Thriver Co. expands its dance studio in Tillsonburg

Thriver Company is expanding in Tillsonburg, recently adding the ‘next door unit’ to its dance studio at 146 Tillson Avenue.

The new space is accessible from their current Unit A lobby and will offer even more opportunities for children and adults, from pre-dance classes that introduce young ones to the joys of dance to specialized training programs for experienced dancers looking to take their skills to the next level, to adult pilates and dance classes.

​”We are so grateful to the Tillsonburg community for re-welcoming us with open arms and supporting us through our growth,” said Renee Pelland, a Thriver Company Studio Director. “We can’t wait to continue growing our community and watching our students thrive to their fullest in our newest space.”

Thriver Company has been back up and running under new ownership, a new brand, and new facility for only one year, post-pandemic. Prior to that, the studio operated under the name Danscene for more than 25 years.

In its first full year Thriver had nearly 100 dancers, exceeding expectations in ‘every way, shape and form,’ said Pelland, and that’s why they were able to expand.

“There was a ton of people that just felt so loyal to Danscene, and that’s what we were kind of tapping into. We knew that Danscene truly meant so much to so many people for more than just the dance education. It was also about the values ​​that Angie (Farkas) instilled, the community. I think a lot of the people who came over here from Danscene felt instantly warm and comfortable here… that’s what they have very much loved about (Thriver). ‘Warm and inviting space is our jam’ is what we’ve been saying.”

Thriver Co. was also laid out similar to the Danscene studio and that was intentional.

“There’s a lot of new people who are just discovering us for the first time and are liking that Danscene story. There’s also a lot of people that I grew up dancing with at Danscene, and Elyse did, who are now bringing their kids, and that’s been kind of nice, too.”

When renovations are completed this summer, Thriver Co. will have up to 40% more dance space in September, along with more classes and teachers.

“This will be our biggest studio room,” said Pelland, who was excited when the ‘next door’ lease (formerly Husqvarna) became available in May.

In addition to more youth classes, Thriver plans to use the extra space to expand its adult classes, both advanced and beginner.

“Dance is our bread and butter and it always will be – it’s what raised us. But the vision here was to be able to continue that level of training, and the dance-based fitness, for adults.”

Adult beginners can learn dancing fundamentals, she said, and have fun doing it.

“It’s a carefree environment, a safe environment for people to try something new, which has been great.”

Advanced adult classes are for those with dance backgrounds who “just want to keep doing it.”

Registration is now open for the 2023-24 youth and adult classes and programs. Interested participants can visit the Thriver Company Portal, linked through their website (thriverco.ca), to start the registration process. Any questions can be emailed to Renee and her studio director sister Elyse Pelland at [email protected] .

“We will have classes through the summer as well, but we’re really looking forward to that September start date to be able to launch into the (new) space.”

Competitive team auditions are also held throughout the summer, and Pelland said their focus is building the small but strong mini-inter-senior ‘comp team.’

“It’s only up from here,” Pelland smiled.

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