Studio of Dance Arts

The Studio of the Dance Arts in Seneca Falls, New York is in its 48th year under owner-director Doreen Leary McCann, who holds a BA in dance from SUNY Brockport, where she studied under Garth Fagan and Suzanne Newman, and who continues to attend teacher workshops and intensives. The studio bills itself as the only school in the area with certified and degreed dance instructors, arguing that college-trained teachers bring the psychology and physiology grounding needed to avoid injury; correct technique and body placement are taught in every class and students are taught by positive reinforcement with no negativism allowed. Instruction covers ballet and pointe, tap, jazz, lyrical, contemporary, modern, hip hop and acrobatics, with classes from pre-school age 3 through senior citizens and dedicated classes for people with disabilities. Enrollment options run from one class a week to unlimited, with multi-class and family discounts and a published dress code. McCann also choreographs the studio's competition teams, which have won high gold and first-place awards and titles such as Junior Miss Dance USA of NY.