Today we’d like to introduce you to Nancy Tuttle.
Nancy, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I was seven years old when my mother took me to my very first dance class at Virginia Dell School of Dance in Avondale on Park Street. I still remember walking into that studio—the music, the mirrors, the older girls in leotards—and knowing, even as a child, that I had just found the thing that would shape the rest of my life. By the time I got home that day, I told myself, this is it—dance will always be a part of me.
The owner and director, Virginia Dell Hobbs, was one of the most special dance teachers any child could ever have. She was a beautiful mentor, full of grace, discipline, and heart, and I have always strived to make her proud in everything I’ve done as a teacher and studio owner. I was incredibly fortunate that she lived to be 98 years old. She came to every one of our recitals and actually made it to at least 30 years of NancyDance performances, sitting in the audience and cheering us on. Knowing she was out there watching meant the world to me.
I grew up in that studio. My little sister Lisa and I performed a “sister act” duet in the recital every year. Our biggest fan was our father. He never missed a performance and always believed not just in our dancing, but in our potential to one day teach and share this passion with others. He gave me the nickname “NancyDance,” long before that name ever went on the front of a building.
Before opening my own studio, I began teaching through community schools in Atlantic Beach. Lisa ran the after-school dance program at Neptune Beach Elementary, and I taught at Atlantic Beach Elementary. For three years we built those programs from the ground up—and many of those children later followed us into what became NancyDance Studio.
In the summer of 1984, my dream became reality. With 35 students in a single classroom, we opened the first NancyDance Studio. Lisa was my right hand for everything—right down to the day I went into labor on the first day of fall registration! Our mother ran the office while we taught, making it a true family business from day one. She lived to be 97 years old and, just like my dad, she never missed one of our recitals. She only passed away two years ago, and her presence is still felt in everything we do.
Just three months before our grand opening, my father passed away. The insurance money he left became a loan that allowed me to open the studio—one I paid back in three years at 10% interest. I named the studio NancyDance in his honor, after the nickname he had always called me. Truly, between my mom and dad, NancyDance would never have become possible.
As the studio grew, so did our team. A young student named Melissa walked through our doors in 1985, later ran her own studio, and then returned to NancyDance in 1997 as our assistant director. She has been an invaluable part of our family ever since. My sister Patty joined us as office manager in 1992, taking over when our mother retired. Today, Lisa and Melissa are my right hand and my left hand—we’ve been together so long that we practically think each other’s thoughts—and Patty keeps the business and front office running smoothly. Along with our incredible staff, we truly operate like a well-oiled machine.
Over the years, NancyDance has grown from that one little classroom to four studios, ten styles of dance, and students ranging from 18 months old to adults. Our original students are now bringing their children—and even their grandchildren—to dance with us. We recently celebrated our 40th anniversary with more than 100 alumni returning to the stage for a huge celebration. We are now proudly in our second generation of students, and last year we welcomed our very first third-generation dancer. It is an incredible honor to have been part of so many lives and families for so long.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
One of the earliest challenges came even before the studio opened. Losing my father three months before our grand opening was heartbreaking. On top of the grief, there was the financial reality of turning his insurance money into a loan to start the business, and the pressure of making sure I honored his belief in me.
Those early years were not glamorous. Many summers and beginning-of-the-year seasons were very hard and uncertain. There were times when the only way to keep the doors open was to take out loans on our house just to survive. It was scary, exhausting, and there were plenty of nights when it would have been easier to give up—but I never let go. I kept showing up, kept teaching, and kept believing in the studio and the families we served. Looking back now, I can say that we did it—and we are bigger and better than ever because of those sacrifices.
The most profound challenge, though, came with the pandemic. For the first time since 1984, we had to shut down the studio. Turning off the lights, silencing the music, and locking the doors felt like losing a part of myself. But our community rallied around us. We pivoted almost overnight—Zoom became our new stage. Teachers taught from separate rooms behind cameras, and our students appeared in little boxes on screens. It was something we never imagined.
We found creative ways to stay connected: online classes, birthday parades, drive-by greetings, costume drop-offs. We even produced a full recital by filming each dance on a stage at the Omni Hotel in downtown Jacksonville and live-streaming the finished show for families to watch safely from home. It was a huge logistical and emotional challenge, but it reminded us what NancyDance really is: not just a building, but a community. Because of the love and support we experienced through that time—and through all the hard seasons before it—we came back stronger than ever.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
My work is about much more than putting on recitals or teaching steps. At its heart, my work is creating a second home where children—and now entire generations of families—can experience the magic of dance. Even though I am mostly retired from the classroom, I am still very active behind the scenes, guiding the creative vision and supporting our staff and students.
At NancyDance Studio, we believe dance education is about more than technique. Yes, we focus on correct training and strong foundations in ten different styles of dance, but we also teach teamwork, discipline, self-confidence, and respect. Our vision is to build character and community while we build dancers. We aim to create an environment that is loving, family-friendly, and professional—a place where students feel safe to try, fail, laugh, and grow.
One of the areas of my work that I especially love is developing our KreativeKids program. I’ve poured my heart into creating imaginative, age-appropriate classes for our youngest dancers—and now I’m working on writing original songs and music for our mascot, Franny the Flamingo, to be used in the curriculum. I’ve also been enjoying writing story recitals specifically for the KreativeKids department. My goal one day is to gather all of these shows, stories, and materials into one place so they can be shared more widely with others.
A big part of my work is also creative direction for our major productions. Inspired by my childhood teacher, our recitals are presented in two acts: Act I as a ballet and Act II as a themed variety show. Over the years, we’ve become known for our big, imaginative productions. Our props and sets have grown more and more elaborate, thanks to the incredible help of some very special dads in our community, along with my husband Doug. I also sew and have designed many, many costumes over the years. My brain is always creative and always thinking.
My work also includes mentoring our staff and nurturing future teachers. Many of our instructors grew up in the studio themselves; we lovingly call them “home-grown.” Many of our teachers are now raising their own daughters at NancyDance, just as I raised mine. That continuity keeps our culture strong and our values clear: FAMILY, EXCELLENCE, INSPIRE, RESPECT, and COMMITMENT. Whether a student wants a professional career, a creative outlet, or just a joyful weekly class, we want them to leave with life skills that go far beyond the studio.
One of my favorite parts of our current space is our footprint tile wall. Every dancer adds their painted footprints and the year they began at NancyDance. That wall is a visual reminder of what my work truly is: walking alongside thousands of children and families as they grow, one little footprint at a time.
Can you share something surprising about yourself?
Something Surprising About Myself
People are often surprised to learn just how deeply involved I still am behind the scenes. Even though I’m mostly retired from the classroom, I’m very hands-on with our productions, our programs, and our creative direction. I’ve spent years dreaming up sets, props, themes, and costumes—and I’m still constantly jotting down ideas for the next show, the next song, or the next story ballet.
Another fun fact: both of my daughters grew up in the studio, and one of them went on to dance professionally. She is now the director of a dance company in Milwaukee. One of the greatest joys of my life is watching both of my granddaughters dance with their mom as their dance teacher—seeing the third generation experience the same love of dance, in a completely new city, is something I never could have imagined as that seven-year-old girl in her first class.
Outside the studio, I absolutely love the water and being anywhere in the Caribbean. Give me turquoise water, sunshine, and a good view and I am happy.
And perhaps the most “me” detail of all: my brain is always creative and always spinning with ideas. Around here, it’s become quite the joke that you really don’t want to get inside my brain—because it’s pretty scary in there with all the stories, dances, costumes, and characters swirling around at once!
So if there’s anything surprising about me, it might be this: I’m not just building dancers—I’ve spent 40 years building shows, stories, sets, teachers, and generations of dance families… and my imagination still hasn’t slowed down.
Pricing:
- 1st class free trial
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.nancydancestudio.com
- Instagram: @nancydance_studio_inc
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nancydancestudioinc
