Building the Valley: New Lower Burrell dance studio aims to build students’ confidence

Tara Crowe remembers being asked why children should sign up for dance lessons.

Her answer? For them to have fun, grow and have positive experiences.

A lifelong dancer, Crowe hopes to do just that at her new studio, TC Dance Collective, which opened this summer at 3012 Leechburg Road in Lower Burrell.

An open house for registrations is planned from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Aug. 16 and 17 at the studio.

“I can’t believe it’s actually real,” said Crowe of Fox Chapel. “I’ve wanted to do it forever. I remember being little and saying to my dad, ‘I want to own a dance studio.’”

A Derry native, Crowe grew up dancing and continued on while a student at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. She taught dancing at a studio in Harrison and wanted to take the leap into owning her own space.

“I was trying to find a spot that was affordable and not too close to anyone else,” Crowe said.

TC Dance Collective will offer classes that run the gamut from ballet, tap, jazz, acrobatics, lyrical, contemporary and hip-hop, for children ages 3 to 19 and of all levels, Crowe said. She also will offer a few adult classes.

Crowe described her classes as in the middle between recreational and competitive dance. Her teaching philosophy is to build students up with confidence. Some competitions have lost their way when a kid’s self-esteem plummets or they struggle with their score, she said.

“It’s getting the opportunity to learn from other people,” she said of competitions. “I don’t want kids to feel bad about not doing well at a competition.”

Crowe also works as a fourth grade teacher at Urban Academy charter school in Larimer. She said the most rewarding thing about being a teacher — in the dance studio and in the classroom — is watching a student succeed.

“I like when I see a kid get it — whatever they’re working on — and it clicks,” Crowe said. “That ‘ah ha!’ moment gets me every time.”

Mayor Chris Fabry said, while it’s always exciting when a new business opens in the city, “it’s extra special when it’s a type of business Lower Burrell doesn’t already have.”

“There is definitely a need and want in our city for a dance studio,” he said.

Fabry likes Crowe’s enthusiasm and optimism.

“Her face absolutely lights up when she talks about dance, the kids and the potential at her studio,” he said. “Her heart is clearly in it, so I’m excited to watch the studio’s growth.”