Meet Amanda Bruno of Melrose Dance Academy

Today we’d like to introduce you to Amanda Bruno.

Amanda, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I got where I am today because of my parents. My dad owns a business in Boston, which my grandfather once owned, so I was exposed to what it meant to work hard at a young age. Growing up, I watched as my dad went off to work at the crack of dawn, only to come home, eat dinner, and begin his paperwork in his office to prepare for the next day. He gave me a great life because of his hard work, and I knew I wanted that for myself. My studio is what it is today because of everything my dad has taught me.

My mom started me in dance lessons when I was 2 years old, and ever since then I never stopped dancing. I couldn’t get enough. I had the best dance teachers I could have ever asked for and without Miss Lauren and Miss Heather, I know I wouldn’t be the teacher I am today. My studio growing up was somewhere I always felt safe and most like myself. My teachers made sure we always had the best training and sent students who were interested to Dance Education Training through the Dance Teacher’s Club of Boston. I absolutely loved my time spent in the training course, and learned so much from each of the teachers I was exposed to. The thought of becoming a professional dancer never once crossed my mind because of my strange fear of being on stage, but I dreamed of having my own studio when I was younger, and use to spend hours thinking of a name and choreographing dances in a notebook I kept hidden under my bed. I never once thought it could become reality.

When I graduated high school and started going to Salem State, I felt lost. For the first time since I was 2 years old I was not dancing. I would call my dad everyday on my way home from school crying and he would have to talk me through it. Eventually we came to the agreement that I would major in Art minor in dance, this way dance could still be part of my life. I got a job at a photography company in Melrose when I was 18 years old taking recital pictures for dance studios, which I was thrilled about because I found yet another way to allow dance to creep into my life. While taking photos at Melrose Dance Academy, the owner asked me if I had ever taught before, to which I replied no, she then offered me a job teaching Hip Hop. Once I started teaching, I immediately felt like I had figured out what I was supposed to do with my life, teach dance to kids who had the same love and enjoyment. As the years went by, I started teaching at more studios, picking up as many classes I could. I would find new training opportunities, and constantly take classes all over Boston.

When I graduated college, I again felt lost, and once again my dad had to listen to me cry as he helped me figure out my life. He talked me into going back to Salem State to get my master’s degree in Education because I loved teaching dance so much and working with kids. I very quickly learned I was on the wrong path and my daily phone calls to my dad crying after class started again. I loved teaching, but I was not passionate about teaching kids’ math or English, I was passionate about teaching them how to dance. I knew to be a great teacher, you had to be passionate about what you were teaching. One day in March, when I was 25, I got a phone call that completely changed my life and the path I was on. The woman of the studio that gave me my first teaching job was selling the studio, and she wanted me to buy it. I will never forget where I was that day, the emotions I felt, and finally getting to call my dad crying for a completely different reason.

Has it been a smooth road?
Is the road ever smooth in life? I feel like almost every day I’m faced with a new challenge, and when you own your own business, even the smallest challenge can seem like the biggest deal. When I bought my studio in 2013, it was struggling. We did not have the greatest reputation, and there weren’t very many happy clients, and I knew this going into it. I knew I was taking a chance. The day I signed the contract to own the studio was probably the most scared and excited I have ever been in my life. I made my new studio my entire life, I let it consume me and I was determined turn the image of Melrose Dance Academy around. I need to credit the amazing families who took a chance on me, I was 25 and really did not know how to run a business. They trusted me with their kids, they encouraged me daily, and have always cheered me on. Melrose Dance Academy would not be what it is without my incredible clients who have become more like family.

Jump ahead four years and a lot of hard work, and we are now expanding from a one room studio, to a beautiful new facility with two studios. We still face challenges daily, and I have learned a lot of hard lessons through running my own business, one being there is no such thing as a sick day, but I would never change what I do. I know at the end of each rocky road comes strength and a tight hug or a big smile from one of my dancers. At the end of the day, it’s my dancers that make every challenge worth it.

We’d love to hear more about your business.
As the owner and director of Melrose Dance Academy, it is so important for me to have a relationship with all the families and dancers at my studio. I want to know something about each and every one of them, and I want them to know me. I want to remember to ask one of my dancers each week about her chickens, or how another one of my dancers did on their school project where they had to dress up like their favorite character from a book. Knowing these little things about each of my dancers’ lives is important to me. I also do my best to always make myself available to my clients. I want them to know no matter what time of day, they can talk to me about any concern they might have or just to answer a simple question.

We offer classes in Ballet, Tap, Jazz, Lyrical, Contemporary, Musical Theater, Acro, and Hip Hop. I’m also really proud of our Preschool and Creative Movement programs. Along with our regular classes, we also do Movie Nights, Pajama Parties, and other fun extra nights at the studio to try and bring the kids together.

I’m very lucky to have a staff I can trust. I have learned over the years, I cannot do everything myself (although I would really like to), so finding the right staff I can trust with my kids and my studio, is extremely important to me. I cannot say enough about how much my teachers mean to me.

On top of our regular studio classes, we also have Performance Teams for ages 6 to 18. As the dance world becomes more and more competitive, I want my dancers to learn to dance for themselves and for the audience, not just for a trophy. This is something I have become very passionate about. While we do participate in a few competitions a year, I’m constantly looking for new opportunities for them to do what they love. Some of the great experiences we have shared together is dancing in Disney World, taking a dance class in New York with the Rockettes, dancing at the TD Garden as part of the pre-game show for the Celtics, dancing on Yawkey Way before a Red Sox game, and dancing for their community at the Melrose Victorian Fair each September. I spend a lot of time with these girls, and feel like we have built a strong bond over the years, and I’m just so honored that I get to make such wonderful memories with them.

At the end of the day, I’m just so proud of what Melrose Dance Academy has become.

Is our city a good place to do what you do?
I was born and raised in Melrose. My whole life has been shaped by this city. I went to school in Melrose, I grew up dancing in Melrose, and I now own a business in Melrose. It is a city of comfort for me. I feel like once you live in Melrose you never really leave, which is how I have been able to build such strong relationships with the families at my studio over the years. I can relate to the dancers I teach because I was one of them. I would absolutely recommend someone starting out to start here. The residents in Melrose are so loyal to one another and are always so quick to help out anyone who needs it.

Contact Info:

• Address: 466 Franklin St
  Melrose, MA 02176
• Website: MelroseDance.com
• Phone: 781-665-6993
• Email: MelroseDanceAcademy@gmail.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/melrosedanceacademy
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MelroseDanceAcademy
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/Melrose_Dance

Image Credit:
Dan Doke Photography, Tammy Bondanza, Angela Rourke, & Deb Podradchik