Nestled in the middle of Main Street in Springville (and on 900 South) is the little dance studio that could — and did.
Charisma Studio and Preschool, owned and operated by Tresa Anderson, began in the mid 1990’s when Anderson was deciding what she wanted to do with her love of dance. Teetering between the decision to become a high school dance instructor or opening her own studio, she decided that in order to maintain her creative drive, she would open her own studio.
“I came to BYU when I was working on getting my certification to teach in high school, and bought a little property on the west side of town,” she recalled. “I just thought it would be like a little rehearsal hall because they had an accessory building. My husband said that he wanted to help turn it into a dance studio, which he did. So we started over there on the west side, kind of over by Snelson’s Photography Studio.”
What Anderson thought would only be a rehearsal hall soon turned into a full blown studio that filled beyond capacity. She ended up moving to a larger space on 900 South, and when she outgrew that, she moved into the current one on Main Street while still keeping the one on 900 South. She said that as her family grew, so did her studio, and she just brought her family along with her.
“My kids have helped me so much,” she said. “I have a couple of sons and my daughter who have helped me a lot with the studio. We’re a family of dancers. They have taught at the studio, and we’ve had a lot of success. Three of my Children have been on TV shows dancing.”
Now, about that.
Unless you are in the dancing world, you may not know that members from your very own community have been on shows like So you Think you can Dance?, Dancing with the Stars and World of Dance.
Two of her sons and a daughter were not only competing on television, but did quite well. In fact, her daughter Charity Anderson made it to the finale of World of Dance in 2018.
“My daughter Charity was on World of Dance, which is produced by Jennifer Lopez, and she made it to the finale” Tresa Anderson said. “She and her ballroom partner, Andres, were the first performance that ever got a perfect score, so they did really well. They took third place in the finale. Derek Hough was the judge, and since that show, she has danced professionally as one of his top dancers. She’s gone on tour with him. She’s done a lot of music videos, and TV shows, and she’s going on tour again this fall with him.”
What’s better than having a daughter who dances professionally on a large stage? Well, having that same daughter still actively teaching at your studio.
“All of my Children have taught at the studio, and Charity is the only one who is actively teaching at the studio right now,” she said.
With all of the talent present in the teachers and students, Charisma Studio is once again growing to a point of near capacity.
“We’re getting close to full capacity right now with our two locations, but it’s still good,” she said. “I have wonderful teachers. We’ve just been very lucky because I’ve raised some of my teachers through my studio. So it’s kind of cool because there are second generation students who have danced at my studio, where their parents danced at the studio — so that’s a lot of fun.”
One of the teachers is Dena Cloward who recently joined the studio within the last few years, and is the artistic director. Cloward has been dancing her whole life, and even grew up teaching at her own mother’s studio in Southern Utah. She spoke highly of the studio not only as a place to learn, but as a place to grow as a person.
“I have loved the studio and working for Tresa,” Cloward said. “She is one of the kindest people, and she really cares for all her students. She loves dance, and it shows in how well the studio has done.”
The studio really is a testament to its founder, and Anderson is that testament.
Recently, Anderson was awarded Resident Artist at Springville’s Art City Days, which is an honor given only once a year.
On behalf of the community, Serve Daily congratulates Anderson on her award and wishes her continued success.
For more information on Charisma Dance Studio, go to charismadancestudio.com.
