Business
BY JOVANNA AGUILAR
Bonnie Schuetz began teaching the art of dance to students in her community from her Alvin home in 1976. Her dance aspirations started in the 1950s, a passion that followed her from Alvin to The Woodlands where she opened Boni’s Dance and Performing Arts Studio in 1984. Today, Boni’s Dance & Performing Arts Studio has taught generations of students, and several have become dance instructors themselves, Schuetz said. The history Schuetz said in the 1950s dance instruction was not as accessible as it is today to the general public. However, her aunt had several dance studios across Illinois, Chicago and San Francisco. “We were a dancing family. My mother and aunt were dancers, so my aunt Jackie and my mom were my mentors, and my mother always wanted a dance studio of her own,” Schuetz said. At the age of 8, she began practicing dance at the American Legion hall with the guidance of her teacher, Pat Alston. “At the American Legion hall, we didn’t have barres and we didn’t have mirrors. We used the window shingles for our barre and a wonderful wood dance oor, which is why I still have a wood dance oor in my studio today,” Schuetz said. Staying local Before opening her studio in The Woodlands, Schuetz said she taught dance to students in the community from her garage in 1981. She then opened Boni’s Dance & Performing Arts Studio in a small room in Panther Creek Village Square, which quickly expanded and took over the space next door. As the studio grew, Boni’s dance moved into Jamal’s, a grocery store in Panther Creek. Today, the building is now The Woodlands Children’s Museum. In 1998, Schuetz bought a piece of land where Boni’s Dance & Performing Arts Studio is today and has two additional locations. To Schuetz, dance is not only about developing a student’s dance skills but about molding young dancers into responsible people through an art form that enhances their life skills and condence. Boni’s Dance & Performing Arts Studio’s next performance will be at the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion from May 25-26 at 5 p.m. Boni’s Dance & Performing Arts Studio teaches generations
Owner Bonnie Schuetz teaches ballet, tap and jazz to students ages 46.
PHOTOS COURTESY JOY OF THE MOMENT PHOTOGRAPHY
Bonnie Schuetz has been teaching young dancers for almost 50 years.
Boni’s students have opportunities to perform in recitals and as part of a team.
Types of classes The studio oers classes for dancers from 14 months old to adults. Boni’s Babies: 30-minute “mommy and me” class for students ages 14-24 months Tots & Tutu’s: 30-minute dance class for 2-year- olds without a parent present Pre-Ballet: A 45-minute class for 3-year-old students Split Classes: A 60-minute class with two types of dance Adult Classes: Ballet, tap, clogging, jazz and liturgical worship dance
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THE WOODLANDS EDITION
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