Today we’d like to introduce you to Julia Hoak.
Hi Julia, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
Adagio School of Dance was founded in 2010. It was my goal that this studio become a pillar of the Lake Wylie community while spreading my love of the art of dance to others in the area. We have since grown from a small one-room studio to include three studios and this year we have reached our largest enrollment to date. I am so proud to have a wonderful staff alongside me to help continue to grow this vision that began as a small dream!
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
There have definitely been struggles along the way and opening a business while raising a young family is never easy for anyone. My children were very young when I opened the business and there were many evenings they did their homework at the studio while I taught classes! A work/home life balance seemed impossible at times, but I am so proud of the adults my kids have become. My daughter is in the USC nursing program and my son is a graduate of Full Sail. They are incredible and much of Adagio’s success is because of them!
I’m sure many business owners can relate to the hard times our studio faced during the pandemic and there were days that we were afraid we might not be able to open our doors again. There came a time when it probably would have made more sense to shut down, but so many kids would have been affected that we utilized personal funds to keep things going. We were also able to use technology and social media to try to keep our students engaged and involved in a safe way. It took a lot of ingenuity and support from our dance family, but we are still here and still growing!
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Owning a dance studio requires me to wear many hats. From finances, costuming, event planning, marketing, and not to mention teaching! Being in the classroom and choreographing is definitely my passion and my favorite part of the job. I love working with my dancers to create something new and expressive. My biggest reward is watching them having fun onstage and feeling proud of what they have accomplished. Building this program and having our dancers become so much more than clients, but an extended family, has exceeded all of my expectations. I am so thankful for our Adagio family and couldn’t imagine my life without it!
I have also been so fortunate that my daughter shares this passion and I was able to watch her grow up to become such an accomplished dancer. Not only did she grow to be technically proficient, but she also became a role model to many of our younger dancers. I believe that dance is more than a physical art form that also grows strength of character. Seeing that in my own daughter is my greatest accomplishment.
If we knew you growing up, how would we have described you?
I started kindergarten when I was 3 and was ahead in school by a year. I grew up in Arizona and danced every day. Until I was old enough to drive, my mom drove me over an hour each way to Langham’s Dance Academy every single day of the week. Here I was a member of the elite dance team, “Dance Vibrations”, where I toured various cities all over the country competing in various genres of dance. This impressive dance team won multiple awards for dance competitions in Disney Land, California, Las Vegas, Arizona and New Mexico. I later continued my dance career at Arizona State University.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.adagioschoolofdance.com/
- Instagram: @adagio_and5678
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/adagioschoolofdancelakewylie?mibextid=LQQJ4d
Image Credits
Rodney Scot Media Group
