I'm Making A Home Dance Studio!!

Jana here with some super duper exciting news! I am building a new home dance studio!! 🙀

Welcome to my future new dance space! I cannot even believe I get to do this!! First, here is some back story on how this is even happening: 

The space in the photo above is an addition to my in-law's property that was used as an art studio, but has not been used in probably 20 years. Last year my husband and his dad started going through everything in the building and I had been joking (not really) with them about how there was so much room for me to dance in here! Months later and with no other plans for using the space, my father-in-law was pleased I had interest in making it a useful space again! So HERE WE GO!!

This is my overall plan! I am basically using all of the floor to dance on except leaving a walkway from the front door to the sink on the back wall, which will also allow access to the attached garage. This studio is also located next to a pool, so I wanted to make sure there was no muddy or wet foot traffic happening on the dance floor! Leaving that section open, this will give me a nice 23'x16' dance space, with rolling mirrors to make the angles flexible for class and for filming. All the faux wood paneling and trim is getting painted white to help brighten things up in here!

Like every project, not everything is perfect; there a two downsides to the space - low ceilings and no bathroom! 

We talked about adding a bathroom, but the reason there wasn't one in the first place is because of the studio location in comparison to the house and the plumbing not being possible (or, very very expensive). So, I will have to put on street shoes and walk up to the house every time I need to pee, but hey, we can't have it all lol.

We also talked about raising the currently 8ft tall ceilings because my original plan was to be able to do my photography studio lights and backdrop setup in here, and I need at least 14ft of height to do that. We looked in the attic at the structure and everything, but ultimately it's a major expense to do so it's something we may revisit once I've used the space and have an idea if it will become a "need". But, I can definitely still make this a useable dance space (taking out the ceiling fans will help a lot!), so I have been researching like crazy for months to come up with a sprung floor option that does not add a lot of floor height. I think I have it figured out, but we'll see over the next few weeks what happens!

I am so beyond thrilled to get to do this project because I have wanted my own dance space since I was a kid and would take over the living room and the garage and any other open space I could get my hands on! It's also great to have something to look forward to since this past year has really been a doozy. A longer term project is helpful to give me small things to accomplish every week that add up to a big accomplishment. AND I hope that I can safely have friends come dance with me and have space to work on choreography again (I used to LIVE for making up dances!). This just excites me in so many aspects and I hope the benefits of it can be shared virtually through video content here on Ballerinas By Night!!

I'm sharing updates on this project on our IG Story, so make sure to follow us there (I have a highlight saved if you've missed stuff)!

💖, Jana