“I’ve had many dancing partners who I am sure would have enthusiastically endorsed the idea of a “virtual dance.” While their feet may love the idea, it is not an ideal arrangement for a dance studio, yet many studios found themselves in such a situation during the height of the pandemic. 

“It was very rough,” Rachel Weitekamp, owner and director of Sunflower State Dance, said of the pandemic business environment for her studio. “We did online classes during the quarantine period. We are seeing a slow increase in students coming back. 

“I’m hoping that increases as younger students are able to get vaccinated. I think a lot of younger families are ready to get out and find some normalcy again.” 

Sunflower State, in fact, is betting on it. The business has recently moved and expanded. The company in recent weeks moved from its longtime home in Eudora to 2004 E. 23rd St. in Lawrence. The space — it occupies a building that for a short time was a funeral home and before that was a spa store — is about 800 square feet bigger than the business’ former location. 

The reason for the move also is related to a pandemic lesson learned: “I just kept finding that businesses that own their own space are doing a little bit better,” Weitekamp said. “My goal was really to own my own space.” 

Weitekamp did strike a deal to purchase the building, and she plans to use the extra space to accommodate more dance students and to create a new arts program that she hopes to offer to children. 

The business focuses on teaching students 2 to 18 years old a variety of dance styles, including ballet, tap, jazz, modern, hip-hop and others. The studio teaches students ranging from those who are just looking for a fun activity to those who want to dance competitively. Plus, the studio hosts an annual performance where every student gets a chance to dance in a presentation of “The Nutcracker.”

With a strong base of clients in Eudora, Weitekamp said she is hoping she can keep those customers and draw from a larger region in Lawrence, which she said will be one of the drawing cards of the studio. 

“We want to be kind of a melting pot for the surrounding area,” she said. “We want students to have a chance to meet people outside of their normal niche and make some lifelong friends.” 

••• Article by Chad Lawhorn

https://www2.ljworld.com/weblogs/town_talk/2021/oct/19/dance-studio-opens-along-23rd-street-lawrences-middling-ranking-in-small-cities-report-art-gallery-reopens-downtown/