In Harmony Dance & Wellness has won a NewmarketToday Reader Favourite award in the Arts, Entertainment and Recreation category— and it couldn’t have come at a more appropriate time.
Owner Leah Anna Sanguinetti opened up the dance studio in 2005, so June of next year will mark their 20th recital. “As we celebrate our 20th year in business, this award means so much,” she says.
Throughout those two decades, the studio has built up a strong community of people whose lives have been changed by dance. Leah Anna says that they have alumni who still come back to visit, and who have remained friends with people they met while dancing at In Harmony.
“It’s created friendships and brought families closer together,” says Leah Anna.
Leah Anna is a strong believer in the many traits that dance classes foster, including discipline, time management, and self-esteem. Her students’ parents have observed their children’s emotional growth and confidence flourish from attending classes at In Harmony, in addition to the classes being a great physical outlet.
The studio is known locally as a family-friendly environment where community is nurtured. The faculty care deeply for all of their students, many of whom return year after year. Leah Anna recalls saying goodbye in 2023 to five graduates; two of whom had been with the studio for fifteen years. “We grow attached. We’re like a second home to a lot of these dancers,” she says.
As Newmarket has grown, so has the business. Their growing enrolment numbers have made the classes even more fun and engaging, and it’s also meant that they can offer more dance genres, levels, and schedules— making it easier to accommodate parents’ schedules for pickups and drop-offs. Whether students are more interested in dancing recreationally or want to pursue competition, there are plenty of options to choose from.
After two decades, Leah Anna still thrives on seeing her students getting to live out their passions. She enjoys getting to impact the lives of young dancers, putting together choreography, and seeing the kids grow up each year. As she puts it, school teachers have a new class every year, but she gets to continue to work with the same kids.
“There’s nothing I don’t enjoy about being a studio owner,” she says.
In Harmony still gets a majority of their business through word-of-mouth, so it’s no surprise that they had enough enthusiastic supporters to snag them a Reader Favourite award.
Leah Anna expresses her gratitude to all those who voted for the studio, rounding out their 20th year in a special way.
“Thank you to our community for voting for In Harmony and choosing us to guide, educate, and inspire your children. Through dance education we have impacted lives of hundreds of children in the community, and we look forward to continuing to do so for many more years.”
For more information and to subscribe to In Harmony’s newsletter, visit: www.inharmonydance.ca
Follow In Harmony Dance & Wellness on Instagram/Facebook (@inharmonydance) and TikTok (@in_harmony_dance)
This article was sponsored by In Harmony Dance & Wellness Ltd., a 2024 NewmarketToday Reader Favourite.