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Tasha Gorman is getting very close to opening her new dance studio, Releve’.

Releve’ is a dance term that means to rise up.  Gorman says the name is appropriate considering the circumstances surrounding the opening of the new dance school.

The studio, located at 312 W. Mesquite Blvd. Suite 8, is the former home of From the Top School of Dance. That studio closed suddenly last spring just weeks before there was a scheduled recital to showcase the young dancers year-long efforts.

Community members, fellow dancers and parents pulled together to give the children the recital they felt the children deserved. Gorman was one of the parents that stepped forward to organize the recital.

Gorman told the MLN her story. She had contacted a Las Vegas news station about the girls’ plight and the pending, but jeopardized, recital.  When the story aired it caught the attention of Christina Sapone, owner of the Henderson Academy of the Arts.

Sapone contacted Gorman and offered her help with the recital and a mutually supportive relationship has since formed between the two women and now between the two studios. Sapone has been instrumental in helping Gorman with the ins and outs of opening Releve’.

 “When we had the recital Christina reached out to me and offered her help,” Gorman said. “She was really supportive of all of us and we became friends. Since then my girls have taken some classes at her studio and we attend their competitions.  They are an award winning dance academy and she’s been really helpful in getting everything together for this studio.  Christina is even sending one of her instructors here to Mesquite to teach four of our classes.”

Gorman has a degree in Journalism and is a former stay-at-home mom which is a far cry from running a dance studio. But she says she isn’t deterred in the least by her new venture.

Gorman says the interest levels in the studio are high because like herself, most parents aren’t thrilled with the idea of driving to Las Vegas or St. George, Utah, several times a week for dance classes.

“There are some really good studios like Academy of the Arts in Vegas but the travel is so time-consuming the parents and I all feel that a local studio is needed. We have a lot of talented dancers in this community, many of whom love to teach so it’s coming together nicely. As a matter of fact, I believe we’re going to be able to open a week earlier than expected.”

Gorman has completely refurbished the former From the Top School of Dance and the old studio has a brand new look, vintage Hollywood is what Gorman is going for.

“This is going to be a completely different studio that the prior one,” she explained. “The only thing we kept original was the ‘sprung floors’ which are easy on the dancer’s joints.  We want a fresh, new start and we’ll have a variety of classes and instructors.”

Releve’ will offer classes in lyrical, tap, jazz, ballet, Zumba, Zumbatomic (Zumba for kids), hip-hop, street dancing, ballroom and “mommy and me” classes.  Releve’ will also be introducing Happy Feet which is a dance class for high functioning special needs males and females.

Gorman said she hasn’t had a problem recruiting instructors or interest in the studio.  She is making a name for her new studio on social network pages and building a steady following.

“Most of the instructors will be local like Vicki Eckman and Miriam Ricci who both will teach tap.  Gino Venezia will teach street dancing.  We have Katy Gardner who’s going to do competition team and performance; Jessica Isidro for hip-hop and jazz,” Gorman added. “Julie Goodsell will do a class I’m really excited about, “Happy Feet.” It’s a class for high-functioning special needs. Oh, and we’ve even had a huge interest in ballroom dancing so Larry LeMieux will do a class for adults. It seems to be pretty popular.  I don’t even have it out there yet. It’s only on Facebook and we’ve gotten a ton of responses to it.  We might have to do it two nights.”

You can follow Gorman and Releve’ Dance Studio on Facebook.

Gorman is scheduling her grand opening August 9-10.  She said she plans to have open registration for classes those two days along with dance demonstrations, a chance to meet the instructors, raffles for dancewear, tights, gifts from local businesses and each day she will have a drawing for one free month of dance class.

Gorman encourages former students and parents to check out the new look, new instructors and above all, the new philosophy of Releve’.