Did you know that Carolina DanceWorks in Southern Pines has been in Moore County for 13 years? It all started back in the Disco Days...1979 to be exact, when Bruce Hasson became a dance instructor in Beverly Hills. His wife, Debby, grew up as a ballerina in the Washington DC national ballet. At age 17, she switched over to the ballroom dance world in DC and then on to Florida where she met Bruce nearly 35 years ago. The two ended up teaching dance all over the country until they settled here and opened their studio in 2004.
The couple has two sons, Joe and Michael, who are also dance instructors. Joe teaches in New Jersey, and Michael has been teaching here in Moore County since he was just 13 years old! Bruce and Michael are pictured in the photo where Bruce is holding a picture of Debby. Unfortunately, Debby was not able to be present at the photo shoot as she was recovering from surgery. Also pictured is Jacey Warren, who has been teaching at the studio since she was just 14 when Debby discovered her in the Junior program that she (Debby) started called “Ballroom of Tomorrow.” The photos were taken at one of their fun, themed dance parties. They love to have a good time and it shows!
This talented staff has performed and has competed all over the world. Michael performed at the dancing with the stars shows in Raleigh and competed on the national dance floors in Boston and Atlanta. Bruce and Debby were Ranked 3rd in their divisions Nationally and have performed from California to Florida. The staff loves to perform at festivals, wedding expos, parades and they do dance demos all over NC. There is such amazing talent at this studio...right in our own backyards!
At the studio, they have a system of teaching that makes it easy to learn, with teaching hours available for private lessons Monday through Friday and group classes 4 days a week, plus a fun “OPEN to the PUBLIC” dance party every Friday night from 8-9:30pm. They have something for everyone at any level and they’re proud of the fact that they have dancers ranging in ages from 7 to 97! The joy dancing brings to people is what keeps the staff going. They love seeing their students have more and more fun the better they get. They’ve even helped many couples prepare for that special first dance, a service they offer regularly. To find out more about Carolina DanceWorks including studio rental for special events, their class/events schedule and their instructors, visit www.carolinadanceworks.com.