continued dancing in college and traveled to New York several times to perform with our company and to also participate in ballet intensives. I had some wonderful people help me figure out what I was doing along the way, and they really guided my path to becoming a studio owner.

In 2019, I was given the opportunity to the purchase the studio i had worked at for 10 years. (My husband and I got married in January of 2020, so I can’t thank him enough for being by my side during this crazy venture!) Since then, we have started a competitive team of our own, moved to a bigger facility, and taught hundreds of children along the way. I plan to continue growing the studio and improving both our recreational and competitive programs by increasing their technique and knowledge of dance through hard work and love for the craft!

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
For the most part, everything has been smooth. When I first purchased the studio, we rebranded. I wanted it to feel like my own- new and fresh. Of course, when you change an existing business name, it can be a little confusing for everyone, so there was definitely an adjustment period for both myself and our clients. We have the best customers in the world though, and they were so supportive and excited for me on this new adventure! I think it was an exciting time for our students, too. They felt like they got to be a part of a new beginning!

Shortly after we “reopened”, Covid hit. I thought, “there’s no way a dance studio can make it through this”. Our whole business model thrives on in-person learning and activities. Like most of America, we moved to Zoom, and by some miracle, people kept showing up. We did classes everyday on Zoom, just like we would’ve done pre Covid. We continued teaching this way for the next few months. Eventually, we were able to move back to in-person classes with social distancing in masks. After a few months of that, we were able to fully resume classes as normal. Covid really gave all of us a new appreciation for face to face learning and interaction.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Evolution Dance Company?
Our studio started with strictly recreational classes. It was for dancers who just wanted to dance and learn for fun! No competition, just an end of the year recital to highlight everything they learned that year. The previous studio owners had great success with this model, and everyone loved it! As much as I love recreational classes, the former competitive dancer in me couldn’t help but start a competitive program. We still offer recreational classes (it’s our primary focus), but we do offer a more advanced competitive track for those that want to do more!

I really enjoy having both recreational and competitive programs, because it gives everyone to an option to do what they feel is right for them. We teach ages 3-18, so there really is something for everyone here!

Pricing:

• Classes are $85 a Month
• Each Additional Class is $10 Off
• Discounts Apply to Siblings as Well

Contact Info:

• Website: https://evolutiondancei45.com/
• Instagram: @evolutiondancei45
• Facebook: @evolutiondancei45

Image Credits
Jennifer Hill- Simply Divine Photography
Angel Guerrero- Elevated Photography