OUR MISSION
BALANCING ARTISTRY & HUMILITY STEP-BY-STEP
At Bethany Ann Hellen Studios, the well-being of our students is always our top priority. No award, trophy, placement, title, recognition, or popularity is worth compromising the safety and protection of our dancers. This core value shapes everything we do, and our hope is that it is reflected in every class we teach.
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We are deeply committed to prioritizing our dancers’ physical, emotional, and sexual safety. This commitment is evident in our conscientious selection of age-appropriate costumes and choreography, and in our avoidance of music containing inappropriate content such as references to drug use, sexual themes, violence, or explicit language.
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Dance should help build self-confidence and a sense of worth. We must continually consider the messages conveyed through our movements, music, and costume choices—and how these choices reflect the value we place on ourselves and others. Ultimately, the dancer must always be prioritized above the dance.
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BAHS is dedicated not only to developing artistry and technique but also to nurturing humility and meaningful life values. In a world often marked by negativity and darkness, we strive to be a light.
OUR HISTORY
BAHS started as a dream of creating a safe, non-competitive, "no-fail" environment where the focus would be on fun, encouragement, building confidence & bolstering kindness WHILE learning to dance. Technique & skill would, of course, be important. But more important would be to instill values that would help dancers navigate through all aspects of life.
That dream turned into a reality when we opened for our first season in 2012 in Bessemer, MI. Three years later, we moved into our 2nd studio at our downtown location in Ironwood, MI. Throughout the 10 years we spent there, our dance family continued to grow and we saw the increasing need for a larger studio with a layout that suited our needs. We have now moved into our (hopefully!) forever home on the highway in Ironwood with a brand new studio- built to specification and with plenty of room to grow.
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Together, we've created much more than a business- we've created a family. It's so exciting to share the love of dance with students and to watch them grow- physically, emotionally and technically- year after year.
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OUR FACILITY
Safety is important to us. That is why we have installed sprung dance floors in both of our dance rooms, which can greatly reduce the likelihood of injury from impact. A true "sprung" floor is designed to absorb shock and dampen bounce. Because these floors give landings and movement a softer feel, aside from reducing injury, they are said to greatly enhance performance. A concrete floor, or a floor placed over concrete without the floating sub-floor underneath, has no "give" & results in the body absorbing the energy of that impact.