10 Years of Dance in Stratford

Time flies when you’re having fun! We’re proud to have shared the joy of dance with our community for more than 10 years! Back in 2005, On Stage Dance Studio was located on the corner of Huron St. & Foreman Ave. We had 2 small dance rooms and about 100 students. Today, we’re dancing in the heart of downtown Stratford, with 3 large dance studios, 2 change rooms, a spacious lobby, and we’re home to over 400 young dancers!

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Over the past 11 years, we’ve done all sorts of exciting things in our community of Stratford. Here are some of On Stage’s highlights:

  • Voted Stratford’s Favourite Dance Studio 10 times, and Stratford’s Favourite Summer Camp Program 5 years running!
  • Added acro & contemporary to our dance offerings, introduced a new Tots Dance program for dancers 2-3 years old, created a pin collecting reward program, and started a mentorship program to help train future teachers
  • Created a flashmob outside of Stratford City Hall that went viral & showed off Stratford to the world!
  • Invited to perform at all sorts of exciting Stratford special events, including Savour Stratford, Winterfest, Alzheimers Walk For Memories, Justin Bieber Movie premiere, music video for Gregor Reynolds, Stratford Swan Parade, Garlic Festival, Amazing Race Stratford, Canada Day in City Centre, Santa Claus parades, Canada Day parades, too many retirement homes to count, and more!
  • Put on 11 holiday performances and 11 spring recitals
  • Have featured more than 2500 Stratford dancers gracing the stage at our annual spring recitals!
  • Donated over $20,000.00 to local, community-based charities & organizations including: Stratford Optimism Place, Emily Murphy Centre, Big Brothers/Sisters, Rotary Centre, Dragon Boat Races, Lung Association, Sydney Evans Run, Stratford Youth Soccer, I Love My Gallery Auction, Children’s Aid Society, AMDSB Foundation for Education, Stratford Youth Hockey, Romeo Public School, and more!
  • Our staff has received training in Toronto, Phoenix AZ, Boston MA, New York City, Winnipeg, and more
  • Our students have gone on to train and/or perform at the National Ballet of Canada, Alberta Ballet, Royal Winnipeg Ballet, Ballet Jorgen, Stratford Festival, Drayton Festival, York University, Ryerson University, George Brown College… and it’s not just dance we’re proud of! Even our students that don’t continue dancing keep in touch – they make lifelong community connections! – and tell us that the lesson they learned dancing with us have benefitted & influenced them as they pursue success & growth in any field.
  • Our Intensive Dance Program students have performed & received accolades across the province, and performed on stage at DisneyWorld in Orlando FL

Though lots has changed over the years, one thing remains the same – our commitment to encourage & nurture a love for dance in every child. Yes, we produce great talented dancers – while making sure their joy or self-confidence is our priority. Our goal is to help kids become their best possible selves and to express joy through movement. At On Stage our kids are always smiling & loving who they are – just the way we like it!