Rising Stars: Meet Julia Watkins of Metro Detroit area

Today we’d like to introduce you to Julia Watkins

Hi Julia, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
As a life-long dancer, I always knew that I wanted to pursue a career in dance. I graduated from the Theater and Dance program at Wayne State University in 2018. I’ve performed and created works with dancers of the Metro Detroit dance community, and worked as a dance instructor for the better part of a decade. After my ninth year of working as a teacher and choreographer, I decided it was time to make a big move. I wanted to start a business.

Since I was a kid, I had always pictured myself owning a dance business of some kind. From experience, I knew that owning a conventional, brick-and-mortar dance studio was a difficult place to start. The Metro Detroit area is already saturated with studios and I was struggling to think of a way to differentiate myself. It wasn’t until I had a conversation with my husband, a former soccer player, that the inspiration for my business began.

He and I talked about how soccer players could seek out coaches, outside of regular practice, in order to better their game. This was intriguing. Dancers typically would need to seek out extra help from their teachers. The problem is, most dance teachers have incredibly packed schedules and don’t always have time to schedule private lessons outside of class. I thought, what if I could have a business model that focused on developing skills and fitness outside of the classroom? This way, I could carve a path for myself and work with traditional studios, instead of competing with them. That’s how The Dance and Movement Workshop was born.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The Dance and Movement Workshop has been a blessing for me. I’ve been able to work with many students whom I wouldn’t normally have the chance to. I’m able to travel to new studios to help company and competition teams, host workshops for dancers seeking improvement in specific techniques, and work in an environment centered around nurturing talent. It’s been incredibly rewarding.

It was very interesting working with the business side of things for the first time. Having meetings in office chairs with lawyers and CPAs to set things up and learning business language was an adjustment. Fitting in with the context of the school year and the time commitments traditional dance studios have for their season has also been challenging. This whole process has been a learning experience, but I am committed to providing a quality service to the studios and dancers of Metro Detroit.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
The Dance and Movement Workshop is a dance business that provides students with classes, camps and workshops outside of their regularly scheduled classes and rehearsals. We partner with traditional dance studios, rather than competing with them. Our mission is to provide supplemental training for students to build strong fundamentals, refine technique, and effectively learn new skills in a variety of dance disciplines.

We are lifelong professional dancers who understand how hard it is to balance student development with show preparation in the classroom. One of the main objectives we have is to alleviate some of that pressure for other dance professionals. We step in so that teachers can have peace of mind during the busiest times of the dance season.

This is a relatively new concept in the dance industry. Most studios will send their students to conventions, festivals, or other big dance events to gain new knowledge, but few are bringing in teachers to work on specific techniques and fitness.

As a full time dance professional, I am most proud of the fact that I’ve created work for myself in a field that can be difficult to navigate. I’ve seen people give up in this industry because it can be too hard to make ends meet. I’m looking forward to the future of this company and what it can do for the dance community.

What sort of changes are you expecting over the next 5-10 years?
I believe that dance will always be there to soothe the artistic itch. As society ebbs and flows, dance is always adapting to the times. We’ll see major shifts every decade or so in art trends, and dance will always follow. But I think we will always have children and adults who will sign up for class looking for an artistic outlet.

The biggest shift that I hope for, is for The Dance and Movement Workshop to create more symbiotic relationships in the dance community. In many sectors of the dance industry, it’s frowned upon to seek help from teachers or choreographers who are not part of the studio where the students attend class. Students can greatly benefit from taking classes from different instructors, who might offer new techniques and perspectives. With my business as a non threatening party operating adjacent to studios, I hope to make it more common for students to feel comfortable taking class from other qualified professionals that aren’t necessarily from their home studio.

Pricing:

• Prices are negotiable, but start at $50 for one day camps per student.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://thedanceandmovementworkshop.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thedanceandmovementworkshop/
• Facebook: https://facebook.com/thedanceandmovementworkshop