It was just about one year ago when we spoke with Lauren Greenwood, a dancer, and owner of The Studio, about her new business endeavor in Hoboken. She was set to open a first-of-its-kind dance studio for adults. Unfortunately, just after her first class schedule was announced, the pandemic hit and she was unable to open. We love to see businesses thriving and overcoming the adversity that the pandemic so kindly brought with it and now we are so excited to welcome The Studio to Hoboken for real this time in the former Pavana Yoga studio space at 251 1st Street. Hoboken Girl got the chance to speak with Lauren about all things professional dance and what to expect from The Studio classes. Read on for our interview with Lauren Greenwood, the owner of The Studio in Hoboken.
Hoboken Girl: Tell us a little bit about yourself. Were you a dancer growing up?
Lauren Greenwood: I was a dancer and danced from the time I was four all through college. I, unfortunately, had a back injury and they said I wouldn’t be able to do this professionally. They were right and I realized once I got out of college there was really no place to go as soon as I moved out of the city. I let it go for a long time and decided to put it in my back pocket and move on but dance has always been my #1 and the hardest thing for me to lose so I thought, well, I can’t teach but I know people who can.
HG: I love the concept of a dance studio for adults only. What made you decide to pursue this?
LG: I found there were so many people like myself who said “I grew up dancing but now…” so why can’t we have a corporate/day job and also dance? The best shape I was in was when I was dancing and it was fun. I was working out at different places but I still just wanted to dance so I decided to open it up myself. There’s of course ballroom and Zumba classes but nothing as far as ballet, tap, jazz, etc.
HG: You were a professional dancer but what about people who want to take a class but may feel intimidated to do so if they’ve never danced before?
LG: Our classes are a beginner to advanced so whether you’ve never danced before or just haven’t danced in ten years, there’s a level for you. We know it’s going to run the gambit between beginner to advanced and that allows us to grow with our students which is exciting. If we do have a lot of advanced students, there is always the possibility of creating an advanced-level class.
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Hoboken Girl: Can you tell us a little bit about where you were a year ago with the Studio versus where you are now?
LG: I was going to start on a smaller scale to try it out and see what the response would be. It was going to be a studio on Newark Street and I was going to be sharing the space with a CrossFit gym that had a dance studio across the hall so classes would have been held only a couple of days a week. I had a dancer from Moulin Rouge coming in, a tap teacher, an Italian dancer, and we were teed up to open up March 31st and sadly everything was shut down in mid-march. As disappointing as that was, the way things have worked out now is even better because we now have our own dedicated space that we don’t share which allows us to offer many more options.
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HG: What can people expect a class to look like at The Studio?
LG: Each class will be one full hour and it will depend on the genre but the general basis is a really solid warmup, usually followed by some technique work either across the floor or center floor work. From there, you’re learning or working on techniques from a combination and then finally moving into learning the combination. The genres we offer include street jazz, broadway jazz, fosse jazz, tap, ballet, contemporary, and even a potential heels class {which has been very highly requested}.
HG: And what about the teachers? Who will they be?
LG: You’ll have teachers who teach on a regular basis but because they are working in the professional dance world, some will also be coming in and out which makes it fun. Some of the teachers currently teach or have taught at Steps and Broadway Dance Center in the city. One teacher is a professional male ballerina originally from Italy who has toured with many companies worldwide. The list of experiences these teachers have is a lengthy one but to name a few, some of our teachers are in Hamilton on Broadway, danced in the Grammys, appeared on World of Dance, and so much more. We plan to do some fun once-a-month events where teachers who aren’t as available because they’re working on Broadway or elsewhere will come in to teach for one whole day or one afternoon to be special guest teachers.
For anyone who is interested in joining in on The Studio classes, a schedule will be posted by mid-April at the very latest. To view these class schedules and for more information, visit www.thestudioathoboken.com.
