The Studio Moves Into New Home

DAYTON - The Studio is up and running at its new home.

Patti Jo Amerein, 48, used to have a dance studio on Main Street in Dayton where she had been teaching dance to little ones since 2009. Now, her 22 students are heading to class in a new location over the Hammerdown Fitness gym on Cameron Street.

Amerein's husband Chuck opened Hammerdown Fitness recently and built his wife her own studio above it. Her studio on Main Street had been closed for six or seven months during the construction of her new studio. Classes started at the new location on April 10.

And for Amerein, she can't imagine doing anything else.

"That's what I do - I'm a dancer," she said.

Amerein looks like a dancer. She's tall and thin with long, dark hair swept back in a ponytail. For dance class on Thursday, she donned yoga pants, a sweatshirt-type top, and the ultimate sign of a dancer, legwarmers pulled down just to her the tops of her feet.

Amerein is a theater major from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. She danced professionally for more than 15 years in Las Vegas, met her then-fiancé, and decided to settle down in the country. Las Vegas was getting too big for her taste, she said. Her husband has family in the Methow Valley and Dayton seemed like the perfect country spot for the couple, she said.

Also, Amerein's second love, horses and the art of dressage, a competitive English equestrian sport, could be practiced in Dayton.

She keeps two horses in Dayton and still teaches dressage in addition to dance lessons.

Amerein opened a dance studio in Dayton because there wasn't one here, she said. All of her students live in Dayton.

She teaches jazz, tap, ballet, creative movement and pilates. Creative movement is a class specifically for little ones that uses hula hoops and ribbons and simply teaches them how to move to the beat.

"It's about just getting them to be comfortable with space and rhythm," Amerein said.

Her students are mostly little girls and she has a few teenagers.

Classes cost $10 each and private pilates instruction costs $35 a class.

Amerein said learning to dance is very important for children because they don't just learn to dance the moves, but they learn confidence and respect when they're in dance class. Also, learning dance moves is similar to learning other subjects in school.

"It teaches them how to learn," she said. "That carries over into school."

Jazz is definitely her favorite class to teach as that was what style she was dancing most as a professional.

At last Thursday's youth jazz class, the little ones learned basic moves like walking and clapping to the beat, skipping, and worked on flexibility.

Amerein was upbeat and positive with the girls, showing them how to do the moves and helping those who were a little shy about doing their dance moves across the floor by themselves.

The most challenging part of being a dance teacher is simply keeping up with the 5-yearolds, she said with a laugh.

The best part is the joy her students bring into her classroom and into her life.

"They're so happy and they make you happy," Amerein said. "Their passion and love for (dance) makes you want to come back and keep doing it."

And her own passion for dance is already rubbing off on others. Amerein's youth dance assistant teacher, Cheyanne Smith, 13, is being groomed to become a dance teacher herself one day. And it's all because of Amerein, Smith said.

"I just like to dance and be with Patti," she said.

Currently, Amerein offers dance classes for youth and teens and she would eventually like to add adult classes.

Her passion for dance and love for her students means she doesn't see herself stepping away from teaching anytime soon, but she also says her body and knees will determine when that day comes.

"I could do it forever," she said .

Ballet classes are Tuesdays, youth at 4 p.m. and teens at 5 p.m.

Jazz classes are Thursdays, youth at 4 p.m. and teens at 5 p.m.

Creative movement, for 3 to 5 year olds is Saturdays at 10 a.m., taught by Jasmine Helm.

For more information about the Studio, call 509-382-3172.