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Started on Robert Street in 1965, The Dance Center is closed as a public dance studio. According to the St. Paul Voice, The Dance Center held its last recital in June and stopped offering classes and performances in July. Their current space at 2026 S. Robert Street will continue to be used for private classes, master classes, and theater choreography.
In the family: Corrine Martin, a West St. Paul native and Sibley High School graduate, started the Dance Center in 1965 at the age of 19. Martin’s daughter, Jennifer Haider, joined the studio in the 1990s and took over The Dance Center in 2019.
Timeline of 59 Years in West St. Paul:
- 1965: The Dance Center started at 925 S. Robert Street in an addition built on to Mike Thomas TV and Appliance, owned by Martin’s father.
- 1988: The studio moved to Doddway Shopping Center.
- 1996: The Dance Center built their own space at 1049 Dodd Road.
- 2020: They sold the Dodd Road space (now Yadot Kitfo Ethiopian Bar and Restaurant) and moved to their current location at 2026 S. Robert Street.
“This has been a rewarding business and a rewarding career,” Martin told the St. Paul Voice. “I’ve worked with so many great people. And I’ve taught the grandchildren of my early students.”
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