Studio owner hits her mark

When she graduated from the University of
Western Ontario two years ago, Rebecca Brettingham was something of a
rare breed - a political science major with a job offer.

Politically savvy beyond her years, she had done a lot of work for Cam
Jackson, a Tory MPP from her home town of Burlington. When she earned
her bachelor of arts, she was offered a job in Jackson's Queen's Park
office. She turned it down, however, to pursue a dream she'd had since
she was five years old.

That's when she began to dance. "I loved it right away," she recalls.
"I slowly learned more forms and moved from a recreational to a
competitive level. I've been dancing ever since."

At 16, she began to teach at summer dance camps in Burlington,
discovering she enjoyed working with young dancers almost as much as
she enjoyed dancing herself.

Two years later, when she was old enough to get her teaching
certification she did so and began teaching classes while attending
high school.

It was only natural to continue teaching when she started university.
In fact, once she was accepted at Western, she wrote letters to every
dance studio in the city, offering to teach part-time. It wasn't long
after arrived and started studying the subtleties of peace, order and
good government that she was teaching two nights a week, specializing
in jazz and tap.

During the summer prior to her third year, she took a UWO course to
lighten her academic load in September so she could teach even more
dance.

"I taught a lot."

She was grateful for the opportunities to teach at several local studios, each with its own specialty and approach.

Inevitably, though, she began to develop her own ideas about the best
way to run a studio. Drawing on an entrepreneurial bent inherited from
her parents, she starting toying with the idea of running her own place.

After turning down the Queen's Park gig, she continued teaching for
studios, but she also established a sole proprietorship, Dance Extreme.
For a year, she taught under that name part time in Dorchester and St.
Thomas. If she had any jitters about doing her own thing, she put them
behind her after that experience.

"I really enjoyed it and decided to incorporate my company and find a permanent location."

Like so many before her, she was exasperated by the search for space.

Besides the usual complications about leaseholder improvements, parking and rates, her age 22 - was an obstacle.

More than one commercial realtor seemed to think she wasn't serious
when she said she wanted to locate in the west end of the city, away
from the plethora of downtown studios.

Eventually, a realtor found her current location on Commissioners Road
West, a site that has been so successful she will expand this summer to
meet growing demand.

Although she had saved "quite a bit of money," she needed a line of credit to get started.

"I didn't want people thinking it was really my parents' business."

In the end, she did require her parents to co-sign her line of credit
and to sign a bond to cover the first two years of her lease.

The pride is evident in her voice when she reports the two years have expired.

"I'm now in the clear."

The school has been successful from the beginning, benefiting from an
idea she came up with while working at other studios. She opened the
doors in July 1998, offering a slate of classes through the summer,
when many competitors close or cut back. As a result, scores of dancers
from other studios came for the summer, providing a jump start she
needed.

Today, she employs five teachers and continues to teach classes herself. This year, nearly 400 students are enrolled.

On June 9 and 10 the school will present its recital at the Grand Theatre.

Written by Christopher Clark, freelance writer 
London Free Press May 2000