Though only 27, opening her dance studio is the realization of a lifelong dream for Squamish's Cierra Rohde.
She has been dancing since she was two years old and started assistant teaching classes when she was eight.
She began teaching her own class when she was 17 or 18.
"It was an adult tap class. My mom was in it. I loved it. It was one of my favourite things to do and I kind of stuck with it."
In middle school, she started to think about owning and running a dance studio of her own, she said.
But first, she went out and earned her chops.
She trained for two years with and another two years with in Toronto.
Highlights of her career include dancing at the 2013 World Dance Championships in Warsaw, Poland, for Team Canada. She also danced in the 2010 Paralympic opening ceremonies and in various other performances in Vancouver and Toronto.
While she was raised in Port Coquitlam, her grandparents live in Squamish, and her mom was raised here, so she has spent much of her life here and moved full-time in 2020.
Locals might recognize her from the classes she has taught around town, including at , or from the . She was in the performance Wild with the group in May.
It is fair to say dance is and has been her life.
And now, her dream is coming true with the opening of her small but mighty studio,.
The studio is located at 38224 Eaglewind Blvd, by the clock tower.
The first classes will start Sept. 12. She is aiming to take about 75 students.
Classes to be offered include ballet, hip hop, tap, acro, musical theatre, technique/conditioning, contemporary/lyrical and jazz.
Joining her to teach pre-schoolers is accomplished dancer who is also with the Sea to Sky Dance Collective.
Other hires are possible as the studio needs.
While there is no shortage of established 撸奶社区businesses offering dance, Rohde said her studio will provide something in the middle of what else is available. She will offer competitive classes and recreational ones for kids and adults. And class schedules are built to fit into family life, she said.
"I kind of wanted a studio that met in the middle where kids don't have to do their competitive stuff on the weekends. It can be throughout the week. My preschool program is also something that meets in the middle where you don't have to do a full-year program. We offer it, but we have sessions. So if your kiddo wants to do skiing in January, they can do a session in September, October, or November that is six weeks and then go into skiing and then come back. I have the same thing for adults. Yes, we have the nighttime classes, but we're also going to be offering daytime classes," she said, adding she wants to emulate how she grew up dancing.
"Yes, I for sure danced on the weekends. I was a die-hard dancer. But I also know that in Squamish, especially, people love their biking, people love their hiking, so I want to be able to provide the dance classes so that...they can have that other creative aspect to their life, but still be able to go out on weekends with their family and have their family time."
While the studio is located in Eaglewind for now, in one year, the studio will move into a brand new customized space in a development near the Sandman Hotel.
While a lot is going on and in the works, Rohde is calm and confident about it all.
"I've never felt so clear in my life that this is what I am meant to do — own a studio and teach kids and run things how I want them to be run," she said.
Find out more by going to Dance Directions on social media or .
