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Date: 8/3/2021
CHICOPEE – Carol’s Dance Studio is the oldest dance studio in Chicopee. The studio has been in business for 63 years and is now owned by Tammie Sypek. Previously it was owned by Carol Barker from 1958 to 1988 and Carol O’Leary from 1988 to 2018. After a hard year of Zoom classes and COVID-19 precautions, Carol’s Dance Studio is bouncing back to normal and ready to welcome new dancers.
According to Sypek, Carol’s Dance Studio had to close from March 2020 until late summer of 2020. During this time, the studio switched to offering Zoom classes instead of their usual in-person.
“Zoom was definitely a challenge to try to teach the kids, especially the little ones that never danced before,” said Sypek. “We did lose a lot of kids when the pandemic started. A lot of parents didn’t want to be bothered with the Zoom stuff, so they just pulled them and that stinks for the kids.”
With a sense of normalcy now returning, Sypek said that Carol’s Dance Studio is back to full capacity in-person classes and just had their summer recital in July.
The studio welcomes students from ages three and up and offers a variety of classes in pop, hip hop, jazz, ballet and more. Sypek said that with the summer dance season over, new classes will begin after Labor Day on Sept. 7.
“Kids are excited to sign up and get going on a new year,” she said. “We’re pretty busy and now a lot of new parents are calling for new registrations, so it seems like things are starting to come back around again.”
During the summer of 2020, Sypek said that the studio had to follow all COVID-19 precautions including hand sanitizing, masks, staying six feet apart, limiting class sizes to 10 students and under and closing their waiting room. She said that she wasn’t sure the studio would end up making it.
“Every day I’d say ‘Oh we’re never gonna make it through this. It’s so much work,’ but you just do what you gotta do to make it through and we did, so it feels great to be back to normal now and have the kids come in,” said Sypek.
She said that she is excited to build connections with both the students and their parents again. According to Sypek, Carol’s Dance Studio is a close knit group that focuses on being together and being a family.
“We’re family oriented and there’s a family atmosphere when you’re here. All kids are treated equally and we're not a huge studio, so we are able to interact with the parents and have that connection with them as well,” she said.
Sypek also praised her staff and how they connect with and treat the students.
“My staff is great. They work wonderfully with the kids, they care about each kid and they fix their steps when they’re wrong so that they look proper and their technique is correct,” she said.
Those interested in learning more about Carol’s Dance Studio or signing their child up for a class are encouraged to visit their website at http://www.carolsdancestudio.com/ or call 592-7113.