We were lucky to catch up with Lindsay Giedl recently and have shared our conversation below.
Lindsay, appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to hear the backstory behind a risk you’ve taken – whether big or small, walk us through what it was like and how it ultimately turned out.
Opening The Studio Athens during the pandemic was a huge risk. At the time, I (Lindsay Giedl) was living in Atlanta and looking to move back to Athens. I was in negotiations with a local dance studio that decided to close during this time. Coincidentally, Cathy Rumfelt was renting space at the same local dance studio for her business, Allegro Athens. Our mutual connection, Grace Bagwell Adams was looking to return to dance after being on maternity leave. We all decided to meet in March 2021 to brainstorm ideas. It was through this conversation that The Studio Athens was born! I was nervous not knowing if students would register, if we would be able to keep everyone safe through the unknowns of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the supply chain demand crisis effecting the products needed to run a successful dance studio. We were able to get The Studio Athens off the ground in just 2 months and was able to fill 6 weeks of summer camps and adult drop-in classes.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
The Studio Athens opened in May of 2021 by Lindsay Giedl, Cathy Rumfelt, and Grace Bagwell Adams. We are located in the Chase Park Warehouse of Athens, Georgia, a thriving arts space for new and established businesses. We provide recreational dance classes for ages 3-18, as well as, a pre-professional training program and performance company named The Studio Company. The Studio Company is an opportunity for dancers ages 8-18 to train in a well-rounded curriculum of dance technique focused on artistry, discipline, performance, and community. The dancers in The Studio Company have an option to opt into our competition team where dancers are given the opportunity to attend conventions and multiple dance competitions per year. For dancers ages 5-8 who are interested in honing the beginnings of dance technique, we offer two levels of a pre company that is a direct feed into The Studio Company. We recently launched Triple Threat Musical Theatre Company for youth students interested in refining and studying the art of acting, singing, and dancing. This company offers multiple performance opportunities each year. Finally, The Studio Athens houses Athens only youth tap company, Youth Tap Company.
In addition, The Studio Athens offers 8 thriving adult dance companies in the styles of burlesque, tap, musical theatre, belly dance, and swing. These companies perform multiple shows per year, as well as benefit concerts supporting local Athens non-profits and businesses. Weekly, we offer adult drop in classes for all levels, genders, bodies, and abilities. The Studio Athens strives to provide an open and inviting space for each person who walks through the door.
Arts for all. All for arts.
Come see our production of The Grinch – December 9th at 7 PM & December 10th at 7 PM and 2 PM at The UGA Fine Arts Theatre! Featuring: The Studio Company, Triple Threat Musical Theatre Company, Youth Tap Company, Athens Theatre Company, Normaltown Tap Company, Athena Rhythm, and both of our Pre Companies. Tickets are available now: www.thestudioath.com
We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?
Consistency. You must be committed to posting quality content daily, as well as following your personal brand and color scheme. I use the schedule post feature to ensure that content is being posted even during our busiest of times.
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
The performances are the most rewarding part of creating. This includes getting to performed or seeing your work performed on the stage. It is truly rewarding to see the final product on the stage.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.thestudioath.com
- Instagram: @thestudioath
- Facebook: /thestudioath
Image Credits
Fairography Photography