Building Strong Confident Leaders one Step
at a Time
CALL US TODAY:
Address: 70 Buckwalter Rd. Suite 203, Royersford, PA 19468 | office@lerouxdance.com
Building Strong Confident Leaders one Step
at a Time
CALL US TODAY:
THE HISTORY OF LEROUX SCHOOL OF DANCE
THE HISTORY OF LEROUX SCHOOL OF DANCE
In 1945, the dance tradition began; in a small room above a sandwich shop at 1st and Fayette Streets by Phyllis LeRoux (pronounced ‘la-roo') Gershbach. At that time, her mother accompanied her on the piano and each lesson cost $1.50. Miss Phyllis was an excellent tap dancer, and was wanted by the Rockettes at the tender age of 14, but her mother wouldn't let her go! Instead, at the age of 25 she opened her own dance studio. Their first recital was held in 1945 at the Forest Theater in Conshohocken. They had 24 students who put on a two-hour show. Due to the birth of Miss Phyllis' third child, Bonnie there was no recital in 1946. However, there has been a recital every year since 1947. In 1956 they started recording the recitals - what a task with live accompaniment! Then, in 1957 the school began to use records…then tapes. All recital costumes were made by hand until 1960 when LeRoux began to use ready-made costumes.
Miss Phyllis brought in several ballet tutors from various companies and her daughter Bonnie trained with Pat Taschner from 1955 until 1960. In 1958, Miss Bonnie began teaching at LeRoux, and the Mother-Daughter team worked together until the early 1980's. During that time, Miss Bonnie opened a branch at All Saints Episcopal Church, which is where she met and began to teach, Kelly and Karin Logan (directors of LeRoux in Conshohocken 1996-2009). In the early 80's the school moved from Apple Street to the Plymouth Square Shopping Center, where it remained for many years. In 1985, Bonnie Gershbach Gordon sold the school to Denise Hagan Walsh who continued to teach and train the students of LeRoux, among them Kelly and Karin Logan, as well as Becky and Susie Anhorn.
As the owner and director from 1984 to 1996, Miss Denise dedicated much of her time to developing and implementing a teacher training program and dance curriculum with an emphasis on social and developmental guidelines to encompass whole body development for the students. The opportunity to enroll in a single ballet/tap class at age 2 ½ is unique to LeRoux. At age 6, a student may enroll in a single class that provides instruction in ballet, tap AND jazz. This offering of multiple techniques in a single class is a huge benefit for families with multiple children or multiple activities and continues to this day. For those who don't want all the techniques, the option to exclude is also available. Miss Denise also founded the Pizazz Dance Company and her personal success was evident by the growth of enrollment that moved the studio from a one classroom, two teacher school to the multiple studio, multi-classroom and multi-teacher program it is today.
It was in 1996 that Kelly Logan Stento took on the responsibility of continuing the tradition of dance excellence as owner of LeRoux. Under her directorship, the Pizazz Dance Company won top honors on local and national levels, they participated in numerous community events and parades and, a notable highlight: paraded down Main Street USA, Walt Disney World, Florida.
On September 15, 2001, Miss Kelly expanded this wonderful program by opening a second location in Royersford. Since then, Miss Kelly and her staff have been sponsoring free classes for moms clubs, providing professionals for the Spring-Ford School District and Home & School sponsored events, as well as Career Day. The students perform at fairs, malls, community days, in parades and at local assisted living facilities.
The staff at LeRoux School of Dance in Royersford have the combined experience of over 75 years of teaching, have been selected for their expertise, and attend training conferences regularly.
In 2005, Miss Kelly enhanced the curriculum with the addition of Petite Feet, appropriately designed for the needs of those who are just beginning to walk and talk. Beginning at 18 months, and sometimes younger, with the guiding hand of an adult, youngsters explore music through group play with songs, props and tons of encouragement. Independent instruction now begins at the age of 2 ½ for those who are ready.
In 2007, the LeRoux Steppers dance team was born to provide a competitive experience once again for students dancing at LeRoux. They perform through out the community and attended their very first competition in the spring of 2010. Today, the ELITE Steppers have moved LeRoux out of the novice competition arena and into the world of advanced competitive dance! As a team, their competitive scores across ballet, tap, jazz, contemporary and musical theater average 93 out of 100.
December 2014 brought the birth of The Nutcracker to LeRoux. Although the first production included a few staff cameo performers, today this wonderful holiday classic is cast completely by the students of LeRoux. It is sure to remain an annual event in the community for years to come.
Coronavirus came to the United States in 2020 and forced some quick and innovative creativity to preserve the tradition of dance lessons for the students of LeRoux School of Dance. On the brink of celebrating their 75th anniversary, the possibility of connecting with students on a virtual platform became a reality with the government forced closure of our facility. This created a new opportunity to impact the community during social distancing and stay-at-home orders. Just 7 days after the cancellation of in-studio classes they hosted their first classes via ZOOM. In July 2020, LeRoux was able to offer limited enrollment for in-studio classes, providing a safe dance environment for students as social distancing continues. LeRoux will continue to provide both an in-studio AND virtual dance experience for dancers of all ages until they are able to return to the successful in-studio classes offer pre-coronavirus. Check out their Calendar
for a FREE class you could try at home today!
On October 13, 2009 Kelly Logan Stento sold the Conshohocken location of LeRoux to Susie Anhorn . Miss Susie danced at LeRoux for 14 years under the direction of Miss Denise and became a student teacher in the 1990's. While she was a senior in high school she was invited to teach and choreograph her own class of students under the direction of Miss Kelly. After graduation she went on to receive a BA in dance education and dance therapy while attending Cedar Crest College in Allentown, PA. She returned to LeRoux in 2008 after teaching for several years at another local dance school In October, 2012 Miss Susie partnered with her sister Becky, and side by side they managed LeRoux in Conshohocken, trading as LeRoux School of the Arts until October 1, 2017 when it closed it's doors.
The LeRoux dance experience also offers families plenty of parking, admin help during all hours of operation, paperless communication, online account access with convenient automatic payments and class enrollment options, water fountains and classroom viewing windows. This is what makes their program unique. To assist busy working families they also offer an online boutique for purchasing dress code items and costumes making LeRoux a studio of distinction.
Like all the dance schools in the area, LeRoux provides professional dance instruction, on sprung marley dance floors, in classrooms with full length mirrors and mounted barres. They have classes every day of the week at varied times for students' age 18 months and up. They have a competitive dance team and offer performance opportunities throughout the year. Their instructors have specialized training, love the art of dance, and hope to inspire the young dancer to achieve their full potential by creating positive self-image, strong self-esteem and personal confidence. Chose the studio that is building strong, confident leaders, one STEP at a time with the perfect balance of structure and fun! Enroll Today by calling 610-792-8801.
