Today we’d like to introduce you to Julie Mauk.
Hi Julie, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My journey with Empowered by Dance started in 2018. I’ve always wanted to own my own studio and after the studio I worked at closed down I thought, “what better time than the present”. My initial goal was to create a safe space for my dancers whose home studio closed. With new floors and some mirrors, my sister and I converted our family room into a dance room—our very own home studio. We did not realize the significance of this at the time, but in creating a dance room in our family room, our studio is rooted in home at its core. For many in the dance community, dance is home—our safe space to do what we love. Empowered By Dance is exactly this, home—a space to dance, express, accept, and be empowered.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I am very fortunate to have the support of my family and friends who have helped patch up potholes in the road less traveled. One of my biggest struggles initially was gaining new clientele—when I was trying to find a new customer base, it was important to me to be transparent about having a home studio. This added a layer of complexity because I needed to ensure that dancers and their parents felt comfortable and welcome coming into our home. It’s tough to do this on dancers’ first class while teaching and accommodating other existing dancers. My sister and I made sure to both be present whenever we had new students so that one of us could start stretches and introductions while the other filled out paperwork and answered any questions the new dancer/their parents might have. More recently, the pandemic has thrown a wretch in our timeline of moving into a larger space, but we were lucky enough to have not found the right new space when we were looking in December of 2019. It’s was a blessing in disguise because we would have been closed our first year of business outside of our home and that would have been devastating for us emotionally and financially. What we once thought was our biggest obstacle has turned out to be our competitive advantage and we could not express enough gratitude for how serendipitous the location of our studio has been.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I foster talent in new dancers and reignite the fire in dancers who are experiencing burnout. I specialize in choreography and love to showcase my work and the progress of my dancers at: performances, competitions and in concept videos. I am known for being an active teacher who strives to push my students to the limits while utilizing different teaching methods based on each student’s learning preference.
What were you like growing up?
I’ve always been an extrovert who has found energy in being around and connecting with people. Collaborating and creating are my safe space which is why I have been a part of a team in every chapter of life so far. My interests are simple—doing what makes me happy. As far as I can remember, that has been dancing which is why I have found so much love and purpose in starting Empowered by Dance.
Pricing:
- $15 weekly for unlimited zoom classes
- $40/hr for private lessons
- $250 for choreographed routines [competitions, weddings, other special events]
Contact Info:
- Email: EmpoweredByDanceStudio@gmail.com
- Website: www.empoweredbydance.com
- Instagram: @empoweredbydance
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/empoweredbydance/?ti=as
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4763et1TreBe3U74gVAwWg
Image Credits
Photographer: Stephanie Romero www.stephanieromeroimagine.com/
