different names, same heart

Hey y'all! We're starting a blog :)

Sometimes in this busy world, it's hard to really sit down and have the in-depth discussions we'd like to have. Maybe that's why blogs were created - to get an insight into the inner workings and thoughts of the people you'd like to hear from, but maybe don't get to as often as you'd like in person. So here we go, a RAVE blog - hoping to be a place where studio families can sit down and scroll through some RAVE insights you might have always wondered about.

For our first blog post, I'd like to go into our history a little bit for anyone who maybe never knew how we came to be.

Once upon a time, there was a studio in Central called the Center of Performing Arts, or as the studio families knew it better, "COPA." This studio was located at the corner spot of the shopping center we still occupy today, and gave many Central families a wonderful dance home with a focus on technique and traditional dance training. Somewhere around 2010-ish, the owner, Jeanne Bonaventure, announced she'd be moving and closing the studio, which led two teachers to have an idea to set off on their own and continue the legacy of COPA.

Stephanie Faucette, a COPA teacher and dancer, grabbed her dance friend Micaela Coner, and they opened The Coda dance studio a few doors down. They brought another COPA teacher, Kendall Keating, along with them and started fresh with many of the COPA Kids. One day, while Miss Kendall was working at one of her part-time jobs at Ann Taylor LOFT, she struck up a conversation about this new studio with her co-worker Rachel Vierck, who she found out had an extensive background in dance and excelled in the genres that The Coda was looking for an additional teacher in. So, while folding a table of cable-knit sweaters, she asked Rachel if she'd be interested in applying to teach at The Coda. She was extremely interested and drove out to Central that week to meet with Micaela and Stephanie. Miss Rachel joined The Coda staff and fell in love with the Central dance community, while continuing to pursue her professional dance career. During this time, Miss Rachel was dancing professionally with a few concert companies, doing some work in the Louisiana film industry, and commuting back and forth between Baton Rouge and New Orleans, teaching for various dance and theatre programs.

It was on one of these commutes in 2015 when Miss Rachel got a call from Miss Stephanie. "Are you sitting down?" she asked. "Yes, I'm driving on the Spillway...I've got time," replied Rachel. It was then that Stephanie revealed she and Micaela had come to a difficult decision to close The Coda following the recital that season. Little did she know, Rachel was growing weary of her constant commuting and was already thinking of starting up her own studio. Rachel was like, "Hold that thought...would y'all like to sell it to an interested teacher?" And it was then, along I-10, that Rachel officially decided to become a studio owner. It was announced at the recital in June that Miss Rachel would be stepping into the ownership role and would be starting quickly with summer camps, and taking Miss Kendall along with her :)

First Promotional Photos for RAVE

After many discussions, it was decided to change the name during the transition. But to what? Rachel created a group chat with friends and family to start figuring out a new name. She wanted something that felt authentic to her vision, while being different, unique, and catchy... after all, she has a B.A. in advertising, so it had to stand out.

She thought, and thought, and thought...

"Well, my initials are RAV...what can I do with that?... What about RAVE?" - the group knew we were on to something there. But it couldn't be RAVE dance... that didn't sound right. We didn't want to be confused with a club. Rachel also knew that, having a B.A. in Theatre, she wanted to offer more than just dance classes at her studio. "How about RAVE Performing Arts Company?" It was unanimous - everyone in the group chat loved it, and we started announcements quickly.

The First Sign - Taken on July 4th 2015

Everything started to fall into place - the marquee logo, the color scheme (Rachel took The Coda's colors and actually mixed them in Photoshop to create the teal color we all like to refer to as "RAVE green," and let's not forget the slogan "become the one they RAVE about." (There's that advertising degree coming back out again.)

The summer of 2015 RAVE Performing Arts Company was born.

Some of our first RAVE dancers at camp in 2015 - RAVE graduates Taylor Easley and Lily May, along with Clara Campbell, Sara McLin, and Addie McLin, who are now in the senior class at RAVE

One of our first ballet classes at RAVE in fall of 2015

Rachel did not know in that moment the way things would pan out. She had a dream, a vision, and an amazing support system. Through the great flood and the pandemic, RAVE grew. Miss Rachel became Mrs. Rachel Amie and grew her family, too.

This summer, RAVE Performing Arts Company enters its 12th season, full of love and gratitude, ready to continue to "become the one they RAVE about."

While our studio has evolved a lot over the years, the vision stays strong - leading with heart and a passion for the arts - RAVE strives to meet each student where they are at, to connect to each family, to offer the highest quality training to our students that we can bring to Central, emphasizing the importance of technique and fundamentals.

Pre-show prayer circle / huddle for our first annual RAVE Revue in June 2016

We thank all of the families who have supported us for all of these years. Here's to many more!