By Sandra Lewrey
There is a dance studio in the Glebe that many dancers in this city think of as a second home.
It is a small, family-run business that has been handed down the generations for the past 43 years. Hundreds of dancers have grown up here, practising hours a week to perfect their art.
In the often competitive world of dance, studios stress the importance of hard work and dedication, and this one is no exception. But where this school differs from the others is its attempt to instill a sense of fun and family in each of its dancers.
Founded by Ingrid Bolf in 1956, the Bolf Dance Academy has always emphasized a caring and family-centred atmosphere.
For many years, Bolf taught classes out of her home with the help of her daughter, Miss Rosemary.
Today, the Bolf Dance Academy has a larger home at 309 First Ave., but the personalized attention that made Bolf’s home studio a success still remains.
“There’s no pressure to perform, no idealism and no perfection to live up to,” says 17-year-old ballet and jazz student Anne Merritt. “Just a friendly group of people you build some wonderful long relationships with.”
Miss Rosemary, current director of the Bolf Dance Academy, can attest to that fact.
When her mother turned over control of the studio to her in 1994, Miss Rosemary had already been teaching since age 12. During her 23 years at Bolf, she has seen many friends and students come and go, but she strives to keep in touch with them all.
“You spend so much time with these people that they’re like family to you,” says Miss Rosemary. “You come to know them so well that it’s sometimes very difficult to let go. It’s like watching your kids go off to college.”
But despite the difficulties of watching her “babies” grow up and leave the studio, Miss Rosemary says there is nothing she would rather be doing.
“I love watching my students go through different stages of their life,” she says. “It’s nice to know that I’ve had an impact on them as they grow up.”
The impact she has had may be more profound than she thinks.
Students credit her with providing a fun and exciting outlet for their creative energies.
Meghan Joy, 16, has been dancing at the Bolf Dance Academy since she was three. She says Miss Rosemary makes dancing both fun and relaxing.
“The atmosphere at Bolf is very laid-back,” says Joy. “A lot of us dance just for fun, and we’re not pushed into things we don’t want to do.”
Merritt adds that because the Bolf Dance Academy doesn’t take part in competitions, there is a greater sense of family and camaraderie among the dancers and teachers.
“We’re all one big family,” says Merritt. “I could never bring myself to look at another dancer as competition.”