Green Dance Studio ready to leap forward

Rio Rancho's small dance studio population just got a little bit bigger.

Green Dance Studio will open its doors Aug. 5 on Sara Road.

"We are going to provide multiple genres of classes. We're starting with ballet, jazz, modern, contemporary ... we're going to throw in some musical theater, some acro and a couple of adult classes so that we're not just focusing on the younger kids, but actually reaching the adult audience, too. We're starting from age 4 basically up until as old as you want to be to come in and dance," owner and teacher Selena Green said.

The space on Sara Road location is large enough to run multiple classes at once with 3,500 square feet. Green says it was intimidating at first but she thought it would serve her needs.

"Might as well just start with something I can fill up then run out of space if I'm blessed enough to fill up the space. So we are planning to split up the 3,500 square feet into three spaces so we can have multiple classes going on at one time," she said.

The arts have been a part of Green's life since she was a kid.

"I started with dance when I was like 3, did that for a few years. Then I got into gymnastics, and then when I got into middle school I was really into music. So I started in the band and I also did color guard. Then I went to a high school for creative and performing arts. So it was very big on everything, every kind of art: dance, visual, band, orchestra, all that. From there, I got into color guard more and I wanted to teach that. So right out of high school, I did that. Then I got back into dance. Then, I became a dance teacher at a high school where I'm from," Green explained.

After taking time off to be a mom, Green moved to Rio Rancho and became a dance teacher.

"I've been doing that since 2022 and a lot of my students tell me, 'You should open a studio. If you opened a studio, I would be there in a second,'" she said.

She says her students are what really pushed her to "dipping her big toe into opening a studio," and it has been a dream of hers to own a business.

Getting people interested in dance is always a challenge, but Green says studios are still feeling the effects of COVID.

"We're still seeing kind of the effects of coming back into what we had before, but it's not the same because it's not. I feel like this past year we're starting to get back to that and students are more interested in like putting themselves out there, especially now with like social media and things. It's scary to want to do something that maybe someone else doesn't, but I'm seeing it in the kids, especially the ones that I have for dancing color guard," she added.

While Green enjoys working with kids, she is looking forward to a diverse age group at the studio and anyone can join the classes.

"And I think in the community, we need another studio here, because as far as I know we have one in Rio Rancho and several in Albuquerque. Albuquerque is doing great with dance in their community, but I feel like I want to close that gap in distance for people that maybe don't want to travel 30 to 40 minutes to take a class," Green said.

She added that the new studio is just on the border of Albuquerque and Rio Rancho so it's a "good spot for everyone."

Green plans to do plenty of community outreach by offering some free classes so people can try the class before they decide to take it long term. Green will also bring in guest teachers to teach other genres of dance.

"I'd love to reach out to other arts and do collaborative things, maybe with local artists. I think it would be amazing to take a painting or sculpture and have an art exhibit and then create dances around that and have a live performance," she said.

She will also make sure to give students an opportunity to share their dance in the community. She plans to hold recitals throughout the year.

Her goal is to inspire dance careers, especially in younger students who may need direction in life. She also wants students to feel like the studio is theirs collectively.

"Don't think of it as mine just cause it has my name on it. It's ours," she said.

As of now several potential students have shown interest in the class according to Green but she is always looking for more.

"Drop in. If you want, we have a small drop-in fee. If you want to just take one class and check it out, you can also wait for a free master class to pop up. Come check us out then if you want to take a tour of the studio come in during business hours. As soon as we start August 5, I'm going to post as much as I can about the different styles or teachers and show more of the space. So you can get a better idea of it and just come check it out. Come move, come wiggle, and have fun and expand this art here in this community. Help us grow it," Green said.

For information about the studio visit the website.