Dance Factory: Megan Toth & Kara Clawson

Photos by John Burns

After experiencing Dance Factory as students and teachers, co-owners Megan Toth and Kara Clawson are finally in the position to take the 41-year- old studio in a completely new direction. Yet their goal is simple: preserve the culture that helped them blossom, both as dancers and as adults.

“We have a deep love for this place because it’s where we spent lots of time as kids,” said Toth. “It really shaped us into who we are today.”

Dance Factory offers jazz, hip hop, tap, ballet and contemporary classes to students ages 18 months through adult. Students can take classes for fun or audition for a competitive dance team.

Close to 300 dancers attend class each week. Toth and Clawson squeeze every usable inch of their 11,000 square-foot space in Fairlawn Plaza when classes are in session. Their goal is for each student to take three to five classes a week.

“We really just hope to provide the opportunity for as many kids to dance as we can,” said Toth.

MARKETING WITH SMILES

Toth and Clawson use a powerful marketing strategy: make class as fun as possible. Events like the studio’s parent night, a once-a-month opportunity for moms and dads to sit in on their child’s class, are key in showing parents the money they pay for tuition is well spent.

“The smiles on their faces when kids leave class and run up to their parents at the end of the night means everything,” said Toth. “As a parent myself, that would appeal to me the most.” Dance Factory also uses social media to advertise. But the most impactful marketing is the reputation that comes with four decades of happy students.

“It helps tremendously that the studio has been around for a long time because of the number of students who have walked through these doors,” said Toth. “Several of my friends have kiddos who are starting now. It’s like a family, and it just continues to cycle forever and ever.”

Rather than go out of their way to change the studio, Toth and Clawson are focused on keeping that cycle going.

“I don’t feel like anything we are doing is broken. We grow every year, and that’s all that I can hope for,” said Toth. “As a business, I feel like we’re right on track.”

TEACH THEM YOUNG

While they aren’t out to change the culture, Toth and Clawson have set out to expand their offerings for their littlest dancers ages 18 months through three years old. Their instinct proved to be on target. As they added more classes, demand followed.

Enrolling more toddlers doesn’t just amp up the studio’s cuteness factor, it also brings more opportunities to breed dancers who can’t get enough time in the studio.

“Once they’re dancing for a few years, it becomes ingrained in them,” said Toth. “At that point, it’s our job to make sure they continue to love it.”

STAGE LESSONS

While Toth said she and Clawson aren’t as focused on competition as previous owners, Dance Factory’s competitive arm remains a strong part of the studio. Starting as early as kindergarten, dancers can go to three competitions a year, where they are critiqued and scored for their routines.

“Kiddos can begin competing when they are four to five years old,” Toth said.

But unlike sports, Toth said video critiques make competitive dance different than, say, a soccer tournament.

“As we watch the videos, it’s really important to Kara and me that the kids understand this is how you grow,” said Toth. “We try to teach them not to feel defeated, to hold on to the praise but to also use those critiques to light a fire for us to work really hard.”

Toth hopes understanding criticism is a lesson her dancers carry with them into adulthood.

“You don’t always get first place. You don’t always get the job. You don’t always get picked for this, that or the other thing,” said Toth. “It’s so important to know how to pick yourself up and keep going forward. It makes the victories that much sweeter.”

GROWING UP AS A TEAM

While Toth said her competitive dancers like to win, she thinks they are mostly drawn to the team atmosphere.

“Feeling like you’re a part of something is a good feeling,” Toth said. “As a business owner, it’s so rewarding to watch them grow as a team and grow up together.”

Toth and Clawson experienced that team connection in their own childhoods.

“They come from different walks of life, they like and dislike different things, but when they come here they have one common thing: they love dance,” she said “It’s those relationships that
they carry with them forever.”