ABOVE: Co-teachers and new owners Aurora Meadows and Laura Douglas stand opposite current and retiring owner Tammy Armstrong with one of their favorite parts of the studio, a sign which embodies the message of Dancin Plus.

FAIRMONT – An illustrious career dating back to 1986 ends June 1, as Tammy Armstrong retires from ownership of Dancin Plus.

While Fairmont Dancin Plus started in 1995, celebrating its 30th anniversary, Armstrong’s journey started nine years earlier.

“I started my studio in St James,” she said. “That was the summer before my senior year of high school. We had a lot of clientele coming from Fairmont. Someone says, ‘Why don’t you open a studio in Fairmont?’ And I thought, ‘Well, let’s give it a try.’ I live in Fairmont. I was a mom of a small child. I thought it makes sense. It’s closer to home.”

From there Armstrong built her studio to include tap, jazz, ballet, hip-hop, tumbling and lyrical. Classes are for people ranging from 4 to 18 years old.

“We typically meet once each week,” she said. “We are preparing for our annual dance recital that’s coming up in about seven weeks. We’re excited about that. It showcases all the children’s and teacher’s hard work.”

On top of it being 30 years for Dancin Plus, it’s bittersweet for Armstrong as the last major recital she oversees. The decision to retire was not made overnight.

“It’s been in the back of my mind for a while,” she said. “I wanted to make sure that I left the studio and the dancers that enjoy coming here in really good hands. I became a grandmother about six years ago. I was itching to lighten up the schedule so I could spend more time with my family. In the last two years, I was feeling strongly about it.”

There have been unexpected bittersweet moments in the retirement process. Armstrong said it caught her by surprise when she choked up while closing an account she had used to purchase dance outfits for nearly 40 years.

By stepping away now, Armstrong said she is free to chase new adventures.

“Everybody is wishing me a happy retirement, but I’m not ‘retiring’,” she said. “I like to stay busy. I’ve got some other things I want to try out and it’s time to do that. I know I’m leaving the studio in really good hands, and they don’t get a chance to pursue their dream until I walk away from mine.”

The hands she’s leaving Dancin Plus in are those of Aurora Meadows and Laura Douglas. Meadows took her first class with Dancin Plus in 2002, and Douglas in 1996. They rejoined Dancin Plus as employees in 2010, and over time started co-leading classes together.

“They are an excellent team,” Armstrong said. “They can read each other’s minds. What one’s thinking, the other one’s already on it, and vice versa. The kids love them. It’s going to be a wonderful transition.”

From co-leading classes to taking everything over, Meadows said the biggest thing was making sure all the ducks were in a row business-wise.

“We had to file for an LLC, get our tax stuff in line,” she said.

While they take over the space and all the equipment, everything must be re-opened and established in Meadows and Douglas’s names. Besides paperwork, Meadows said everything else would stay the same.

For Douglas, this opportunity gives them the chance to fully share their passion and love for dance with the next generation.

“I feel like they’ve become a big part of our lives, we become a huge part of theirs, too,” she said. “I’m excited to build that relationship with them.”

Meadows added legacy is also a big part of what taking over Dancin Plus means to them.

“It’s a big honor,” she said “This is Tammy’s baby. For her to trust us with it feels amazing.”

Looking forward, Armstrong said they already have a bright future in view.

“They’ve been training with me so long they’re kind of an extension of that,” she said. “They know what to do. We already have kids calling wanting to register for next year, and that’s music to our ears. I think the future is bright. Kids love to explore their passions. Kids want to dance. For a lot of them, that is their thing.”

The 30th-anniversary production will be happening at 7 p.m. on May 17 and 3 p.m. on May 18. It includes 21 dance numbers in tap, jazz, ballet, hip-hop, pointe, and other styles.

“The recital is special because as choreographers and teachers, we have a vision in our head,” Meadows said. “We teach the students, and they make it come alive. The art is coming alive, and you get to share that.”

For more information, visit https://www.dancin-plus.com/