Today we’d like to introduce you to Emily Runkle.
Hi Emily, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
Let’s see, I started dancing when I was 10 or 11 and by the time I was 14 I knew that I wanted to be a professional ballet dancer. I started dancing professional right out of high school, until an injury ended my performing career at age 25. I had been doing a little teaching, but then I really poured myself into my newfound love for teaching dance over the next few years, becoming the director of the ballet track at a local dance school. In 2021 I co-founded Synergy Space Dance Studio with my colleague Jen Graham, and now I co-own the studio with Katy Love. I am the program director and I teach ballet and pointe.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I can’t imagine that any entrepreneur has a smooth road. One of the hard parts was just having the guts to do it- to stop working for others and become my own boss- that initial step was a big one. Learning the ins and outs of the business side of running a dance studio was also a huge challenge…. most of us dance studio owners were originally just dance teachers, experts in dance pedagogy, not business majors. Thankfully I’ve learned from some great people, including Jen and my Dad.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
As far as my teaching goes, I’m extremely good at helping my students look their best, and helping them figure out how ballet works for them, without watering down the technique itself. I teach pre-professional students ready for careers or dance majors, and I teach students who take ballet once a week just for fun, but I like to think I treat them all the same. I’m going to push you and encourage you no matter who you are, and I’m going to give you as much knowledge as I possibly can in our time together.
What sort of changes are you expecting over the next 5-10 years?
I think more and more dance studios are starting to look at educating dancers holistically, just as we do at Synergy Space. We care about their mental and emotional wellbeing, in addition to their physical wellbeing and training. We want our students to live happy and healthy lives, using dance as a catalyst to help them find themselves and fulfill their potential at whatever they do in life.
A big shift has honestly been keeping up with the fast paced nature and shorter attention spans of kids today, likely due to social media. We need to make sure they’re engaged, while also providing a rare place in life to SLOW DOWN and feel/learn/do, distraction free.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.synergy-space.org
- Instagram: _synergyspace_
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/synergyspacemd
