Inspiring Conversations with Keith & Victoria Jastram of Fred Astaire Dance Studios – Westerville, OH

Today we’d like to introduce you to Keith & Victoria Jastram.

Hi Keith & Victoria, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
Keith came to dance because of his mom. She had been taking lessons at Fred Astaire, and asked Keith to be her guest and take a lesson. If he took this guest lesson, then his mom would get a free private lesson as a thank you. Being a good son, her obliged her. But realized that he actually enjoyed dancing and continued to take lessons. He soon realized that he didn’t just love dancing for his own pleasure and that he wanted to share his love of dance with others as an instructor.

Victoria had been dancing in some way nearly her entire life, though she didn’t get seriously involved with dance until she was 11. She thought she wanted to be on Broadway and was training for that. However, at 11 years, she discovered Hip Hop and that there was more to the world of dance than Ballet and Tap, and got to pursue Jazz, Contemporary, Lyrical, and Modern, too. She began assisting in classes as an apprentice and assistant shortly after she started with a new dance company, and at 16 years was teaching classes and at dance camps. It was during this time that she realized she loved teaching dance and not only wanted to be an instructor, but to have her own dance studio someday, so she could share her love of dance with everyone.
Victoria was known as a Hip Hop dancer, which was her favorite, but inspired by “Grease”, the movie “Strictly Ballroom” and that scene where Aurora dances in the woods in Disney’s original “Sleeping Beauty” she felt that she just had to do ballroom.

Victoria started as a Trainee with Fred Astaire Dance Studios in Westerville at 16, because she was not old enough to teach yet, and needed to train in the ballroom world. This was around the same time that Keith transitioned to being a full-time instructor at the studio.

Together, they became dance partners, not just on the dance floor, but in life. They are married with 3 beautiful daughters who also love to dance in youth classes at the studio and after everyone leaves when the floor and studio is empty.

At Fred Astaire, the two of them worked as a team, working behind the scenes, learning all the ins and outs of the studio. How to run the office, doing the marketing and student outreach, maintaining the facilities, planning events and more.

And as Keith and Victoria progressed in their dancing and teaching careers, winning awards for both, Victoria shared her dream of owning a studio, and Keith felt that he too wanted to own a dance studio. Together, with the guidance of their Area Directors, Taliat & Marina Tarsinov, they began the process to take over the Westerville Fred Astaire franchise and move it to a more visible area in Westerville, which is where it is today.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It hasn’t been the smoothest road. Victoria had a sudden onset of medical problems which would cause her to pass out doing the slightest bit of movement. She could not dance, and she could not continue to work. It was actually during this time, that Keith and Victoria grew closer and became a couple. Medical professionals were not able to pinpoint the cause of her symptoms, but after more than a year, she was able to learn how to manage her symptoms so she could function and return to her career, although not in the capacity that she would like.

Keith and Victoria were unable to pursue a strong competitive career because of these health issues, and as Victoria still battles the same health crisis to this day, they focus on dancing together in social settings but will find their way onto the competitive floor when they can.

Other struggles were mismanagement of the studio when they were teaching. It became extremely toxic and did not represent the Fred Astaire franchise which is focused on enriching lives, and the company had to work to remove the previous owner because of it. There is a bad reputation in Westerville because of how the previous owner operated, however, as this was not reflective of the company, we try not to talk about it. But Keith, Victoria, and all of the other staff suffered through years of verbal and emotional abuse, unfair wages, and more. Keith and Victoria kept their heads low as best they could, because they knew that the owner was not representing the company they loved, and hoped that someday they could rescue the studio from her grasp.

Since taking over the studio, there has been a lot of work to create a healthy and enriching environment for both the staff and the students to enjoy dance and the many benefits that come with it. The biggest struggle there, has honestly been the reputation side of things for both finding staff and growing our community of students.

We have been blessed to have find two wonderful instructors, Vincent Hall and Grace Chester, but people in the area felt the studio was all about the money, and it’s hard for most dance studios to find quality staff these days, but a lot of teachers don’t know that our studio is under new management and unfortunately reputation precedes us.

We have been growing though! And now struggle because we have so many wonderful students and not enough teachers which is a happy problem to have, but still a problem. Fred Astaire has a great training program for those who have always danced like Grace & Victoria, to those who have never stepped on a dancefloor like Keith and Vincent. Many people just don’t realize that dance is something that you can do as a career, and not just something that’s fun while you’re a kid.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
We own the Westerville, OH Fred Astaire Dance Studios location. Fred Astaire Dance Studios was founded in 1947 with Mr. Fred Astaire himself, and is rooted in his teaching methods which focuses on having the highest quality, fastest results, but always being fun! There are nearly 300 franchises across the US and the world, and we are just one of them.

At our studio we are committed to enriching the lives of anyone an everyone we meet! Fred Astaire Dance Studios promise to enrich lives – physically, mentally, emotionally, and socially – through the positive, transformative power of dance is at the heart of everything we do.

We create tailor made programs to fit each individuals needs and desires, and have students of all walks of life. We teach programs for social dancing, competitive dancing, weddings such as choreography for first dances, father/daughters, etc… ,youth from just walking to teenagers, and even have adapted dance programs which includes a special wheelchair curriculum.

We have seen so many lives changed for the better, that we can honestly say “Life’s Better When You Dance”.

Our studio teaches over 30 styles of dance including smooth dance (ex: Waltz, Tango Foxtrot), Swing Dancing, Latin Dancing (Think Salsa, Bachata, Cha Cha, Merengue), Country Dancing, Nightclub Dancing, and more! There really is something here for everyone.

We are proud of our warm, friendly environment that we have been cultivating. The whole Fred Astaire company feels like one big dance family, and when we go to events our staff and students are always happy to see our fellow dancers. And the cool thing about being part of such a great franchise, is that if our students move, they can pick up right where they left at another Fred Astaire.

The Westerville Location is the primary school for youth ballroom programs in central Ohio and also offer homeschool specific classes for the community. There really aren’t any other schools who offer youth classes, and not just private lessons, and few dance schools in general who offer homeschool classes, so we are honored to be able to fill that need. We do both private lessons and group classes depending on what the student wants to pursue, and it has been a pleasure to watch our youth dancers grow and be able to go off to prom and feel confident on the dance floor rather than avoiding it, and some of our youth dancers even compete at competitions.

Our main student body is adults, and both singles and couples are welcome. Single dancers will partner with their instructor, and regardless of what others think, you don’t have to have dance experience to take lessons.

We also offer weekly “Practice Parties” where students can work on what they are learning in their lessons and practice it in a social setting around and with other students and teachers. Plus it’s a lot of fun! We host these weekly so our students always have a place they feel comfortable dancing with others.

Before we let you go, we’ve got to ask if you have any advice for those who are just starting out?
So many people think that they have no rhythm, they have two left feet, or that it’s too late for them. But you don’t have to be a good dancer or have any natural rhythm at all. That’s why we are here! We teach everything you need to know from the ground up. Mr. Fred Astaire believed that all the good dancers he knew were taught and trained, and we agree that you don’t have to be a natural to be great!

The biggest thing we wish people know, is that there is never a “right time”. So many of our students have been dreaming of doing this for years before finally taking that first step! And they all wish they had started years ago. Why wait for the right time, when you could start now and be dancing all that time?

And for those looking into this as a job, it’s really that this is more than a job. This is a fulfilling and rewarding career. Dance Teacher is just one of the roles a dance professional can have at the studio, and because we are part of a franchise, there is really no limit to how far you can go if you are willing to put in the work to train and pursue your dreams! And while it’s great to have dance experience, we can teach you how to do that. It’s more important to find someone who will genuinely care about their students and fellow staff members, wants to enrich lives, and is motivated to be the best they can. We can’t just teach someone to care about others, but we can cultivate it.

Pricing:

• One Introductory Private Dance Lesson – $39

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.FredAstaire.com/Westerville
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/FADSWesterville
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FADSWesterville
• Other: https://www.theknot.com/marketplace/fred-astaire-dance-studio-westerville-westerville-oh-662299