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Dance studio bringing vacant building back to life
A long-standing empty building on West First Street and C Street has been transformed into a photography and dance studio by owners Cody and Amanda Dame.
Divine Productions, the photography / videography / disc jockey business, has been in operation for several years as a home-based business and more recently, located at Westview Plaza. However, the dance studio, Spotlight Studios, is a new venture the couple is embarking upon with the help of their new dance instructor Nora Lobjanidze.
If the name sounds a little foreign, it is because Nora comes from Georgia -- the country, not the state. She began doing gymnastics at the age of five, quickly adding various forms of dance to her training. She has worldwide experience as a professional dancer, having taught in Germany and Spain, as well as Georgia. She has also been involved in theater and modeling. She was also choreographer for some performances in Germany. In addition, she has worked as a fitness instructor at a gym and gave workshops on fitness dance.
Nora plans on offering a variety of dance classes: hip hop, salsa, ballroom, modern, jazz, ballet, tap, belly and fitness dance classes. Her favorite is hip hop and salsa, although she is quick to add that she likes them all.
Nora came to the United States three months ago as an exchange student in Maryland. Western Nebraska is a big change from her hometown of Tbilisi, the capital and largest city of Georgia with a population of about 1.5 million. "I like it here," said Nora. "The people are very nice. It's a little slower than other places. Everyone is a bit more chilled out."
Since moving to western Nebraska, she has been helping the Dames organize the studio and choosing fresh new music for each class. When asked what she hopes to accomplish as a dance instructor at Spotlight Studios, Nora stated, "They (her students) should have fun. My goal is to give everybody a bit more self confidence."
The petite instructor is looking forward to teaching students of all ages, although she says her favorite is the teenagers "because I'm able to dance a bit with them too and have fun with them."
Apparently, they are looking forward to Nora's influence as well. McCook High School Senior Alyssa Mohr, who has been a dance student for 10 years and is a member of the McCook High School Dance Team said "I'm looking forward to learning new dance styles that I've never had available to me and I'm excited to learn from an instructor with so much background and experience."
The studio is aiming for two productions each year to feature the talents of their students -- a smaller showcase production around Christmas and a full-blown recital in May.
An open house Thursday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. at the studio located at 224 West First Street will give the community a chance to meet Nora, Cody, and Amanda and tour the new facilities. They are also offering free classes tomorrow night -- Hip Hop at 6:15; Zumba at 7; Bodyshape at 8 and Kickboxing at 8:30 p.m. Official classes will begin Oct. 5. Their phone number is (308) 340-6300; email is reg@spotlightmccook.com and more information is available on their web site at http://www.spotlightmccook.com.