Anne-Marie Bozzacco Interview

Owner of "Anne-Marie's Academy of Dance in Huntersville, NC

Can you tell me a bit about how your dancing career began in began in New Orleans?

My mother placed me in a dance class at the age of three and I never stopped dancing. I perfected my technique through my dance studio. I was the only freshman to make the dance team in high school. By my junior year I was captain and my senior year. I was on a college dance team SLU, one arena football teams and three NFL teams. To this day I dance with my adult jazz and tap class.

How did your minor in dance from Sam Houston State University shape your outlook on dance?

My minor broaden my mind on different genres of dance. I did not have modern or Pilates at my dance studio. It made me appreciate these dance genres that I was not comfortable with at first.

It says in your bio that you developed her own technique, can you tell me a little about the technique?

Most studios have different levels for each genres of dance. My technique is to place everyone by two to three years of age together at all different type of levels. I believe each student has an ability whether it is over extending arch in their feet, personality, flexibility, etc. I take each student work with them personally finding their best and then they bring it to the entire group. By doing this each student challenges themselves to learn from each other. It is easy to choreograph for everyone at the same level but when your choreograph looks like everyone is at the same level then you know you have done your job.

You choreographed for high school dance teams and were a Dance Team Member for three different NFL teams, how did you decide that you wanted to teach "studio" dance instead of continuing with dance teams?

When I moved to Charlotte over twenty-five years ago, schools did not have dance teams and still to this day most do not. I was able to do both dance teams and NFL but only to the extent of the few schools that have teams.

What is your ultimate goal as a studio owner?

My ultimate goal as a studio owner. It to give each of my students the ability and technique to do anything in the dance world. It is also my goal to instill the passion for dance in everyone.

How do you feel about competition vs. non-competition dance?

I have competition teams called “Show Troupes”, since I renamed them this means I am not a huge fan of competition. I believe its wonderful to have the opportunities seeing other studios and performing but it is extremely time consuming plus expensive.

There are a lot of competitions that let studios perform in levels that they should not be able to perform in.

Can you tell me a bit about the highs and lows of owning a studio?

The highs of owning a studio is having a place to teach students everything I have to offer. Also I work the schedule around some of my events. The lows are costs, some of the parents who need instant gratification and you truly never have a holiday.

What is the most rewarding thing that has happened to you as a small business owner?

The most rewarding thing is when parents and students write beautiful letters to you explaining what dance and you as a teacher mean to them. I keep these in a safe place to look at when I have a low day owning the studio. The most memorable is; I have a student who has been with me for six years. Her mom did not tell us she had a learning disability and sensory issues. First year she stood on stage and did not dance. Her mom wrote us saying how excited she was to stand on stage (not dance during recital) and stayed in her costume all day. Now at six years later she is full out performing in ballet, tap and jazz. It is amazing what music, dance and teacher can do for a student.