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Taylor Bartel
Owner & Director Taylor began taking dance lessons from her mother (Stephanie) at age 4. She has trained in ballet, modern, tap, jazz, lyrical, hip hop, ballroom, and pointe. Taylor began her teaching career in 2008 at 28th Avenue Dance Studio. She received her Master of Arts degree in Dance Education from University of Northern Colorado and Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree from University of Wyoming. Taylor is certified in Acrobatic Arts and Yoga. Taylor’s main artistic goals are to instill drive, passion, and resilience in her students. Taylor enjoys spending time outdoors with her husband (Garrett), daughter (Sloane), and their two dogs (Yeti) and (Ziggy). |
Our Story
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Stephanie Kath
Founder & Instructor Stephanie is a Torrington native and owned the studio with her husband, Grant. She has two children, Taylor (daughter) and Ryan (son). She received her Bachelor of Science Degree in Elementary Education with an endorsement in Physical Education from Chadron State College. She later student taught in Torrington while also instructing the THS dance team for 3 years. Additionally, Kath worked at St. Joseph's Children's Home for 4 years. Stephanie served on the committee that developed the Physical Education Standards for St. Joe's. Stephanie taught Ballet for the Community Education Program at EWC, before opening her own dance studio. Dear Dance Families,
I hopped on the back of my dad's motorcycle and headed to gymnastics 35 miles away... dad always made everything fun! I didn't know at the time that it was more economical to take the motorcycle than the car. I didn't know back then how much my mom and dad sacrificed to take me to gymnastics and dance classes. Not only was it an added expense to travel for classes, but also an added amount of time and, as many know, farmers don't have "down time". My mom did a lot of driving and made many sack lunches/dinners. I am certainly thankful for my teachers and instructors out of town, but opportunities in town would have been easier on my parents. They gave up a lot to provide opportunities for me. They believed that gymnastics and dance lessons were beneficial. They believed that such activities provided discipline, work ethic, socialization, teamwork, a sense of accomplishment, an outlet for expression, and many physical benefits. I was lucky enough to have an incredible dance teacher in town for a few years in middle school and a fantastic high school dance team coach, but did not have a studio in town for many of my years in dance. I'm thankful my parents saw the impact of dance on me so that I can now provide all the benefits of the art in our small town. I wanted to provide a hometown studio for the community. After a "fork or two in the road", I was able, with the support of my husband, to open a dance school in 1998. It warms my heart when former students return to their hometown studio to stop in and say hello or throw on their tap shoes and join in on class. It makes me incredibly happy to see students continue in dance and dance related careers or activities, and if they are not dancing, they are still using the benefits provided in dance class. Thank you to all who have supported and continue to support the 28th Avenue Dance Studio, I am forever grateful! Sincerely, Stephanie Kath |