Photo by Kevin Vu Kim

Bill Brown
Studio A Dance

A short film about Bill Brown & Studio A Dance. Directed, Shot, & Edited by Jamie Engber. Our mission is to share our love of dance, and to provide a fun and...

STUDIO A DANCE began 41 years ago in the dining room of our Los Feliz apartment. Back then it was called Terrance Curtis Dance.  When the class was filled to capacity attendance soared to five, but in an effort to reclaim our dining room for Friday evening soirees, Terrance and I found a sublet dance studio on Hillhurst Ave. A big open space with lots of windows and a large sofa at the entrance seemed just perfect. However, one morning we arrived to find the tap teacher who owned the place asleep on that very sofa with empty beer bottles strewn about, and a not-so-pleasant odor.  We worried, and rightly so because this scenario continued. The art of dance and alcohol is not a pleasant mix. Next stop: a local community center where classes grew but the dance studio had very little oxygen.  But soon we discovered a vacancy back on Hillhurst Ave (a different bay in the same building; tap dancer had checked out), we grabbed the space and Studio A Dance was born.  Following a seven-year stint we panicked because the landlord tripled our rent.

The plight of the dance studio owner.

But art must survive.

And it did as we settled into a great space —with 2 dance studios— at our current Hyperion Ave location. In 2003 we lost Terrance after his long battle with leukemia.  At that time I took over as sole proprietor. Today I'm happy to say that Studio A Dance is thriving. In fact I purchased the building in 2014 and christened it Hyperion Arts. Every single time I walk into the back studio, I smile.

That’s because I take in the stained glass window –- a replica of Terrance's painting The Clown.

Today, Studio A Dance continues, and even passed the covid test in 2020-2021, as my 9 virtual classes per week helped to keep all afloat. For that, I thank our beautiful, and giving community.

Studio A Dance has morphed since the early 1980s. Now a dozen or so teachers rent space and each have their own enterprise/program. For adult classes, check out the Adult Schedule Page, and for kids, the Kids Schedule Page. Each listing there is linked to class descriptions, instructors, rates, etc.

Please drop by Studio A Dance anytime to see how beautifully art moves.
See You On The Floor!
Bill Brown