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History of Hosanna  Hosanna Dance Studio was founded in 1993 by Ashley Walters. Tiese Morgan assumed ownership of the studio in 1995 with twenty dancers meeting in a tiny community hall with studio floor space totaling less than half of just our current small studio! Tiese Morgan was the only staff person teaching students aged 4-14! In 1996 Nicole Elliott was hired as the second teacher. That year the recital was in a gymnasium, featured four dances and lasted maybe 15 minutes.
In 1997 Hosanna began teaching classes for Homesource. During that time Nicole and Tiese taught in a number of different locations, including the Willakenzie Grange, Camp Harlow, the Springfield Chamber of Commerce and Eugene School of Karate.
Finally in 1999 Hosanna Dance moved into its current facilities on River Road. That year there were 45 dancers at Hosanna. The the recital was held at Willamette High School for the first time in the spring of 2000.
In 2001, Traci Housely and Kathryn Irsfield joined the staff of Hosanna, and the studio continued to grow. The following year Hosanna moved out of its tiny store front location and into Studio A. Hosanna continued to grow such that by 2002 the old studio was re-added to the facilities and renamed "Studio B". Jennifer Knight Dills also joined the staff that year.
In 2003 Hosanna presented its first annual production of Adventures in Narnia at the LCC Performing Arts Hall. La Chel Carson also joined the staff as the Hosanna Business Manager. The Hosanna Youth Performers (HYPE) began in the spring of 2004
Over the summer of 2004 through the efforts of many volunteers, both studios underwent a substantial remodel. An additional performance company (HOPE) joined HYPE in the fall, and Adventures in Narnia returned in December for 3 shows. The spring 2005 recital expanded to four shows.
Today we are blessed each week with about 275 dancers aged 3-74 and taught by a staff of 11 dedicated and talented teachers. Two high quality studio spaces host nearly forty classes weekly and provide space for our ever-expanding programs.
In 2003 we added our first modern dance class. Since that time Hosanna has become one of the foremost modern dance studios in the Eugene/Springfield area, with five levels of modern dance available in the 2008-09 school year. In the last few years we have also added Hip Hop, tumbling, ballroom, and lyrical jazz to our growing list of dance styles.
It has been amazing to see God's sovereignty and provision through all our growth. It gives us confidence that He will continue to lead and guide Hosanna into the future as we continue to teach the art of dance with a heart of worship! |
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