Iconic dance studio relocates with new name
On September 8, VIBE YXE Dance will open its doors in Stonebridge. The name is new; the program is not.
VIBE YXE was formerly known as Juliette’s Dance Centre, established more than 30 years ago by Madame Juliette Perrey-perez. It was located in the highly visible purple building on Second Avenue and Queen Street. In 2017, Melissa Granatier Sabin and Lisa Williams purchased the business from Perryperez. When the building went up for sale, the new owners/directors viewed it as the perfect opportunity to relocate, rebrand and expand the scope of the dance studio program.
Williams and Granatier Sabin both had daughters in the dance program and have a long association with the centre as dance moms. After being approached separately about purchasing the business, they initially decided to combine their efforts and take over management of the dance centre. In January of 2017 they went a step further and purchased the business outright.
“We’re not dance moms anymore, we’re dance directors, although we sometimes call ourselves crazy for launching this ambitious expansion and rebranding of the program,” says Granatier Sabin.
She says the new name, VIBE YXE Dance, embodies the studio’s long-established core values of vitality, inclusion, balance and excellence.
A brand new facility for VIBE YXE Dance is nearing completion at 110 Wellman Crescent in Stonebridge, and doors will open for classes on September 8, 2018.
“We’re going from 5,000 square feet in the old dance centre to 10,000 in this one,” Williams says. “The space will have four studios with state-of-the-art sprung floors that are raised and cushioned. You can’t have kids dancing on concrete. The floors are the biggest expenditure in this venture, but we wanted it done well.”
The two-storey facility offers a capacity three times that of the previous one. The location is safe and well-lit, with plenty of free parking. The former dance centre handled 125 students; the new one has capacity for three times that number.
VIBE YXE will offer the gamut of dance classes: ballet, tap, modern dance, jazz, lyrical and acrobatic dance, as well as several new ones.
Move and Play is a recreational class for 3- to 4-year- olds. Zumbini is a mommy-and-me program for ages 12 months to 24 months.
“VIBE is also launching a dance fitness component,” Williams says. “We’re super excited about that. It’s a new bungee workout that is new to Saskatoon and Saskatchewan, and exclusive to VIBE. There’s also Zumba, a fun dance/fitness workout; and Bootybarre, a fitness ballet class aimed at fitness and based on ballet elements. It’s a combination of dance, Pilates and yoga.”
Another coup for VIBE is the acquisition of registered massage therapist, Krystal Staniowski, whose services will be available at the studio several nights a week.
“We’re trying to look at a whole body experience,” Granatier Sabin says, “and we’re also emphasizing the family experience. While the kids are dancing, the adults can be taking classes of their own or receiving massage therapy.”
Granatier Sabin and Williams say they intend to continue the practice of inclusion and excellence established by Juliette’s Dance Centre. They are justifiably proud of the high profile teachers they’ve recruited and the high standards of certification excellence they bring.
“We want to create the infrastructure at VIBE that supports dancers as athletes,” Granatier Sabin says. “That includes conditioning stretch programs, access to a massage therapist and nutritionist, as well as on-going professional development for our teachers.
“Investing in our teachers has been a priority for us. We want to see them get the education they need so they can pass it on to the students.”
One element of that is a partnership with the CLI Program in Los Angeles where individuals have one-on-one access to 80 professional dance choreographers.
“This whole project we’re involved in is thrilling for us,” Williams says. “Our greatest enjoyment comes from the fact that we’re doing it together. We’re grateful to all the wonderful people who are working with us in support of VIBE. We look forward to a very exciting future.” For more information, visit vibeyxe.com.