“I believe in freeing your inner spirit, following your passion and going in the direction of your dreams,” said USM dance professor Maria Tzianabos. This month, Tzianabos did just that by opening a new studio in South Portland called the Terpiscore Dance Center.
The eight instructors at the center teach a wide variety of dance and movement classes.
The classes are open to the public and range from “Mommy and Me Dancing” for mothers with young children, to Pilates, Flamenco and even Zumba, a new kind of rigorous workout that mixes together moves from hip-hop to Latin dance styles.
The center is also home to a troupe of students in the Adult Modern Repertory class that perform at local dance shows and includes current USM students Annie Bartlett, Michelle Bernier and Stephanie White.
“I hope that the studio is a safe, nurturing place to learn dance,” said Tzianabos.
Business at the studio has gotten off to a strong start, something Tzianabos hopes will continue.
Her goal is to strike a balance between welcoming people of all levels and abilities and providing high-level formal training in ballet and modern dance. Tzianabos says she wants the studio to be a place where students can feel comfortable getting in shape, a place where they can build self-esteem and personal strength.
Tzianabos has been teaching Contemporary Dance in the theatre department at USM since 1997. For much of that time, she has been at the forefront of the arts community here as the originator and driving force behind “Dance USM,” the annual student-choreographed and performed dance show.
The inspiration for the studio came from her father, a local doctor who spent his life giving back to the community and passed away from cancer last March. Every time she enters her new studio, Tzianabos sees the dedication to him that she put on the front door. “I look at it and remember to hold fast to dreams,” she says. “Mine came true because of that very special man.”
A group of dancers from Terpsicore Dance will be performing at the First Friday Art Walk on Congress Street in Portland on Oct. 4.
The studio is planning to host a “Pumpkin Patch Festival” on Saturday, Oct. 17 with free dance instruction, face painting, apple bobbing and pumpkin carving.
For more information or to register for classes, go to http://www.terpsicoredance.com