West Florida Dance Center Continues To Grow

Moving is never easy, as many of us know. 

But oftentimes moving can be for the best, especially in the case of a business looking for more exposure. 

That’s been the case with Tara DiSalvo’s West Florida Dance Center since she relocated her facility from the Belleair Community Center to the West Bay Village complex on West Bay Drive in September. 

“The transition has been great,” DiSalvo said during a break between classes this week. “We’re still close to Belleair, but being in Largo has been great.” 

“We only lost one person in the move, and we get so much more traffic here.”

DiSalvo has been in the business for nearly 20 years.

After owning a studio in California for 13 years, she moved to Dunedin in 2008 and opened a studio there before relocating to Belleair a couple of years ago. 

But she eventually outgrew the space and decided to branch out again.

With one nationally ranked dance team, a slew of trophies and awards and classes for many different styles and age groups, she knew she needed a facility that matched her studio’s status.

“We’ve doubled our enrollment since we moved,” she said. “Having more space has definitely helped business.”

DiSalvo is continuing to expand her brand. She is in the midst of remodeling the interior of the studio, adding a boutique and more viewing space for parents plus a new dressing room.

She is also contemplating expanding into one of the vacant spaces adjacent to her studio in the near future.

But she stresses her studio isn’t about being the biggest or even the best. It’s about the experience the dancers get by being a part of something special. 

“We have a very family friendly atmosphere,” DiSalvo said, noting both of her daughters also work at the studio. “Our dancers are like family to us.”

“We teach them to love to dance, and they’re here because they love to dance.”

West Florida Dance Center

Address: 251 West Bay Dr., Largo

Phone: 727-470-0322

Hours: Classes run from 9:00 a.m until 9 p.m. Call or visit their website, westfloridadance.com, for more information.

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