Hidden Gems: Meet Katie Dettling of Tutu School Akron & Strongsville

Today we’d like to introduce you to Katie Dettling.

Katie, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
Like so many kids, I saw a friend’s dance recital and thought, “WOW, I need to do that!” That was when I was 5 and I never looked back! From the moment I started dance, I wanted more! More classes, more moves, more performances. The adults in my life were somewhat mystified, but my path was clear from such a young age! So I spent my childhood searching out better and better training, knowing by the time I was 10 that I wanted to be a real professional ballerina. I gained wonderful foundational skills and performance experience in my Home Town of Akron, Ohio, with Nan Klinger’s Excellence In Dance/Ballet Excel Ohio. When about to turn 16, I was recruited by the Washington School of Ballet in DC to train on scholarship for 3 years. I performed at the Kennedy Center, and for President and First Lady Bill and Hillary Clinton. I met my husband, fellow dancer Grant Dettling, as an Apprentice at The Washington Ballet and we subsequently sought out jobs all over the country for 20 years! We danced full-time together in Kansas City Ballet, Texas Ballet Theater, Ohio Ballet in it’s last few years of existence, Dayton Ballet and then project based work in New York City. We rounded out our performing career in NY while managing a small dance company, Dances Patrelle, and getting many fitness certifications. THEN, when we welcomed a son in 2017, everything changed! As our family was growing older, we were drawn back home to Akron for a kinder pace of life. AND to open a business. We actually weren’t sure what that business would be, except something in dance, until we heard about Tutu School. Tutu School is a Franchise with a really amazing founder and mission. As parents, we resonated with the flexible modern monthly membership, and principle that EVERY chid should know what it feels like to dance. It may sound cliché, and I thought it was for a long time, but you reach an age where you REALLY want to share your life’s work with young people. To use your life’s work to inspire and educate in a field you care deeply about. We hope to grow a whole lot of dance lovers! SO we signed on to open 3 Tutu School’s around NEO in 2019 and the rest is history!!

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Is anything worthwhile easy? To quote a great fitness mentor of ours, Fred Divito (a leader in the barre fitness industry), “If it doesn’t challenge you, it doesn’t change you.” That could be a credo for any ballet dancer as well. Truthfully, every step of the way has been an enormous challenge. I do sometimes wonder why I HAD to be drawn to one of the toughest fields out there. BUT it is equally unique, special. beautiful, rewarding and transformative. My path has involved a lot of old fashioned work ethic, patience, persistence, learning to be open to constructive criticism, learning when criticism is NOT constructive, how to work as a team and how to be a leader. And that’s just the dancing part! All of which, prepared me beautifully to be a business owner. Which really is not for the feint of heart! In more recent years, opening Tutu School has been no different. We signed our first lease 1 month before the word “Covid” came around. So the first couple years in business were uniquely challenging. The world has changed a lot in a few years, and it has been really interesting to weave together the challenges in every area of life, from being an older parent, to adding a child to our family (a baby girl in 2021), to parenting a new business, mentoring young employees, educating a market, and opening a second location last fall. Managing a whole team of people from my household to employees, there are a LOT of pieces to keep working smoothly. And it definitely doesn’t always. ALL of it comes down to passion, persistence, remembering the WHY. Seeking out good support systems and letting the other stuff go. Knowing what you are passionate about, what type of person you are, leaning into it, and just riding the waves. Certainly looking back on my performing career, sticking the course when so many others fell away gave me the gift of a lot of years on stage. Was it perfect? Nope! Was it worth it, yup! I’ll let you know how the rest goes.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
I am SO proud to own the first Tutu Schools in Ohio! Tutu School specializes in Storybook Adventures in Ballet for 1.5-8 years old. With Free Trials, small class sizes, monthly membership you can join or stop anytime, unlimited makeups and more, it’s a really modern and convenient way for families to see if ballet class is a good option for their kiddos! And even more importantly, our unique curriculum is based on child psychology. It creatively encourages kids to learn through play in an age appropriate way. This prioritizes a positive and thoughtful introduction to dance, rather than unreasonable expectations or the “busy work” that can be common. My favorite part of class is our Storytime, where we use our custom book to introduce students to the world of classic ballets. We read, listen, and dance to stories like Cinderella and Swan Lake. Students get a broader dace education and understand that we actually tell stories WITH our dance steps.

The thing I am absolutely in love with, is our Tutu Community. From the founder of Tutu Schools, right down to the smallest customer. It’s a welcoming, clean, aesthetically thoughtful, and inclusive environment. Tutu School owners know they are fully understood and supported, and our families can expect the same. Locally, we regularly hold school events where the community can come together, like Back to School parties, Holiday Parties, Princess Parties, Birthday Parties, and our twice yearly LOW key recital. It’s truly a joy to interact with our amazing families, and we are so grateful for the loyal support we’ve received in Akron. We never imagined what might be possible while opening during Covid, on June 8th we hosted 700 people at our Bravo Bash Recital. We never take for granted the privilege it is to introduce this community to dance. Right now we’re busy getting to know our Strongsville community and can’t wait to open in another neighborhood soon.

We all have a different way of looking at and defining success. How do you define success?
Simple: Being a great example of hard work, at something you really love, especially for your kids, Knowing your passion, sticking with it, and letting your people find you! (Hopefully LOTS of people)!

Pricing:

• $85-$90 for Monthly Membership
• $355-$600 for Birthday Parties (Full Service)
• FREE Trial Classes
• $10-$60 Ballet Retail: Clothes and Accessories
• $35 Kid Drop Off Parties

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.tutuschool.com/strongsville, https://www.tutuschool.com/akron
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tutuschoolstrongsville/, https://www.instagram.com/tutuschoolakron/
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/tutu-school-akron-fairlawn, https://www.yelp.com/biz/tutu-school-strongsville-strongsville

 

Image Credits
Akron Mom and Kids, Susan Kettering, Andrew Weeks