Today we’d like to introduce you to Heather Sprouse Madison.
Hi Heather, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I started On Stage Dance Studio when I was just 19 years old as a way to help pay my way through college. I never imagined that more than three decades later, we would be in our 32nd season and that something I started so young would become such an important part of my life—and, hopefully, the lives of so many dancers and families.
One of the most incredible parts of being in business this long is seeing the legacy. I still keep in touch with so many former dancers through social media, and now I’m watching them build careers, raise families, and even seeing some of their children grow up and get married. It’s pretty surreal to realize how many generations of dancers have come through our doors.
Building a dance studio has also required tremendous sacrifice. For many years, the studio came first. I didn’t start my own family until I was 40 because so much of my life was dedicated to building On Stage and being there for my dancers. Owning a studio is definitely not an easy career, but I’ve stayed with it because I truly believe in what dance education can give a child.
From the beginning, I’ve been passionate about teaching correct technique and strong foundations. Dance doesn’t provide instant gratification. Just like building a house, if you don’t build a strong foundation first, eventually things begin to crumble. That philosophy has shaped everything we do at On Stage, from the quality and education of our faculty to the standards and expectations we have for our dancers.
I’ve also always believed strongly in policies, accountability and consistency. When expectations are clear and we follow them, everyone is treated fairly. We teach our dancers to be responsible, dependable, respectful, hardworking and able to take correction—not simply because those qualities make them better dancers, but because they make them better people.
Over the years, some of the greatest compliments I’ve received haven’t been about trophies, performances or technique. Teachers and coaches have told me, “I can always tell which ones are your On Stage kids.” They recognize them because they work hard, listen, take correction and show respect. That means more to me than almost anything.
Recently, I ran into several former students at a baby shower, and one mother told me how influential I had been in her daughter’s life more than 20 years ago. What she remembered wasn’t a particular dance step—it was that I taught her daughter to work hard, be responsible, follow through and be dependable. Seeing those qualities reflected in the successful woman she has become reminded me exactly why I’ve done this for so long.
My own mom and dance teachers gave those life skills to me. I was raised by a single mother and learned very early that if I wanted something, I had to work for it. Being able to pass those same lessons on to another generation is probably the greatest legacy I could ask for.
In the last couple of years, I’ve stepped away from some of the day-to-day teaching to support my boys and their own dreams, while focusing my energy on building stronger systems and processes for On Stage. My goal is to make sure our teachers have the tools they need and that our dancers and families continue receiving the quality of education and experience that On Stage has always stood for.
Thirty-two seasons later, I still believe what I believed when I started: **we’re not just teaching dance. We’re helping build people.** Dance skills may take a child onto a stage, but responsibility, perseverance, respect and a strong work ethic will carry them through the rest of their lives. That is the legacy of On Stage that means the most to me.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
The biggest struggle throughout this journey has probably been the sacrifice. When you own a dance studio, it isn’t simply a job you leave at the end of the day—it becomes part of your life 24 hours a day, seven days a week. For many years, the studio always came first, which meant sacrificing time with my husband and family, missing vacations and important experiences, and sometimes feeling like I could never truly step away. I even missed a trip to Egypt because our recital was two weeks away and I simply didn’t feel like I could leave.
There is also an emotional side of owning a business that people don’t always see. You pour so much of yourself into your students, staff and families, so criticism can feel incredibly personal. In recent years especially, communication can sometimes be surprisingly harsh, and receiving a cruel email after giving so much of yourself is difficult. Over time, I’ve had to develop a very thick skin and learn not to internalize everything. I try to remember that sometimes a person’s reaction has much more behind it than the situation in front of me.
The hardest part has been learning that when something is your job, your passion and something you deeply care about all at once, there is almost no “off” switch. Even on vacation, something can happen that needs your attention. It can be mentally and emotionally exhausting, and it has absolutely required sacrifices from my entire family—not just from me.
At the same time, those challenges have taught me resilience, perspective and the importance of creating better boundaries and systems. After more than three decades, I’m still learning how to care deeply about the studio without believing I have to personally carry every single piece of it. That may be one of the biggest lessons of this entire journey.
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?
Dance has been part of my life since I was four years old, and nearly five decades later, it is still one of my greatest passions. I’ve been fortunate to build a career that has allowed me to experience the dance industry from many different perspectives—as a dancer, teacher, choreographer, studio owner, university instructor and national judge.
I began working with Universal Dance Association, now part of Varsity Spirit, when I was 19 years old. That experience opened doors I never could have imagined. I’ve had opportunities to teach dance in China, travel with dance programs to London and Paris, judge internationally in Ecuador, and judge events throughout the United States. For approximately 20 years, I have also had the privilege of judging the nationally televised high school dance team championships featured on ESPN. I still continue to work with Varsity today, and the experiences, education and relationships I’ve gained through that organization have been invaluable.
Higher education has also been an important part of my career. I taught jazz in the dance department at Southern Utah University for four years and at Dixie State College for 16 years, where I also worked with the dance company, choreographed and helped produce concerts. My dance background also includes ballroom and Latin dance, including competing Pro-Am in five-dance Latin for several years. I believe every style I’ve studied and every experience I’ve had has made me a more knowledgeable teacher, judge and studio director.
What really sets me apart, however, is probably the combination of my dance background and my business education. I earned my bachelor’s degree in Accounting from Southern Utah University and later my MBA from Utah State University. That has allowed me to combine the creative side of what I love with the education and business knowledge necessary to build and sustain a studio for more than three decades.
At On Stage, we specialize in providing a true dance education. Technique and strong foundations have always been incredibly important to me, as has surrounding our dancers with highly qualified teachers. But what I am most proud of goes beyond dance. We work to develop dancers who are hardworking, respectful, responsible, dependable and able to take correction and persevere through challenges.
After all these years, I’m incredibly proud of the performances, accomplishments and opportunities our dancers have had, but I’m even more proud of the people they have become. Seeing former students decades later succeeding in their careers, raising families and telling me that something they learned at On Stage still influences the way they approach life is probably the greatest measure of success I could ever have.
Risk taking is a topic that people have widely differing views on – we’d love to hear your thoughts.
I don’t think I’ve ever considered myself a big risk-taker, but looking back over 32 years of owning a dance studio, I realize there has actually been a tremendous amount of risk involved.
One of the biggest misconceptions about owning a dance studio is that because you have a lot of students, you must be making a lot of money. The reality is very different. Margins can be incredibly small, and so much of what comes in goes right back into the dancers, teachers, facility and programs. At one point, I even took out a second mortgage on my home so I could put proper dance floors into my studio. At the time, I didn’t necessarily think of that as taking a risk—I thought of it as doing what needed to be done to provide my dancers with the environment and education I believed they deserved.
But the financial investment is only one kind of risk. Looking back, I think the greater risk was how much of my life I gave to the studio. When you are passionate about something, it is very easy to convince yourself that you can give it everything—and then give it a little more. There were years when the studio received the majority of my time, energy and attention. I sacrificed financially, but I also sacrificed vacations, experiences, relationships and time with the people I love.
That has probably shaped the way I think about risk today. I still believe you have to be willing to take chances and invest in something if you truly believe in it, but I’ve also learned that there is a cost to every decision. Risk isn’t always about whether a business succeeds or fails financially. Sometimes the bigger question is what you are willing to sacrifice for that success.
If I could give my younger self advice, it would probably be to pursue the dream just as fiercely—but to remember to build a life alongside it. I’m incredibly proud of what I built, but after more than three decades, I’ve learned that success shouldn’t only be measured by what you’re willing to give to your business. It should also be measured by what you’re able to preserve outside of it.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.onstagedancestudio.com
- Instagram: @liveloveonstagedance
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OnStageDanceStudioUtah
