Tell us about your business and what made you start it?
Tutu School (coming soon to Westfield) is a boutique children’s ballet studio, and our founding principle is that we believe that every child should know what it feels like to dance. Classes are offered year-round for children ages 6 months to 8 years. The goal in our youngest divisions is to expose babies and toddlers to creativity, movement, and music to give them an early experience of ballet they will never forget. Our older divisions strike the perfect balance of structured foundational ballet technique and fun, imaginative activities that keep young children captivated, engaged, and utterly in love with ballet.
I’ve known from a young age that I wanted to be a dance teacher and studio owner. I discovered Tutu School Franchises as a teacher for one of its corporate locations in Chicago and from my first moments as a Tutu Teacher, I fell in love with the brand and with its mission to create space in children’s lives for the confident creativity and pure joy that comes from finding oneself in music and movement. My role expanded into support and training roles with the franchise’s headquarters and I also ran the four corporate owned Brand Studios.
When my husband and I decided to move to New Jersey, I knew I wanted to bring the magic of Tutu School to Union County families by becoming an owner and opening up my own location. I am so excited to meet all of the little dancers of the greater Westfield area, and I could not be more thrilled to be a part of the amazing community of entrepreneurs in Downtown Westfield!
Where are you from? Where do you live now?
I am originally from Madison, WI and met my husband while we were both living in Chicago, IL. He is originally from Westfield and came back to New Jersey last year. We now live in Maplewood with our two dachshunds.
What is a surprising fact about you?
A fun fact about my ballet journey is that as a teenager, I took a masterclass with the Ballet Mistress of the Paris Opera Ballet; which was the setting of the 2016 animated film Leap.
What is your favorite restaurant in Union County?
There are so many great spots to choose from and I still have so much to explore having only lived in New Jersey for a year, but so far Ferraro’s in Westfield is a Union County favorite of ours.
What do you do to unwind?
I enjoy cooking to unwind during the week, and on the weekends my husband and I enjoy exploring New Jersey’s towns and hiking trails.
Any other information about your business you would like to share?
I am excited to share news soon about our opening date, class schedule, and early registration but in the meantime please do not hesitate to reach out if you’d like to learn more about partnership and custom class opportunities. I’m looking forward to sharing storytime adventures in ballet with families of Union County!
Follow Taylor and the studio @tutuschoolwestfield