Today we’d like to introduce you to Taylor Hill.
Hi Taylor, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I started dancing at the age of three. It was my grandmother’s idea – she even took me to my first-ever dance lesson as it happened to be on the same day that my sister was born. I knew from a young age I wanted to open my own dance studio. Fast forward about twenty years; I graduated from Kennesaw State University with a BA in Dance. Post college, my focused turned towards becoming a seasoned dance instructor first. Knowing the industry from that perspective was important to me. I taught almost every style of dance at a company level for about five years before the opportunity to open my own studio presented itself. Dawn Hathcock was the mom of one of my dancers at the time. We developed a friendship and a mutual respect for one another, as she has over twenty years of experience in global projects, operations, and business management. Our blend of talents was the perfect storm to open a new studio in the Canton area right as this neighborhood was beginning to grow and expand. We became 50/50 partners and opened Duet Dance Academy in June of 2018. Regardless of the challenges we have faced in the past five years (Covid being a big one) I am blessed to be able to say our studio has grown to 200+ students.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I wish I could say that opening my own business has been a dream every step of the way but that would be misleading. About a year and a half into owning Duet, our small business had to navigate the shutdown caused by Covid-19. We were in the midst of prepping for our second annual recital and had not yet become truly profitable. I’m still not sure we made every single correct decision as each new day presented more struggles. We transitioned our classes to virtual dance lessons and unfortunately had to cancel our second recital. However, we found new ways to keep our dancers and customers excited via social media contests and activities. I felt strongly that our studio also owed our employees a source of stability in that trying time, so a decision was made to maintain our full staff while keeping them professionally supported.
Dawn was able to secure us financial assistance which was crucial to our survival. At the end of the day, I trusted my gut instincts and we made it through stronger than ever. Duet was able to reopen at the start of our third season, masks and all, and we have been growing ever since. In a way, I am thankful that such a mountain of a challenge was presented to us so early in our existence. It has put smaller challenges into perspective and I am just thankful every day for the opportunity to continue serving the dancers and families that supported us through that time.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
The Duet Dance Academy brand has always been focused on equally balancing strong technique with a commercial and competitive edge. Duet is neither a ballet studio nor a competitive studio but that is our strength. While not a blanket statement, I often find when a student is focused on the competitive world of dancing their core ballet training is sometimes overlooked. In the same vein, dancers in performance or ballet-based programs can sometimes lack the stage presence or tenacity found in commercial dance. There’s so much to learn from each different aspect of our industry.
While the perfect blend of training may never exist, and I truly do believe there is a dance “home’ for everyone, Duet is proud to produce well-rounded and gracious artists. I think if I had to chose one aspect of our business that sets us apart it would have to be our staff. I could not have asked for a more diverse and professional group of people to work with – two current Duet instructors direct their own dance companies with many others dancing professionally in the Atlanta area. This allows our dancers to see where the industry can take them and provides professional opportunities to those that desire a career in dance outside of high school. To have a staff that consists of working artists has been priceless and I am thankful for their ability to be such amazing role models to our dancers.
We’d love to hear about any fond memories you have from when you were growing up?
Some of my favorite childhood memories were made with my grandparents in St. Louis. I grew up in Florida, but my sister and I would visit them often during the summer months or for holidays. My grandmother had been a dancer and was a big character in my world, singing songs and cheering me on when I’d play dress up and perform for her. My great aunt Barbara lived down the street from my grandparents. She was a painter and had traveled the world throughout her career. I loved spending time with her as well.
Contact Info:
- Website: duetdancega.com
- Instagram: duetdancega
- Facebook: duetdancega
Image Credits
Marcia Warren, Urban Rump Photography, Lindsay Ann Photography, Kaki Kirk
