Where Have We Gone To Competition Lately?
The Shall We Dance?
Shall We Dance? is the partner dance studio in the Oklahoma City area. With an expansive, 6,500 square foot space in the corner of the Normandy Creek Shopping Center, we have one of the largest facilities around. We have a huge floating dance floor that spans an impressive 3,600 square feet! This floor can be partitioned into multiple dancing areas allowing group classes and private lessons to happen at the same time, each with their own custom designed, state-of-the-art sound system. The speakers here at Shall We Dance? are embedded into the ceiling, spanning the entire length of the ballroom; you can hear the music from anywhere on the floor. We also have an expanded seating area with tables and chairs and bar-level counters with cushioned stools. Our spectacular space includes a large, built-in coat and shoe rack, with coordinating baskets for purses, cellphones, and other belongings.
Our great space is all thanks to tremendous growth at Shall We Dance? We have the best students anywhere and we are so lucky and thankful to have them dancing with us all year long! Shall We Dance? actually started at the insistence of several students that were dancing in Oklahoma City, but were true Normanites, living and working here in town. Kate Linkous was their instructor, and in 2008, many things in her life changed that allowed for this new, exciting venture. She was enjoying success as a competitive ballroom dancer, had built up a generous clientele of dance students, and was involved in several community projects. But then, her dance partner retired to raise a family, and her fiancé, a United States Air Force captain, was transferred to Florida and given orders to go Iraq. Kate’s first thought was to move to Florida, but a group of her dance students had another idea.
Three couples, long time students of Kate’s, convinced her to open a studio in Norman, closer to their homes and businesses. She recalls, "I’ve had students ask me about opening a studio before, but they sort of sat me down and told me what was going to happen; it was almost like an intervention.” By the end of August 2008, Shall We Dance? officially opened for business. Originally located at 2276 West Main, just down the sidewalk from the current location, the studio grew rapidly and steadily. New instructors have come, and some have gone on to create careers in not only dancing, but in Law, Chemical Engineering, and Counseling as well. With new students joining on daily basis, a few years later, we needed more space for dancing. In 2011, Shall We Dance? opened an additional space at 2232 West Main, also in Normandy Creek Shopping center, with a 2,500 square-foot floating wood laminate dance floor. For a number of years, private lessons were held in the original space, with group lessons and practice parties held in the new ballroom. But the growth of the studio did not stop there.
Eventually, we needed to expand again, and we are so thankful to have such dedicated and satisfied students to need an even bigger dance space. In August of 2013 we moved out of both previous spaces into the single large space we are in now, and we still doubled our total capacity. We are still growing, adding new instructors, classes, and levels to our already jam-packed schedule. Our studio is a wonderful place to dance, meet new people, and spend time with friends and family; we hope you will join us soon!