Walpole Dance Center Leaps Into 40th Year

WALPOLE, MA - As Peggy Sadowski walked the corridor of the Walpole Dance Studio she created and has run for four decades, she pointed to the pictures of her students that lined the walls.

They elicited a cascade of happy memories of pre-pandemic performances, a history she hopes will continue as the studio celebrates its 40th anniversary season. The studio now is returning to full classes after a year of COVID-19 restrictions.

"Some of these girls I have known since they were three or four years old," Sadowski said of her teenage troupes. "They are a part of the family. I have one senior who has been with me for 16 years."

The studio, located at 948 Main Street, was able to reopen last September after six months of being shuttered because of the state mandate during the height of the pandemic.

"We didn't open the waiting room where the parents sat with their children," Sadowski said. "We're going to keep it closed in September and see how things go. We have been following all of the state protocols."

The two practice rooms were immaculate, with a series of polished mirrors and gleaming floors. Air purifiers cleansed the air in preparation for an open house.

"We were constantly sterilizing the bars and the mirrors to keep everyone safe," she noted of last year's classes. "We had to stagger the classes because the kids had to go in one door and out the other. As soon as one class left, my assistant and I would be Swiffering the floors for the next class. It's a safe environment where we want kids to learn and have fun."

She added that the parents have been very cooperative and supportive during the pandemic, adapting to the regulations.

"We did lose some of the younger kids during the pandemic," Sadowski explained. "But we are starting to see them return now. That's nice to see."

The majority of her students are too young to be vaccinated, so currently masks will be mandatory in keeping with the statewide school policy requiring universal masking indoors.

"The kids have done really well with the masks," she said. "No one has ever complained."

There have been no COVID-19 cases at the studio, Sadowski noted. She set up Zoom classes during the pandemic for those who wanted to continue with their studies at home.

"We offered Zoom to everybody to make sure that everyone felt safe," she said. "Two of my students came during the last two sessions before the recital to practice with the class. You never would have known that they Zoomed."

Class sizes were restricted to nine students then rather than the usual dozen, with mirrors spaced six feet apart.

Sadowski has a long history in the industry. She majored in dance at the Boston Conservatory after studying since she was young.

"I did it because I had no desire to dance but to teach," she explained. "When I first graduated, I was teaching at various recreation departments and the Y. The Y in Walpole was closing at the time, and I had a small group of students. I felt that, if I didn't open a studio, I would lose them."

She opened the original location of the Walpole Dance Company in 1982 directly across Main Street from its current home until it moved in 1996. That site now hosts the Hanley Academy of Irish Dance.

"The dance companies in Walpole have a friendly relationship," Sadowski stressed. "We don't feel like we're in competition with each other."

She noted that it is not a competitive program. There is a recital at the end of the year for students to demonstrate what they have learned.

"Sometimes we will perform at an event or a nursing home," Sadowski said. "But here we really focus on technique."

Sadowski was the only instructor for many years, opening the school for two days a week. Once enrollment expanded, she hired current assistant Kristen Kuznezov O'Brien, who had been her student from age four through adulthood. At one point, classes were held six days a week, but now the schedule is for five.

Kuznezov O'Brien followed in Sadowski's footsteps, becoming an assistant at the school where she received her training as a child.

"One day my instructor had to leave, so I just carried on," Sadowski said.

Kuznezov O'Brien directs the modern and jazz division as well as social media outreach. Sadowski specializes in ballet, which she insists that students keep as the core of their repertoire.

The school offers classes in pre-school, ballet, tap, jazz, modern and lyrical dance. It did offer hip hop, but Sadowski currently is seeking an instructor.

Kuznezov O'Brien began working part-time at the studio while in high school and continued while studying dance at Dean College in Franklin.

"I've always enjoyed dance and teaching my sisters at home," she said. "I knew it was something that I wanted to do. When I was asked to be an assistant, that really fueled my passion for teaching."

"A couple of my students have become dance instructors and majored in dance," added Sadowski. "But a majority of them perform in dance clubs or troupes in college."

The secret to Sadowski's success is a balance between structure and fun, she said.

"Kids have so many more opportunities now in terms of activities," Sadowski explained. "The ones that are here are committed. We always said that if you make a mistake, you correct it the next time and not to be stressed. You have to keep it a really positive environment."

The pair is now teaching what they call "grand-students," the children of those who have stepped into ballet with Sadowski.

"It's a great tradition to see families coming back," she said. "And so many former students come back to visit. My oldest grand-student is now a junior."

In addition to the training and the artistry, dance also provides a release from the tensions students have been experiencing, she noted.

"I tell them that when they come here just to focus on dance," she said. "It helps them forget troubles and homework."

"We strive for no drama here," Kuznezov O'Brien added. "We just want them to learn and be happy. We have a quote from a parent on our website that describes what we go for: 'We strike the right balance between structure and fun, creativity and tradition.'"

"Walpole has been very good to us over the years," Sadowski said. "I wouldn't be here for 40 years if I didn't love what I do."

To learn more, go to https://www.walpoledancecenter.... Register for classes here: https://www.walpoledancecenter....