Samantha Flook, owner and director of Academy of Dance Arts, said the best part about her job is working with all the different students that come through her doors — kids who come from multiple towns and cities surrounding the Brookfield, Connecticut studio. Samantha grew up dancing in the same studio she purchased just two years ago and appreciates that she now has the opportunity to pass on her passion and art to the next generation.
Growing up in the dance studio, and now being the owner and director, Samantha has a lot of experience with raising funds to help with dance costs. Samantha was drawn to Double Good after hearing how easy it was from some fellow dance teachers in a Facebook group she belongs to. She said it was a great experience and several families who belong to the studio raised much more than they were anticipating. “It went very smoothly,” she said.
With 14 classes to teach each week, Samantha appreciated that she could still devote her time and energy to preparing for those, as opposed to the fundraiser. “Rather than having to be up in the office coordinating paperwork, getting out forms, filing orders, making sure numbers are correct, and double checking all the other stuff that comes with the other fundraisers…the ease of the fundraiser gave me more time to focus on my classes and my students,” she said.
After all, the students are why she does this in the first place. They’re the most rewarding part of it all, Samantha said. Whether it’s getting a big hug from a kid before class, being a confidant, or helping locate missing dance shoes, Samantha values the personal connections she gets to make with her students.
Her hope for the kids who come into her studio is that they take whatever they learn in the classroom and transfer it to their everyday lives. “By no means are we expecting every child who comes through our doors to become a professional dancer, or even love dance for their entire life, but if they can come in and make a friend for life, or make a connection with a teacher, or find a little bit of self-discipline in a ballet class and carry that onto whatever they decide to do…that’s the end goal.”
And Double Good couldn’t be happier to help her foster these connections and make these goals a reality.