Located on Ellington Road, Level Up Dance Company (LUDC) begins its 2024-2025 dance season on Monday, September 9th. Run by Holly Havens, the studio is an open-minded environment that encourages self-expression and passion.
This season, LUDC will offer several dance classes for ages 3 to adult. These classes include ballet, jazz, contemporary, hip-hop, tap, and even K-pop.
Opened in August of 2021, Level Up Dance Company has expanded its studio to 100 recreational students and 40 competition dancers.
Returning for a second year of dance, Claudia Simon tells The Prowl she “made some close friends,” and “really liked how kind everyone was.”
Many parents praise the studio for the friendly atmosphere the studio provides for their children. “They welcome Ava [dancer] and make her feel important and equal there,” commented a returning dance studio parent, Sarah Tyszka.
Havens has made it her goal to turn the studio into an environment both students and parents love and look forward to. Tyszka has described the studio as “a second home” and states, “You can tell there’s a culture of kindness.”
Level Up Dance Company operates with the students in mind. Goals are set throughout the first week of dance and team-building activities are started.
“[I am] most excited to meet all the new students, and get started on all the new dances, competition dance at Level Up requires classes such as acrobatics and ballet, as well as weekly rehearsals for team, production, and specialty dances,” Havens explained.
The studio has many performance opportunities lined up for the upcoming season. This includes a performance at a UCONN football game, a performance in Times Square, and a trip to the Broadway Dance Center. These opportunities are available for every student.
Marissa Haluch, a competition coach and recreational teacher shared her stance on the studio’s importance.
“Something that I see at Level Up that I can’t say about all studios in the area, is that we do create a community of kindness.”
Haluch, a dancer since age three, has a Bachelor of Arts degree and specializes in dance education/pedagogy, dance choreography, and dance technique and performance. This degree has allowed her to create beautifully choreographed dances that reflect not only her talents as a teacher but also the student’s artistic abilities.
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A LUDC competition team mentally preparing for their performance.
Janet Giammarino'
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Competition team wins the golden ticket during an awards ceremony.
Janet Giammarino'
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The older girls’ team celebrates their competition season with a sweet treat.
Emma Luxemburg'
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Young dancers begin their ballet class and road to success at the LUDC.
Sarah Tyszka'
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All-Star Youth celebrate the National Dance Team Championship win.
Janet Giammarino'
“My experience as a LUDC coach and teacher has been extremely rewarding, I am constantly growing and learning from her students every day,” Haluch told The Prowl.
Being in the dance industry for 20 years, Haluch has seen many different atmospheres and has stated, that “Level Up doesn’t have a competitive nature against dancers, everyone is very supportive of one another which is very refreshing to see.”
Starting September 9th, Level Up Dance Company will open its doors to students and families for their next season. Every day they welcome new students and parents into their “family” and look forward to working with everybody.
