5 Questions with The Dance Gallery’s Christine
In an effort to get to know more about the people who make Round Rock such a great place to live, I am resurrecting a series I did years ago called “5 Questions With….” As I did in the past, I will be asking a few questions of interesting people of Round Rock – people who work hard behind the scenes, people who strive to make our city great, people who make fun events & places possible in our city, and just cool folks you need to know.
But I wanted to take it a step further and reach out to as many businesses owners in Round Rock as I can. I want to catch up with them to learn how their business is doing under these conditions. And see if & how we can help keep them in businesses. I think you will be happy to hear some of the unique ways that businesses have adapted to the changes or are making plans to offer new products and services once they do open.
Round Rock caters to a family lifestyle in such a great way – that is when everything is running correctly. So during these stay-at-home orders, you can imagine all the businesses that are responsible for children’s enrichment have had to close their doors.
The Dance Gallery, located in Northeast Round Rock, is one of those businesses. This dance studio, that has been helping children learn to dance for over a decade, now has no kids chattering in their building.
And while you may not have kids who are dancing, you can’t help but have your heartstrings pulled just thinking of all those precious kids not getting to dance – or getting to perform their dance recital this year.
One thing Christine Hayes, owner of The Dance Gallery, doesn’t mention in her answers below, is the years of giving back her dance studio has done. Each year, The Dance Gallery performs a dance benefit where the beneficiary is a worthy cause here in the local area. In years past, they have given back to HeartGift, Battle for a Cure, and more.
Let’s hear how Christine Hayes & The Dance Gallery are doing:
What is The Dance Gallery?
The Dance Gallery has been providing dance education to students of all ages in the Round Rock area for 11 years. We offer classes in Ballet, Tap, Jazz, Lyrical/Contemporary, Hip Hop, Children’s Combination and Creative Movement. We opened in 2009 in a shopping center off Old Settler’s Blvd.
In 2016 we bought land in north east Round Rock and began to build the studio home that we are in today on Satellite View, across from the Teravista neighborhood.
What is the status of your business now?
We have worked hard to come up with creative solutions to keep our dancers moving, learning and having fun during this uncertain time. We believe if we can provide some normalcy and joy to our dance kiddos, then we hopefully can continue to be a benefit to our dance family. Although our studio’s physical location will be closed until further notice, we opened our digital door, providing our clients with a virtual dance experience through a variety of ways.
We know that it’s not the same as taking class in the studio and therefore we have given all of our families discounted tuition. In addition, we are providing free classes to any families who have lost their job due to COVID-19 concerns. With all that being said, we have already lost many clients due to this situation and it’s heartbreaking for all of us.
What do you miss most about your business?
We miss our dancers! We spend so much time together every week that we quickly become one big family. The studio becomes a second home to our teachers and our students. We can’t wait to see our dance family again soon!
What are the plans for the future for The Dance Gallery?
We will continue providing online dance education for the remainder of the season for those who have chosen to stay with us during this time. We hope to be able to open our physical doors again soon. Our 11th annual recital was scheduled for mid-June. We are looking into alternative performance solutions, including a possible first-ever virtual recital! We are praying for the best solution possible so that we and other small businesses can continue serving our community for years to come.
What has been a few of your favorite “at-home” activities during this time?
Dinner with my family! Being a dance teacher and studio owner, I am usually at the studio during dinner time. Now with the stay-at-home orders I am able to spend dinner every night with my family.
Bonus – what’s the first thing you will do once the Stay-at-Home mandate is lifted?
We are having the biggest dance party EVER!
Find Out How Other Round Rock Businesses Are Doing:
The Yogurt Experience’s Rebecca Darling
Mays Street Boutique’s Ashley Deli
My Party Palace’s Michelle Azuara
Mi Mundo Coffeehouse & Roastery’s Sabin Shrestha
Tammy Kay’s Boutique’s Tammy Munguia
Monster Mini Golf’s Brian & Amy Smith
The Dance Gallery’s Christine Hayes
Huntington Learning Center’s Tanuja Deo
Penfold Theatre Company
Craft & Racked Chris & Sara Freeman
Wildflower Orthodontics
Lifetime Vision Care’s Dr. Jennifer Khanh
Mathnasium of East RR’s Jennifer Faulkner
Paige’s Bakehouse – Paige Perry
The Rock/Alcove Cantina/The Flats’ Michelle Ly
Round Rock Dental Group’s Dr. Eric Hoffman
Love Barre’s Kristin Crawford
Hot Dog Marketing’s Jessica Scanlon
The Mirror & I’s Val Frazee
Renzi’s Tutoring & Guitar’s CJ & Tammy Renzi
If you are a small business who has been effected by the stay-at-home order, we’d love to hear from you to tell your story! Please email me at rebecca@roundtherocktx.com
