Broadview’s Empire Dance Studio wins vote for best in the state

A couple-run dance studio has created a supportive and welcoming environment that’s seen them inundated with students – and named the best in the state.

Empire Dance Studio at Broadview has the moves to take out the title of best dance studio in South Australia.

But it was a very tight race in our latest best of poll, with Empire taking out seven per cent of the total vote.

After hundreds of nominations, we narrowed it down to 30 finalists and votes came flooding in for who was the best of the best.

Empire Dance Studio started in 2016, operating out of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart College in Enfield with a mere 23 students.

“I was working full-time as a teacher, and started off just running classes one to two nights a week,” Angela said.

But growth came relatively quickly, with Empire moving into its own premises in Holden Hill in the middle of 2017.

Angela’s husband Ryan, a former professional soccer player, also started working in the business.

One of the five studios at Empire Dance Studio. Picture: Paula Thompson

Today, Empire Dance Studio has more than 440 students, from ages 2 to 30, and 15 staff members.

One of Empire’s students comes from as far as Wallaroo on the Yorke Peninsula, just to attend classes.

Despite the phenomenal growth, it hasn’t always been an easy run, with the Marveggios moving into their Broadview studio only three weeks before Covid-19 shutdowns came into play last year.

“We operated online and ran more than 100 classes a week through Covid,” Angela said.

The studio covers a wide range of dance genres – from jazz, lyrical, contemporary, hip-hop, acro and tap.

SA’s top five dance studios:

1. Empire Dance Studio, Broadview

2. Blitz FCD Studios, Ridgehaven

3. Vital Movement Studios, Edwardstown

4. Move Through Life Dance Studio, Glengowrie

5. Cheryl Bradley Dances Studios, Clearview

While dance studios may have gained plenty of notoriety for the hugely popular TV show Dance Moms, Angela said that was an example of exactly what she did not want to create in the studio.

Rather than a highly competitive, cutthroat environment, Empire is a supportive space for its students.

“Coming from a dance background and a high school teaching background, I was very careful about creating the right culture the dance studio,” Angela said.

“I taught high school girls for seven years and understood what they needed to thrive.”

Ryan said the lesson of respecting your peers and staff is a key part of the Empire culture.

This culture and environment at the studio has led Empire Dance students around the world – including dance championships in the United States.

But Ryan said the studio isn’t all about winning trophies.

“Teaching important life skills, like time management and resilience, is a key part of what we do,” he said.