Business Focus Piney Woods

MC Dance

Lindsey Kinane August 1, 2022

Since 2017, MC Dance in Huntsville has been available for children and adults to learn a variety of recreational and competitive dance programs.

This has been made possible due to the enthusiastic desire of owner and director Maggie Collum; growing up with a background in dance before and during college, Collum always dreamed of becoming a dance teacher.

It took Collum about a decade for this opportunity to occur, but her journey has been helped by two important others: her husband and God. The support of her husband Casey, who helped acquire MC Dance, and the journey God led her on throughout the years partially prepared her dream.

Collum spent her time before MC Dance working as director of university events for Sam Houston State University, which helped her learn how to manage people and logistics. This definitely played a role in preparing her for managing MC Dance. She was able to coach the SHSU dance team, the Orange Pride Dance Team, during this time; Collum was also a member of the team as a student. But it’s her experience of dance, which she started competitively at eight-years-old, that made MC Dance available for children and adults with a similar desire.

MC Dance is available for children eighteen months and up, along with adults (who are able to take tap). It’s open 4:00 PM – 8:00 PM Mondays through Thursdays, 4:30 PM – 6:30 PM on Fridays, and 9:00 AM – 11:00 AM on Saturdays.

The facility consists of four studios for students to practice in, video observation for people to watch what happens inside the rooms, and a boutique that offers clothing (leotards, footwear, T-shirts) as well as healthy snacks that people can peruse at while waiting for classes to start.
The students have nine-month commitments during the fall and spring semesters, but summertime offers students the time to enjoy camps and time for new students to join.
During a student’s time at MC Dance, they have the opportunity to join a recreational or competitive program. The programs offer ballet, tap, jazz, lyrical, modern, musical theatre, acrobatics, competitive dance, and adult tap; there is something for everyone to try and to enjoy.
For those interested in competitive dance, there are yearly competitions which are audition-only to help encourage students to improve in particular skills. Students have to be five-years or older for competitive dance. MC Dance has a hip-hop and jazz team called the Groove Crew that gives people a taste for competitions.

At the end of the nine months, the students have a performance that showcases what they learned throughout their time. It gives the parents the chance to see how much their child grew and learned. There is also a biannual Christmas showcase which will happen in 2023.
While the fall and spring semesters are filled with teaching the students specific tasks, the summer offers camps of differing themes that give new and recurring students the opportunity to try something different.

There has been a Barbie Camp that lasted four days, where the students made crafts, learned different dances, and displayed a show at the end. One craft consisted of making a Barbie shirt; the learned dance styles were hip-hop, jazz, and ballet; and the showcase for the parents had the students dressed in cute outfits.

A Princess Camp had a similar outcome. The main difference was the daily crafts and theme. Each day featured a different princess, and the crafts consisted of things like making a mirror for Beauty and the Beast and a flower crown with ribbons for Tangled.

For older students, there is TechniqueTuesdays, where the concentration is on a specific genre, like hip-hop, along with the technique behind it.

MC Dance also offers special events, like a Banana Split Party! Students have the chance to prove they can do a left, right, or center split for the chance to get a ticket for a banana split ice cream. But only those who prove themselves flexible are able to taste the delicious treat.
Dancing With My Dude is an event allowing children first grade and up to bring their father figure for the chance to dance in a themed highlight. The previous event was Western themed.

Before there’s a class, there has to be a teacher. Some of the teachers come from Sam Houston State University or have a dancing background. But before working at MC Dance, potential teachers go through a three-month internship to prove they bring a positive environment and can effectively teach.

During a class, there is firm discipline and curriculum the students have to follow for their success; they can develop physical, emotional, and social experiences to help their dancing discipline. When a student knows what to expect and knows the rules, it helps eliminate problems with their training.

Collum understands that dancing is challenging, and she wants the students to strive and thrive throughout their time at MC Dance. She has even recently implemented student evaluations so parents, students, and teachers can see the progress being made.

Collum wants those who come into the studio, regardless of what kind of day or week they are having, to know that they are loved and prayed for. She wants MC Dance to be a safe environment for the students, staff, and families, because people never know what someone is going through, and offering the best can help everyone succeed.

Modesty for children is important, because Collum believes there is a time and place for everything outside the studio, but not inside. Dressing up the children with eyelashes, make-up, and costumes gives them something to look forward to, but Collum thinks having a repetitive lack of modesty takes some charm out of the experience.

Collum expressed thanks for the camaraderie and support of the families and community who help make MC Dance work, especially during recreational and competitive stages. Fathers help build props, mothers sew parts of costumes, and people’s overall willingness help is one of the things that makes MC Dance a special environment…and that is something Collum is committed to keeping.