USC dancer opens studio
Upper St. Clair’s Carly Hogya has been dancing for as long as she can remember. She was just 3 years old when she took her first lesson, and now, a little over two decades years later, Hogya is ready to share her love of dance at her new studio, Showtime Dance by Carly.
Located in Bavarian Village on Brownsville Road in South Park, the newly remodeled space features two large dance studios, ready for students ages 3 through adult. And while the business bears her name, Hogya acknowledged that getting it ready for the Aug. 1 Grand Opening was anything but a solo act.
This spring, her mother noticed the space for rent in the rear of Bavarian Village. “We had been looking for a place for a studio since I graduated from college,” Hogya said. “As soon as I saw it, I had a really good feeling.”
From May through July, she and her family transformed the vacant space, painting, patching and decorating, as well as installing new floors, mirrors and barres.
Hogya’s father, John, at the studio each evening, was the project’s “foreman,” brothers Matt and Tyler were the “muscle,” and uncles Donnie and Jeff provided carpentry expertise. Her mother, Karen, kept everyone organized and on track, as well as helping with administrative details. Also pitching in to get the job done was “Grammy” Lois.
“My family is so good to me,” Hogya said. “They are so supportive and really helped me a lot.”
While Karen Hogya had encouraged her daughter to open a dance studio since she was in middle school, Hogya’s path to entrepreneurship took a few turns along the way. A graduate of Upper St. Clair High School, she enjoyed science so much that she decided to major in biochemistry at Allegheny College. Even with her demanding studies, Hogya made time for dance and was a four-year member of the Allegheny College Dance Team as well as a choreographer for the Orchesis Dance Company.
Her advisor, a dance and movement studies professor, noted Hogya’s love of dance. “She told me that I come alive on stage,” Hogya said. Reflecting on her advisor’s comments, Hogya realized that dance was for her and changed majors, graduating in 2012 with a bachelor of arts degree in dance and theater.
While at Allegheny College, Hogya worked with “Co-Motion,” a college-sponsored program for children under the age of 5, where participants explored movement through sounds and rhythms. In addition, Hogya served as an intern for an enrichment program that Allegheny offered to middle and high school students in the community interested in dance and theater. She was also employed for two years as an instructor and choreographer at Hilltop Studio 83 Dance & Fitness in Meadville.
Hogya admitted that she was experiencing a mix of emotions at the opening, feeling a little scared, nervous and excited all at the same time.
Showtime Dance by Carly is offering two summer workshops: Aug. 12-16 and Aug. 19-23. Registration for the workshops is available on Aug. 8 from 6:30-9 p.m., and Aug. 10 and 11 from 11 a.m.-3 p.m.
Fall classes start on Sept. 3, with registration on Aug. 24 and 25 from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. and Aug. 26 and 27 from 6-9 p.m.
For more information, call 412-833-1515 or visit www.showtimedancebycarly.com.