We recently connected with Nicole Swope and have shared our conversation below.

Nicole, 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.

This whole career was a giant risk! I was 21 years old when I opened my dance studio on North Atherton Street in State College. That area is now a bank, with Wegman’s, Target, Applebees, etc. behind it which was all trees and woods back in 1991 when the studio was there. It was such a risk that I don’t think I would take at my age of 55 now. Back then, I had just graduated from Penn State and had just gotten married. I was like, “Hey, why not?’
We found a cute commercial building that was a two car garage with some office space next to Boller’s Dairy Queen. That ice cream shop loved us! All the kids and parents would walk over before and after dance to get their treats.
We had to spend some money to get it up to code and away we went!
It was a bit shocking to learn all of the things it takes to run a dance studio business; the payroll, the taxes (payroll, school district, property, etc.), the maintenance, the accounting, the supplies, the insurance, and on and on.
We were in this space for five years. Then, the room connected to our building became available so we expanded and had two dance studios for the next five years.
Then, 23 years ago, we took another risk and built a building on Sandy Drive. That whole process was eye opening as well; the code rules, the hold ups, the choosing and committing to all of the materials, and so many other stressful decisions. It also made it complicated to start our dance year in one space, and then move to the new one. Paying for both was a difficult reality.
But, after all these years (33), I can say that it was all worth that risk all those years ago. I have worked with thousands of children and their families and it has been a complete thrill and blessing.

Nicole, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I studied dance since I was five years old. It was always my passion. I started teaching for my teacher at her studio in Altoona PA when I was 13. I continued to dance and teach throughout high school and college at Penn State. I choreographed musicals, pageants, and recitals. I graduated from Penn State in 1991 with a Journalism degree, minoring in Business. While I enjoyed my time in college, it was teaching dance that I wanted to make as a career.
I took a risk, and started my own studio the summer after graduation in May of 1991.
We offer ballet, tap, pointe, jazz, acrobatics, lyrical, contemporary, and hip hop to dancers two and up.
We have instructors and choreographers who bring fresh and professional qualities to our programs. We put on
“The Nutcracker” (with some of our own twists to it) every December and a Spring Recital every May/June at the State Theatre.
I continue to get involved with many community/charity events through choreography and having my dancers perform. We can be seen at Jana Marie Foundation events, Tides events, Gloria Gates Foundation events, Waly Warmth events, festivals, and many other fundraisers throughout the year.
I am most proud of all the relationships I have developed through the years with my instructors, choreographers, dancers, their families, and colleagues. I am proud of the family business that myself, my husband, and daughter have created in this community. We love our Centre Dance family!
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Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

I think for so many of us business owners, we would say one word…COVID 19!
It was a terrifying experience being told that you were not permitted to operate your business. How will I pay my teachers? How will I train my dancers? How will I stay in business after 32 years?
In March of 2020, we moved our classes online and ran our normal schedule. At first, the students were motivated and curious enough to be engaged in this new forum. But, after many weeks of this, they grew tired and distracted. We all did it, but it was challenging. Our competitions that we were signed up for were canceled. Our annual Spring Recital was to be in June; postponed to August that never was to be at the theatre. We pivoted and decided to offer a ‘drive in recital’ at the Super 322 in Woodland, PA. I purchased videos from competitions that we had done and had the dancers (with many precautions) come in to the studio and record their dances that they had been working on all spring. I hired a professional media person to transfer all of the video to be compatible with the drive in equipment. This was stressful! But, when we saw all of the cars line up to come in to our show it was worth it. It was so exciting to see all of our dancers and their families at this event. It was packed!
Then came “Nutcracker.” The kids begged to be able to do it in some way. So, we rented the Boal Mansion in Boalsburg and filmed a movie of ACT 1 (with many precautions). We used the mansion, the outdoor stage, the tree forest across the street, and the Military Museum property. We were able to use the Mishler Theatre in Altoona to do ACT 2 live. So, we showed the movie on the screen for ACT 1, and performed ACT 2 live. It was like a dream. This is the theatre that I danced at as a child growing up; performing in the first “Nutcracker” there in the mid 80s.
We also ended up running all of our summer programs and set all of the upcoming season’s choreography,
So, we made it though. I am so grateful for all our customers hanging in there with us. I am proud of all of us.

Also, the car parade past all our graduating seniors’ homes in May was an experience I will never forget. To get to see everyone in person after so many weeks apart was one of most special times of my life.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

The goal of my creative journey will always be connecting with dancers of all ages and skill levels. I hope to inspire them to be creative, confident, and ambitious about things that they are passionate about!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.centredance2121.org
• Instagram: centre_dance
• Facebook: Centre Dance and Nicole Swope