Meet Deborah Mason of Deborah Mason Performing Arts Center in Somerville

Today we’d like to introduce you to Deborah Mason.

It all began when Mason was fourteen years old, in Cambridge’s Central Square neighborhood. Her teacher was about to close one of her dance school locations, but she instead had Mason teach a few Saturday classes there – with her own keys and run of the space. She was, essentially, “running the studio,” said Mason – while also working two other jobs, taking her own dance classes, and getting top grades in school. By age twenty-two, she owned her own school.

Mason never did go to college, she said, something that she had always wanted to do. She was the first in her family to graduate high school, however, and her daughter Jamie was the first to graduate college. Mason described how she always lovingly urged her children to excel in education. She has done the same for thousands of children she has herself educated in dance, making it a point to give each child individual attention according to his/her own strengths and needs. Joanne Barrett of JPPR, who does Public Relations for Mason says that she’s a “quiet observer” of students – quickly seeing what type of individual attention each might need to thrive, and then accordingly offering that attention.

The overall story of Mason succeeding because of remarkable patience and perseverance in the face of setback after setback, challenge after challenge. Through that she serves as a strong role model for every student who walks through her door, their families, and for the surrounding community at large. Barrett affirmed that she has a wonderful ability to communicate and work with all types of people.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Deborah has had to change the location of her school five times. “Show me a business which has changed locations five times, and kept going – even gotten stronger every time. You just don’t see that!” affirmed Mason. Rather than hubris, it is a source of real pride.

So, as you know, we’re impressed with Deborah Mason Performing Arts Center – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
Studio is known for outstanding education in the field of Dance.

Demonstrating that ever-improving quality of her school and the training it offers, through all of those transitions, is where her students have gone and what they’ve achieved. “We’ve had students who’ve gone on to dance on Broadway, with Debbie Allen, and in American Ballet Theater,” she shared. Students have danced in festivals nationwide, at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and the Duke Ellington Theater in Washington, DC. It’s not all about flash and fame for Mason and her students, however.

When the school was finding the structure of the competitive dance world financially demanding, taxing on teachers, and not aligned with the school’s values, Mason formed the non-profit Cambridge Youth Dance Program. It has served as an intensive training and performing group that’s an alternative to a traditional competition team. Apart from those stated nationwide performances, the group does a yearly spring show in the Boston University Theatre. These shows attempt to focus on things of interest to the dancers. The last few years they have chosen bullying, social justice issue and universal human rights. The quality of the artistic content and strong production values have led to the three shows selling out, with high school teachers bringing whole classes as a learning experience about the issue at hand.

So, what’s next? Any big plans?
To continue to grow and be the Dance Mecca of the community.

Contact Info:

• Address: Deborah Mason Performing Art Center
  624 Somerville Ave.,
  Somerville, MA 02143
• Website: www.deborahmasonperformingartscenter.com
• Phone: 6176165124
• Email: office@dmpac.info
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Deborah-Mason-Performing-Arts-Center-Inc-131223356900537/
• Twitter: @mason_dmpac

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