Dancers Studio Still Serving Community

For 24 years, The Dancers Studio in Kennesaw has been teaching kids to dance to a beat. The Cherokee Street studio has made it through a tough economy but is still standing--because of family.

"We're a family-owned and family-operated business," said Laura Holder, whose mother, Brenda Mealor, owns the business and teaches 75 percent of the classes. "Every small business in town has been hit hard because of the economy. We've had a 50 percent attrition rate." Her dad, Billy, is the studio handyman; her sister, Lesley Anne, is a dancer in New York, and their cousins handle the website.

Holder said that, before the 9/11 attacks, they had about 160 students, and dropped by 50% since then. "Kids' activities are the easiest thing to cut out in tough economic times," she said. They are beginning to see the numbers change and students returning to the dance floor.

The full-service studio offers classes for ages 3 and up in ballet, tap, jazz, hip-hop and point. At last week's festival in downtown Kennesaw, several of the age groups from The Dancers Studio performed to the delight of the crowds gathered.

The studio is offering specials through September for registration discounts. For more information, call 770-422-3256 or visit www.thedancerstudio.com.