Just a few blocks from Grant High School, on Sandy Boulevard, lies a family-owned dance studio called Hollywood Dance.

For over 30 years, the studio has been able to thrive off of its loyal group of dancers — a list including numerous Grant students. With its wide variety of styles and non-competitive ideology, Hollywood Dance has formed a strong community. Joni Callahan, the studio’s owner and director, gained ownership of the establishment in 1996 and became the sole owner in 2016. She hoped to create a supportive community where students could evolve and grow through shared values. A dance teacher herself, she put significant energy into making the studio a safe and comfortable place for dancers of all skill levels. The studio’s close-knit community includes the staff — especially the Callahan family. Though Hollywood Dance Studio was initially run by Callahan, her children eventually got involved in the business as well; her daughter, Rachel Callahan, has been teaching at the studios since the fall of 2002, specializing in hip hop, contemporary, and jazz dance. “We know each other’s strengths and weaknesses really well,” says Rachel Callahan. “It’s a great excuse to get to see each other all the time.”

Joni Callahan started as a teacher at the studio. She taught dance while her daughter took classes. Even though her mother worked at the studio, Rachel Callahan says that the idea to begin dancing was completely her own. “I had a school friend who was taking classes … and so I came and watched them take their dance class,” she says. After that, Callahan went to her mom and said, “Yeah, I want to do this. This seems fun!” Although skeptical at first, her mother was very supportive and ensured that she successfully began her dance journey.

In her youth, Joni Callahan attended a Russian Ballet school focused on performance rather than competition. “I personally still do not like competition, because internally in a studio I think it kind of can bring out a real negative aspect of people’s personalities,” she says. She hopes to bring a positive and supportive environment to her studio rather than have students worrying about competition. The combination of her mother’s hard work and her current involvement in the dance studio inspired Rachel Callahan to pursue teaching. Their shared love for dance instruction only strengthened their relationship further.

Grant sophomore Kate Hopper has attended Hollywood Dance for over 12 years. During the school year, she spends an average of six hours per week in the studio, and says Hollywood Dance is “very supportive.” Every student has benefited differently from their time at the studio, but the highlight for Hopper has been her opportunity to be a teacher’s assistant.“It gave me a platform to start building on teaching and educating,” Hopper says.

Hollywood Dance has been able to create a thriving community of students. The Callahans’ work to inspire loyal dancers has made the studio strong. Rachel Callahan’s piece of advice to young dancers is “to have faith in yourself. Do it because you love it, even if you’re not the best dancer in the class.”