GRANBY — For Ellen Marshall, owner and artistic director of Off Broadway Dance Center near Fulton, just about everything changed in her studio when the COVID-19 pandemic hit. After being closed from March until October of last year, Marshall made changes in her business to keep everyone safe, but still allow students to dance. Founded […]
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GRANBY — For Ellen Marshall, owner and artistic director of Off Broadway Dance Center near Fulton, just about everything changed in her studio when the COVID-19 pandemic hit.
After being closed from March until October of last year, Marshall made changes in her business to keep everyone safe, but still allow students to dance.
Founded in 1997, Off Broadway Dance Center is located in a nearly 4,000-square-foot building at 420 County Route 3 in Granby. The dance center has more than 275 students and offers classes in ballet, tap, lyrical, hip hop, jazz, and more.
Even after reopening, Off Broadway Dance Center adapted with a mix of in-person and virtual classes to adhere to public guidelines on COVID exposures and quarantining.
“We did offer the ability to switch from one [format] to another if a child or family member was ill, quarantined, or if they had traveled,” Marshall says.
As a result, the dance center has integrated technology into all classes. A Google Meet is set up during all classes, which gives parents and guardians the ability to watch their children in class live from a phone or a computer. These videos are uploaded onto a class Google page so the students can practice at home.
“We’ve relied on Facebook to communicate with parents as our waiting room has been closed to visitors,” Marshall adds. “It’s a great way to quickly get announcements out to a large group and to see who’s read them.”
The five instructors at the studio all teach in person. Off Broadway Dance Center has the same number of employees as it did before the pandemic began, according to Marshall. She declines to disclose revenue details but says revenue did decrease because of the studio closure and reduced class sizes following reopening.
Marshall says she is thankful for the support she received from Dr. Sarah Finocchiaro, a pediatrician at River View Pediatrics in Fulton and a dance mom with a daughter who participates at Off Broadway Dance Center. Dr. Finocchiaro always answered Marshall’s questions and offered support and guidance during a stressful time, navigating the pandemic.
“Many of our dancers’ parents did not feel ready to send them to school during the pandemic and decided to only do virtual schooling — but trusted that Off Broadway Dance Center would follow the protocols to keep them safe during dance classes,” Marshall says.
Off Broadway Dance Center is preparing for an in-person show in June. The Fulton War Memorial, at 609 W. Broadway, will be used and eight smaller shows will be presented to allow for a socially distant audience. After the show is filmed and compiled, Marshall is hoping to have it screened at the Midway Drive-In Theatre in Minetto sometime this year.
The studio’s competition team is also wrapping up its season, and according to Marshall, the team has doubled in size since last year.
Regarding the future, Marshall says she would like to expand her studio.
“We’d love to add an additional building to expand our popular Acro (acrobatics) program,” she says. “That would allow us to utilize our existing Acro Room for an extra dance studio space.”
Off Broadway Dance Center is located in a former church building that Marshall bought in 2016 for $80,000, according to Oswego County property records. The prior owner is listed as Granby Center United Methodist. The nearly four-acre property is tentatively assessed at $100,000 for 2021. It’s located in the Hannibal school district.
