Dance Etc. founder proud of Reserve school’s 35 years
Published 12:08 am Wednesday, May 11, 2016
- Sandra Dottolo opened Dance Etc. in Reserve in 1981, starting off with 19 students. After 35 years of operation, Dottolo, seen holding a picture of the Dance Etc. Competition Dance Team, said she has graduated more than 200 10-year students from the dance school. (Raquel Derganz Baker/L’OBSERVATEUR)
RESERVE — Sandra Dottolo’s passion for dance started when she was 7 years old.
‘Decades of Dance’ was the theme to this year’s Dance Etc. recital, which honored the school’s past graduates. Dance Etc. is celebrating 35 years in operation this year. Pictured are a few of those graduates, including from left, first row, Gina Guidry Laborde, Andrea Landry Williams, Danielle Remondet Simon, Katie Duhon Beadle, Katie Hymel Babin, second row, Holly Ford Ballantyne, Daphne Roussel, Ashley Jolly Caeshe, Tanya Teague, third row, Sara Guidry, Callie Henry, Elainey Heltz, Abbie Duhe, Baylee Bennett, fourth row, Emily Duhe, Jaycee Bennett, Lexie Heltz, Tabitha Tregre and Alyssa Hebert. The dancers are posing in front of a wall in the studio with ballet terms written on it. Sandra Dottolo said she is a firm believer in teaching terminology like the French terms for ballet.
At 18, Dottolo was teaching at the same place she took classes, Gay-Lynee School of Dance in LaPlace. That’s when she heard some of the parents would love to have a dance studio in Reserve.
After hearing what the parents had to say and getting their support, Dottolo decided to bring dance to Reserve and Dance Etc. was born.
“I started off with 19 children back in 1981,” she said.
“At one time I had 187 students. I’m proud to say that I have over 200 10-year graduates from the school since 1981. They studied for 10 years, then actually took a test on terminology and passed. It was a grueling test on jazz, tap and ballet. I’m proud of those over 200 graduates.”
Dance Etc. recently celebrated 35 years of operation.
“Its been a joy to do all these years,” she said. “Children are the future, and when you work with children, it brings nothing but joy and happiness. I never dreamed we would be going this long. It’s been awesome. Sometimes the younger people will say, ‘you know you live in Reserve if you’ve been to Dance Etc.’”
Students ages 3 and up can take a wide range of classes at Dance Etc., including tap, jazz, hip hop, ballet, gymnastics, twirling and contemporary.
“We also have an award-winning competition team,” Dottolo said. “We started that probably 10 to 15 years ago. We do an extensive practice with the girls and we compete in about four regional competitions yearly. This year we had about 35 girls on the team.”
Dottolo said the girls on the Dance Etc. Competition Team really excel and she is very proud of them.
“They are broken up into age groups,” she said. “Each group does a jazz number, hip hop number and we did a production number that involved tap, as well.”
Class sizes at Dance Etc. are designed small to give students one-on-one attention if needed.
“We make sure we have no more than 10 students in a class,” Dottolo said. “That way they get individual attention. I’m a firm believer in teaching terminology like the French terms for ballet and the correct terms for tap and jazz. So if they go somewhere else for a tryout and someone calls out a position, they know exactly what they are talking about.”
Her students seem to be more interested in hip hop classes, but like her daughter Anne Dottolo-Elrod, the elder Dottolo likes tap.
Dottolo-Elrod took classes at her mother’s dance studio and is a 10 year graduate. She said she is very proud of what her mother has accomplished with Dance Etc.
“In the beginning, she really struggled to get the business going,” Dottolo-Elrod said. “She put her heart and soul into it. She worked really hard and all of her efforts didn’t go unnoticed.”
A lot of past graduates, Dottolo-Elrod said, have said Dottolo impacted their lives in a positive way, not just through dance, but through life.
“(My mom) is always there for her girls,” Dottolo-Elrod said. “That makes me proud.”
Dance Etc. is located at 130 W. 7 St. in Reserve. For more information about classes, call 504-487-7373.
By Raquel Derganz Baker
