New dance studio in Bloomington to have open house Friday

A brand-new ballroom and social dance studio opened its doors last week and will host an open house Friday to celebrate.

Panache School of Ballroom and Social Dance, 311 E. Winslow Rd., specializes in teaching all levels of dancers the various styles of ballroom dancing such as the waltz, foxtrot and tango.

“We wanted to make a studio that is socially focused where regular people can feel comfortable and not break their budget,” said Sandra Myers, head instructor and co-owner.

“I think that they are filling a real gap in Bloomington,” said Ellen Jamison, who is taking classes there. “They are trying to make a dancing community that is more open to people at any level, not just competitive.”

Myers started ballroom dancing six years ago in preparation for her wedding with now-husband and co-owner Scott Myers.

“Scott and I were the least likely to do that kind of thing,” she said. “We really did it just to kind of shock our friends and family by doing something they wouldn’t expect.”
Myers also emphasized the positive effects dancing has had on her and her husband’s health and self-confidence.

“Once we started, we loved it because it did so much for our coordination and our confidence,” she said. “Between the two of us, we’ve lost over 140 pounds.”

Aside from ballroom, Panache also offers Latin street dancing, rhythm dancing in styles such as swing, mambo and cha cha and a class called “open, lead, follow,” which is designed for people who want to learn same-sex dancing.

Myers acts as head instructor but works with the help of other instructors including Tom Slater, who is a World Exhibition champion and Cèsar Wilson, an Afro/Latin dance specialist.

Customers can get as much dance instruction as they want at Panache because of the way the studio is run, Jamison said.

“They give people the chance to commit to only what they are willing and able to do,” Jamison said. “Other studios sometimes force long-term commitments.”

Panache will host an open house at 7 p.m. Friday. There will be a free beginners’ lesson immediately followed by a dance party.