Joy of Dance: where children become dancers and dancers become family!
Here at Joy of Dance, we embrace dancers of all shapes, sizes, and ages, from the young to the young at heart! This is a studio where creativity, individuality, and self-expression are encouraged and we have a community of teachers, students, and families who are passionate about performing arts. Our goal is to create a positive and happy experience for all of our students. We strive to nurture and develop talent, celebrate the achievements of all students, and inspire a love and appreciation of all styles of dance. We are committed to providing a safe and positive environment in which all students can feel empowered, comfortable, and free to express themselves.
It’s important to us at Joy of Dance that all members of our team share our vision, our purpose, and the philosophy that encompasses everything we do both inside and outside of our classes. This is a vision that is shared and demonstrated by the director, teachers, and staff members at our studio and it is the driving force behind every interaction with our students and their families.
Our Values
Our core values are an integral part of our studio. We deeply feel that we are not growing great dancers, but instead are growing great human beings! The values listed below help us stay focused and grounded in order to work towards achieving this goal.
Joy
First and foremost we are committed to bringing JOY into the lives of our dancers, our staff, and our community. Joy is a feeling of great pleasure and happiness and dance is a way to experience this feeling every week! Whether you are starting dance for the first time or you’ve been dancing for many many years, we believe your time at Joy of Dance should provide you the opportunity to gain some positive energy, good vibes, and reduce your stress!
Inclusive
Here at Joy of Dance, we embrace dancers of all shapes, sizes, and ages, from the young to the young at heart. This is a studio where creativity, individuality, and self-expression are encouraged and we have a community of teachers, students, and families who are passionate about performing arts. Our goal is to create a positive and happy experience for all of our students. We strive to nurture and develop talent, celebrate the achievements of all students, and inspire a love and appreciation of all styles of dance.
Growth
Our value of growth encompasses several aspects. We recognize that our students will all grow in different ways and at different times, but grow they do! Confidence, strength, self-love, and resilience are a few of the areas that we focus on for growth throughout the year. We also value growth as teachers and as a company. Our staff are constantly learning, sharing, growing, and improving so we can be our best selves for our dancers each week.
Safe Space
Creating a safe space for our dancers and their families means our dancers are able to fully embrace their true selves while they are at the studio. Knowing that there is a place where they can go every week where they feel loved, accepted, and not judged is a huge stress reliever for many of our dancers. We love to hear confirmation from our dancers about this when they tell us that we are their “happy place”.
Compassion
To be compassionate is to feel deeply for another person as they experience the ups and downs associated with life. It’s about not only telling someone you care but really showing someone you care. We find that promoting compassion within our dancers, teachers, and staff helps us work together as a team, further supporting our sense of community. Our Wingman Program is a huge help in promoting this core value.
Community
We pride ourselves in providing an amazing community for our dancers as well as their families. We have dancers who grow up together as a dance family from as early as age 3 and parents who are forever connected through their children’s shared love of dance. It is also very important for us to have a family-friendly environment. Our costumes and music selection are all always age-appropriate.
Our Studio
Our History
Joy of Dance has introduced children and adults alike to the empowering world of movement since 1989. Linda Russell-Gallivan first opened Joy of Dance in Northwood. After more than two decades of providing quality dance education and inspiring hundreds of students, Miss Linda retired in 2011 and passed the business on to Lindsey Hadley, who had been a teacher at the school since 2005.
Linda’s vision of creating a space where children and adults can come to experience the JOY of dance, started when she rented a small room out of the Northwood community center in 1989 (she had to bring her record player, speakers, and records with her each week!). She was beyond thrilled to welcome the first group of dancers through the doors, and to finally fulfill a childhood dream. When the building was scheduled to be torn down just 3 years after she opened, she converted her two-car garage into a studio with one room, and only 567 square feet to continue to serve her dance families.
When Linda retired in 2011, Lindsey was honored to continue Linda’s dream and bring quality dance training in a positive, and uplifting environment. Lindsey first moved JoD to a 2-studio space in Barrington NH before quickly outgrowing that space, then finding our current home in Lee, NH. The studio has all sprung floors to protect our dancers’ bodies, a lobby with play space for younger siblings, a homework space for older dancers, and of course the best teachers and staff you could ask for!
Along with two annual performances, the Winter Showcase and Spring Recital, Joy of Dance students have the opportunity to perform in several events throughout the year. Past performances include Dance Northeast in Rochester, Dance to Make a Difference, Dancing With The Stars in both Barrington and Dover, the Barrington Variety Show, the New Hampshire Fisher Cats, and a flash mob for Ready Rides.
From the community center to a one-room converted garage and now to a 4 studio, 5,500 square foot building, Joy of Dance has brought fun, passion, and of course, joy to thousands of people since its inception. We pride ourselves in putting the dancer’s well-being first, above all else. All of our decisions are made with our core values in mind (Joy, Community, Compassion, Inclusion, Growth, Safe Space). Our teachers and staff all embody our Core Values and work towards a growth mindset for all our dancers.
Joy of Dance has been an active member of the Greater Barrington Chamber of Commerce since 2012.
Contact Us For A Trial Class!
We offer trial classes for students of all ages!
After submitting the form a member of our staff will reach out to set up a date for your trial class.
Joy of Dance is a place where children become dancers and dancers become family! Here at Joy of Dance, we embrace dancers of all shapes, sizes, and ages, from the young to the young at heart. This is a studio where creativity, individuality, and self-expression are encouraged and we have a community of teachers, students and families who are passionate about performing arts.