Marchands Expand Dance Biz [Faces of Miller Place-Rocky Point]

Expanding any small business in such tight economic times might seem like a risky move, but owner Margie Marchand moves to a different tune than most.

The school, which has operated out of the Miller Place Plaza since 1998, just added an extra 1,000 square feet, expanding the reception area and adding a third dance room.

“It was a leap of faith,” Marchand said.

And it wasn’t her first.

The life-long dancer started her business out of her garage in 1976, teaching children from the neighborhood in a variety of dance styles. Later on, as her popularity grew, she moved the business out of her home into a local tennis club that gave her space. But everything changed in 1998 when her husband Bob died of multiple myeloma, a deadly form of cancer that affects a person’s bone marrow.

Marchand, who had two children at home had to make perhaps her greatest leap of faith, borrowing heavily to set up her dance school in Miller Place as a place that could support her family.

“He always said if I built it they would come,” she said.

While other dance schools focus of regiment, discipline and training dancers to enter prestigious dance conservatories, Marchand has a much different approach.

Competition, uniforms and many other conventional dance studio habits are foregone in favor of a more relaxed atmosphere where students can dance just for the love of it.

“They might not always have a pointed toe, but they will always have a smile on their face,” said Marchand, who added that dance has become a competitive sport. While other schools will hold classes five days a week, Marchand on average has students come for an hour a week.

“You won’t find us in competitions,” she said, though that doesn’t mean the troupe doesn’t perform. For years, Marchand has held its annual recital at the Staller Center at Stony Brook University.

However, Marchand is not averse to sending student’s who are interested in taking their dance to greater heights to some of the local dance studios in the area.

Marchand, who said she has started to see former students bring their own kids in for dance classes, also has family help. Her daughter Sommer is also a teacher at the school, having caught the love of dance, like her mother, at a very young age.

And although times are tight, the Marchands said they are not having any problems getting parents to spend the money for their children’s dance classes. In fact, in 10 years they hope to own a building of their own.

For the Marchands, the word “dream” isn’t something they throw around lightly. In fact, their studio windows feature sayings about the power of dream.

“I always say I’m living my dream,” Margie said.