Today we’d like to introduce you to Amy and Mcebisi Xotyeni.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
Amy and Mcebisi met in Cape Town South Africa in 2012 while working for a dance company and dance school in historically disadvantaged communities in Cape Town. They are both dance teachers, performers, and choreographers and quickly learned they shared the same approach to dance and dance education. Over the next 4 years, they formed a mission to bring high-quality dance education to communities in her home state of Massachusetts, his home city of Cape Town, and around the world. They launched outreach programs for disadvantaged communities in Cape Town such as an exchange program in 2014, a workshop with a very prominent South African choreographer in 2015 that took place in Boston and North Andover, and after traveling back and forth for 4 years decided on settling on the North Shore of Massachusetts.
Amy was fortunate enough to get a teaching job at a small performing arts conservatory in North Andover. She fell in love with the schools philosophy of teaching technique, the art of dance, and its mission to prepare students for a collegiate career in dance (she also fell completely in love with all her students, some of whom are still with her) After teaching there for three years (and a very tumultuous immigration process for Mcebisi) Amy and Mcebisi took over the studio, rebranded some aspects of it, created a dance outreach program and expanded into other areas of the Merrimack Valley.
Currently, they partner with other non-profits in the area to offer high-quality dance classes at little to no cost. The studio also offers an array of classes for beginners through advanced dancers in a non-competitive environment. They offer small class sizes to give one on one attention, unique workshops that encompass several dance genres, guest teachers, and even an African Dance class that is open to the public every Saturday morning. They want the studio to have a sense of community and be available to everyone but also a place where serious dancers can learn from some of the best in the business. Mcebisi and Amy have strong ties to the busy Boston scene with Contemporary and Modern dance companies. They hope to expand that community by bringing these well known and seasoned choreographers to the North Shore.
Has it been a smooth road?
Amy and Mcebisi met in Cape Town South Africa in 2012 while working for a dance company and dance school in historically disadvantaged communities in Cape Town. They are both dance teachers, performers, and choreographers and quickly learned they shared the same approach to dance and dance education. Over the next 4 years, they formed a mission to bring high-quality dance education to communities in her home state of Massachusetts, his home city of Cape Town, and around the world. They launched outreach programs for disadvantaged communities in Cape Town such as an exchange program in 2014, a workshop with a very prominent South African choreographer in 2015 that took place in Boston and North Andover, and after traveling back and forth for 4 years decided on settling on the North Shore of Massachusetts.
Amy was fortunate enough to get a teaching job at a small performing arts conservatory in North Andover. She fell in love with the schools philosophy of teaching technique, the art of dance, and its mission to prepare students for a collegiate career in dance (she also fell completely in love with all her students, some of whom are still with her) After teaching there for three years (and a very tumultuous immigration process for Mcebisi) Amy and Mcebisi took over the studio, rebranded some aspects of it, created a dance outreach program and expanded into other areas of the Merrimack Valley. Currently, they partner with other non-profits in the area to offer high-quality dance classes at little to no cost.
The studio also offers an array of classes for beginners through advanced dancers in a non-competitive environment. They offer small class sizes to give one on one attention, unique workshops that encompass several dance genres, guest teachers, and even an African Dance class that is open to the public every Saturday morning. They want the studio to have a sense of community and be available to everyone but also a place where serious dancers can learn from some of the best in the business. Mcebisi and Amy have strong ties to the busy Boston scene with Contemporary and Modern dance companies. They hope to expand that community by bringing these well known and seasoned choreographers to the North Shore.
There were a lot of battles regarding Mcebisi getting to the United States from South Africa. The whole process took over 3 years and there were many many setbacks. That had an effect on how long we would have to wait to introduce him to the students and the community. It set us back in terms of goals that were set within a specific time frame. Luckily the community and current students embraced him completely and were totally up for the challenge of learning new techniques.
Changing the name to Izizwe Dance Studio and rebranding some of what has worked so well in the past has also been a challenge. We understand that we may offer something completely different than the other studios around us so getting our mission and approach to dance education out there continues to be something we strive to do every day. Our students, the non-profits we have worked with and our Izizwe families really have been so amazing through all the transitions and we are so thankful for them!
We’d love to hear more about your business.
Izizwe Dance Studio focuses on giving students specialized training, unique performance opportunities, and professional collaborations to prepare them for a future in the arts. What sets us apart is not just our unique classes but our partnerships within the community. This allows us to really expand outward and offer our dancers unique experiences on stage, in the community, or in the studio.
Also, we keep our classes sizes small, allowing every dancer the opportunity to receive training that is specific to their needs and talents. Izizwe also focuses on teaching techniques that are often studied at the collegiate level. When Amy was a dance education major at the HARTT School of Dance and Bridgewater State University she studied amazing techniques like Horton and Graham. Some of these techniques she never even heard of and she wants to give students of a younger age the opportunity to understand these important techniques early on in their training.
Along with a strict Vaganova Ballet syllabus, Jazz, Modern, Hip-Hop (with two AMAZING Hip-Hop teachers) Contemporary, Point, African, and Conditioning, the studio offers Musical Theatre Dance classes for students looking to audition for college or roles as actors who need dance training. Classes are offered for ages 3 through adult.
Izizwe really focuses on being a positive environment for every dancer whether they are serious about a dance career or simply want to learn and improve.
Is our city a good place to do what you do?
There are also amazing theatre arts programs at the high schools and in Lawrence that have given us a lot of opportunities to expand. We are hoping soon to partner and have a space in Island Street Studios in Lawrence where there is SO much happening in the arts in the beautiful mill buildings.
Lawrence has really made it a mission to build their city through the arts and we love being a part of it.
Andover/North Andover high schools and even some middle/elementary schools clearly have great theatre programs and we love how much they have invested in the arts. That ultimately helps us! We get so many kids that are apart of their school plays and want to improve their dancing making it such a well-rounded arts community.
Contact Info:
- Address: 30 School St. North Andover
- Website: Www.izizwedance.com
- Phone: 339-222-8041
- Email: amy.performingarts@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/izizwe.dancestudio_/
- Facebook: Facebook.com/Izizwedancestudio
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