Launch Dance Center: A Premier Dance Studio in Redondo Beach
Welcome to Launch Dance Center, a new premier dance studio in Redondo Beach, CA. They offer classes in ballet, pointe, contemporary jazz, flamenco, tap, modern hip hop, acro, lyrical, and pilates for dancers of all ages and experience levels. Their highly skilled instructors will help you reach your dance goals while having fun! In our community spotlight blog post, we want to how Launch Dance Center is making a difference in the lives of its students.
Community Spotlight: Launch Dance Center
This is a sponsored post.
Tell us about Launch Dance Center
Launch Dance Center was established in 2021 by Laura Wahl, the venue was formerly known as Pacific Dance Center. Launch Dance Center prides itself in providing a safe and nurturing environment for dancers of all ages and levels to learn ballet, pointe, contemporary, jazz, flamenco, tap, modern, hip hop, acro, lyrical, and pilates.
What inspired you to launch Launch Dance Center?
Growing up as a dancer myself, I was able to go to the dance studio after school and escape the outside world. I learned valuable life lessons and an art form in a safe and nurturing space. In my high school years, I often felt excluded from my peers and shied away from socializing. The dance studio gave me a sense of home, provided me with a safe space, and made me feel a part of something bigger than myself. I looked up to my teachers, learned the value of accountability by remembering choreography, and enjoyed being part of a team. It gave my life purpose and I felt inspired.
As an adult, I’ve come to realize that when I’m not dancing, I’m not the same person—I’m not as inspired or happy. I founded Launch Dance Center because I want to provide my kids with the same supportive and stimulating environment I experienced growing up. I want to give my students a first-class dance education but also offer a place to escape from the stresses of school, home, and peer drama. Dance promotes teamwork, self-discipline, time management, perseverance, and many other vital life skills that may be carried into adulthood. As their teacher, it is my job to help them develop these skills while cultivating their creativity and a lifelong passion for the arts.
Owning a dance studio requires a lot of hard work, long hours, patience, and a sincere love for children. I cherish my relationships with my students. I genuinely care about their lives and accomplishments, making them feel like my own children. I love being able to incorporate my love of dancing into my day-to-day work and pass that enthusiasm on to the next generation. My dream has come true, and that is simply incredible.
What is one of your proudest moments?
It makes me proud when we receive compliments for being a friendly and welcoming studio. Creating a nurturing culture has been one of the most important goals for me to accomplish. The studio is our students’ home away from home, so it is important to me that they feel comfortable and safe every time they walk through our doors.
What can one expect when coming to Launch Dance Center?
At Launch Dance Center you can expect to be treated as part of our family. All students are supported in their dance journey whether they are beginners or advanced learners. The first thing you will notice is a studio owner who genuinely cares and listens. Although I had many ideas of my own when I purchased the studio in 2021, I spent the first year investing a lot of time and energy in learning what my students, parents, and staff wanted. I incorporated many of their wishes when I opened the doors for the 2022/23 season.
Launch Dance Center has expanded its offerings while staying faithful to the mission of the ballet-focused program of the prior dance studio. Additional classes, world-class instructors, masterclasses, summer intensives, and a competitive team offer students the opportunity to develop proper technique in a caring and nurturing environment.
Our students are drawn to our studio because they enjoy performing so we provide multiple opportunities for them to do so each year. We focus on two productions and one showcase per year; the Nutcracker ballet production and the Spring Performance, which has a strong ballet presence while incorporating many other styles. The Winter Showcase is an opportunity for all other styles to shine outside of ballet.
In addition to our performance-focused recreational dance program, we offer a competitive dance company for those students who wish to pursue more rigorous training and want to compete in local dance competitions. Competitive dance offers excellent training and a variety of benefits but many programs can be quite intense.
When I bought the studio, I knew that I wanted to create a unique competitive dance program that truly reflected my values while also building a family-like team. I’m very happy and proud to say that my students enjoy competing, just not against one another. They sincerely encourage and support each other making our program feel more like family than a competitive dance team which is rare in the industry.
Tell us a little about you
I was born and raised in Canada. I knew from a young age that dance would always be a part of my life, and it became a top priority for me which led to some fantastic opportunities and experiences. I grew up competing as a dancer, feeling joyous and free. During my high school years and thereafter, I was introduced to what it was like to be a teacher. I earned a B.F.A. in Dance Theater from American Musical and Dramatic Academy, and then returned to school for arts and entertainment management years later.
For the past fifteen years, I have been working in dance studios around North America. I decided to move to California with the hopes of “launching” my own dance studio someday. I was fortunate to work with and train under the previous management of Pacific Dance Center in Redondo Beach. When the owner/director decided to retire, I jumped at the opportunity to buy the studio and fulfill one of my life-long goals.
How do you give back to the Community?
I place a lot of importance on giving back, volunteering, and helping the community. I also want to instill these values in my students. Because I’m new to the South Bay area, I could use your help. Please reach out to me if you are part of or know an organization that needs our help. We would love to support the local community.
We are excited to participate in Local Anchor’s Thanksgiving Day Kindness project. Our students will be getting together for a special day of card-making for the event and our studio will serve as a drop-off location.
Anything else you would like us to include?
Some have a passion for dance and dream of becoming a prima ballerina with a professional ballet company. Some individuals hope to one day become part of a touring or performance company that incorporates a variety of dance styles. Some aspire to open a dance studio of their own, teach, or use dance for other educational or therapeutic purposes. Many people simply want to dance for the pure enjoyment it brings, as a release, as an expression of art, and because it makes one feel something special. Whatever your reason for dancing is, at Launch Dance Center, we aim to help you achieve your goals.
Launch Dance Center
1603 Aviation Blvd
Redondo Beach, CA 90278
Visit launchdancecenter.com for schedules, and class information or to attend any of our local productions (Nutcracker, Winter Showcase, Spring Production).
MENTION THIS ARTICLE to Receive 25% off your ticket purchase for any of our productions.
Call us at (310) 406 – 1431 or visit the website.
Want to see if Launch Dance Center is the right place for you? Take a class. The first one is always free.
