Gail Tassarotti has dreamed of opening up her own dance studio ever since she was a child.
After spending 30 years working in the accounting department for New York State Office of Technology, her dream is becoming a reality with the opening of her Albany Dance and Fitness studio on Central Avenue on Monday, Aug. 1.
Tassarotti has been planning on doing this for quite some time. She even made sure to get a degree in accounting from SUNY Albany, which landed her in the Capital District from Poughkeepsie, because she felt having a background in business would be helpful.
In some ways, it was always a dream I never thought would happen, she said. `Sometimes I think, ‘It is? It’s really happening?`
There is some work to be done before the dream is complete, but because the place on Central Avenue was a former fitness studio, there is little construction that needs to be done. Her husband, Anthony Tassarotti, has been helping with all of the painting, she said, but the biggest piece of construction will be the installation of the mirrors in the front of the studio. She said it will cost her around $10,000 to get the place going.
Tassarotti had to obtain permits through the town of Colonie, get a lease and file to become a limited liability company. She said she will also have to seek approval from the town for the design of the sign she will put on the building.
Still, it’s hard to place a price tag on living a dream. Tassarotti said she has been teaching dance classes during the evenings at various studios to get her fix. Now, with retiring from her job, she has the time to start her very own classes.
`I would teach a couple of nights because that’s my true passion,` she said. `It kept me sane.`
Tassarotti wants this studio to focus more on adults and teens that use dance as either a hobby or a form of exercise, which she said would give it a more relaxed atmosphere. The classes will still be exercising proper techniques, but there won’t be performances.
For her, dancing can be used as a great way to relieve stress and to stay in shape. There can’t be any sort of distractions going on in your head, she said, because you must be focusing on the task at hand.
`It’s just different,` she said of her classes. `It’s a great way to relieve stress. When you dance, though, you can’t think about the day at work because you have to concentrate on the dance. You get the fitness portion of it and it clears your mind.`
She has been able to create a following from the classes she has taught around the Capital District.
Melinda Taylor, who has been taking lessons from Tassarotti for the past 30 years, said she enjoys learning from her because she makes the classes about the students and not about herself. In her past experience with other dance instructors, this has not been the case.
`She’s a great teacher,` she said. `I have taken some classes with other people, but it was all about them and how they perform. She could perform but she’s more interested in teaching.`
Taylor uses dance as a way to get her exercise. It also helps that the music Tassarotti uses is more classical than it is rock, which Taylor finds to be a lot more comforting. She said she is looking forward to the convenience of having the classes in Colonie.
`I think it will be great for Colonie,` she said. `It’s convenient for a lot of her students. She’ll probably get a good draw because she has quite the following. I think it will be a good growth spurt for the studio and dance community.`
Tassarotti will be using several dance instructors, which she referred to as independent contractors because she doesn’t plan on hiring anyone as employees. This gives her a break from teaching every evening and also helps cut down on costs such as worker’s comp and payroll.
The studio will feature classes for ballet, Balletone, jazz dancing, Zumba, belly dancing, Pilates and fitness and strengthening class by the various instructors.
There will be a dance card made available, which will allow students to purchase 10 classes at a time. The students will bring the card to class and will be paying through Paypal. Tassarotti said this helps reduce the cost of using credit cards and it also allows participants to just drop in and take the classes when they want without any registration fees.
This will not be the same for every instructor, she said. Tassarotti said students should check with the other instructors to see what their registration costs are. You can check that on the studio’s website at www.albanydancefitness.com.
Free classes will be offered on Sunday, July 31, for anyone who is interested in attending the studio. It is what Tassarotti is considering a `soft opening.` She is excited, though, about watching the studio succeed, as her expectations are already high.
`I’m confident it’s going to work out,` she said, `I did the number crunching, I did the business planning, and I think it will work. I’m not looking to make a fortune but I’m looking to share the love of dance with other students.“