Airdrie Dance Academy was founded in 1992 by Mrs. Susan Laing (Miss Susan). She started dancing at the age of 3. She had weak feet and the doctors told her parents she either needed “casts and built up shoes” or “dance” to strengthen her feet. Thankfully they chose dance. She started in Ballet.
When she was 10 years old, her family moved from Armstrong, BC to Erskine, Alberta. Her mom drove her to dance in Red Deer several times a week for her dance training.
As she grew up, so did her love of dance. She took classes whenever and wherever she could. She had an insatiable thirst for knowledge in dance and performing arts.
At the age of 18, Miss Susan opened her first dance studio in Erskine, Alberta. Her post-secondary education took her from Red Deer College to the University of Calgary and eventually to live in Airdrie with her husband Joe.
She had taught in Calgary but with the purchase of their first house, in Airdrie, she decided to put down roots and start Airdrie Dance Academy.
The studio opened with weekly classes on stage at the Bert Church Theatre. The first year, classes were scheduled on Mondays with approximately 65 students. After 7 years onstage, 5 days a week and several hundred students, Airdrie Dance Academy moved to its current location – a beautiful acreage east on Yankee Valley Blvd. The student base and families have grown and changed but we still share the same values.
The philosophy at Airdrie Dance Academy is fun, with clear expectations and great communication. Miss Susan knows the value of family and prides herself and studio with being able to balance great dancing with family time and hard work in the studio.
