Today we’d like to introduce you to Annie Topham
Hi Annie, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I’ve always had a great interest in the arts. My grandmother danced for the Royal London Ballet before WWII, and after that she put all of her daughters into dance classes. My mom, and her sister both have a master’s degree in dance. I guess you could say I was destined to enjoy the arts.
My mom put me into ballet and highland dance classes when I was 4. After that I guess you could say I’ve taken as much dance as I’ve ever been able to fit into my schedule.
I began her ballroom career at the age of nine. I participated in BYU’s youth ballroom program as a member of their Pre-Teen company. My love for dance only continued to grow as she graduated up though the program.
I attended BYU and was a member of their Back-up Tour Team her freshman year. I went on tour with the team the following summer to Nauvoo, Illinois. After spending two years on the Back-up Tour Team I moved up to the Tour Team at BYU and then toured Thailand and Vietnam. That following summer, I moved to NYC to continue her career as a ballroom dancer.
While I was in New York she received training from top coaches in ballroom dancing from around the world. She traveled to England to continue her training several times a year. Her coaches included Jonathan Wilkins, and Stephen Hannah, among other talented coaches. They helped her to reach her goals in competitive dance. I was awarded 5th place at USA Dance Nationals for International Ballroom Dance, as well as placing among the top ten US Couples in Blackpool, England. She was also an instructor for Arthur Murray at their New York City Studio, where I received training on instruction in American Style and International Style.
I completed her degree from BYU and set her sights on her own studio. I was happy to begin her career as studio director working with her former coach and inspiration Andrea Hale Tatton. She recently graduated with her MBA in Finance from UVU. Annie is the Creative Director of Quickstep Dance Studio in Sandy, Utah where she continues the tradition of excellent instruction and hard work.
In 2020 during covid I realized that I needed to pivot quickly in order to keep my business running. During that time I had virtual classes up and running within two weeks of getting the official notice in our state of closing down. At that time I also realized that if I was serious about growing my businesses I needed to go back to school and get my MBA. So I did just that! In the fall of 2020 I went to UVU and started getting my MBA in Finance. I graduated the following August in their accelerated MBA program. It has given me the skills I’ve needed and since that time my studio went from a small 40 student base, to the 150+ and growing community that it is.
I’ve always cared about excellence in all aspects of my life. That includes making my studio a space where we care about the whole dancer. Not just how good they are at dance. We regularly have team dinners where the dancers are expected to put away their phones and learn how to talk to their peers. Once of my teachers launched a “Dancers are athletes” campaign inside the studio, where each month from January to May we focus on a new aspect of their health. It’s everything from giving up soda for a month, to learning how to manage their time so they can get 8 hours of sleep at night.
I care about participating in my community and I want so much to become that pillar for not only my dancers but their parents and families as well. We do lots of performances in the community and our dancers are always coming up with ways to give service. Finding that place where you can hang out with other parents that you like, and your kids have friends matters to me and nothing makes me happier than when my lobby has that happy buzz of content students and parents.
The arts are important to our communities and it’s important that we recognize what they can do for not only our kids, but us as well.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It has absolutely not been easy, I was really lucky the building my studio is in was owned by a very kind family. They sold the location about a year and a half ago, and because of that my rent increased dramatically. It became one of those “pivot or die” moments for me. I had to learn how to keep my studio running with rising costs, but also not lose out on the quality that has set us apart for so long.
But I have an amazing support network at home and at the studio, to quote an African proverb “if you want to go fast go alone. If you want to go far go together.” I can completely attest to this. Nothing would be possible without my amazing team that have really stepped up this year!
During covid, I was worried we would have to close our doors, but I think that only taught me how to persevere if you are doing something that you really believe in. And I can attest that creating a community center is something that I really believe in. My dancers leave my studio, and some dance in college, but even those that don’t if they see me they want to say hi, and they want o know how the studio is doing. They found a home away from home, and continuing to provide that for others has kept me going even when it didn’t make financial sense to keep my doors open as long as I have.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I am a professional in the ballroom dance world. I have my judging credentials through AIDA, and I also do as much as I can to support all of the programs around me. I used to want to just teach everyone, which is why I taught social dance at APA (a local charter school) for 3 years. But I’ve now learned that I can touch far more lives by being a resource to my community.
Part of being a resource means that I have to work on continuing my education. I go to conferences to learn how to be a better leader, so I can empower my teachers to be better teachers. I go to lectures for ballroom dance so I can stay up to date on my technique and most importantly I ask questions about why things are the way that they are so I can better understand how to support my community.
I am now adjunct faculty at UVU, and I love working with students who are just getting their start as professionals in the ballroom dance world. I went the route of entrepreneurship and small business owner, but I am still passionate in obtaining knowledge to allow me to press forward in my endeavors.
Where we are in life is often partly because of others. Who/what else deserves credit for how your story turned out?
Alex Taylor is my best friend! And he has helped me out at the studio basically since it started. He and I became good friends in college and this wouldn’t be possible without his help and insight. He is always there when I need to work through something or just process what’s going on! And he has one of the most creative minds in terms of choreography and help that way! I always just want to bring his ideas to life and he has been my biggest cheerleader whenever I feel like I’m up against a tough place in general.
Neils Topham, my husband has always wanted to see my studio succeed, and even in my darkest moments when I want to close the doors because I spend hours of my time for little to no pay, he reminds me that there are brighter days ahead and that if I believe in what I do a path to making money will find it’s way here.
My family has been so supportive, especially in taking care of my daughter so that I can spend time on growing my business.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.quickstepstudio.com
- Instagram: @quickstepdancestudio
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/QuickstepDance
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@quickstepdancestudio5469
- Other: https://g.co/kgs/AYCFLB3
