Factory Street Studio

Factory Street Studio is one of the Athens Foundations’ spring grant recipients. The dance studio received $1,350 in grants and will be using the money to make renovations to the dance floor and a broken door.

The scuffed up, over-sanded hardwood dance floor will be replaced with a permanent Harlequin Standfast floor made of PVC. It is a specialized floor made specifically for dance studios and has a 30 year lifespan. The downstairs exterior door is no longer capable of opening and thus it will be replaced with a new door, eliminating the safety hazard the current broken door poses.

Factory Street Studio is a pre-professional and recreational dance organization which was founded in 1978 by two Ohio University dance graduates, Cita Strauss and Marina Walchi. The studio’s mission is to provide an educational program to South East Ohio dedicated to teaching creative dance, movement, and other artistic expressions. The staff aims to maximize students self-esteem and personal growth as well as dance technique and cooperative spirit.

At Factory Street, courses are offered in modern, ballet, jazz, tap, pointe, hip-hop, and modern composition. Twenty eight classes are offered every 14 week semester, with two concerts yearly. The studio has recently added two new programs to the course; taking upper class students to the Ohio Dance Festival and a visiting artists in composition program. Student age ranges from pre-school to adult.

By receiving this grant money, Factory Street is able to increase their ability to attract more students because as the quality of the building improves, enrollment in courses increases. And as more students get involved, the studio is given a greater opportunity to “encourage personal growth and cooperative spirit through creative dance and movement.”