FOR THE LOVE OF DANCE: STUDIO JACKED STORY BY JEANNINE DERAMO PHOTOGRAPHY BY SAMANTHA FINCH
Within moments of speaking with Jackie Galgano, it becomes obvious why her dance company exudes such enthusiasm. There’s an unmistakable twinkle in her eye as Jackie details the birth and growth of her Nanuet dance studio, Studio Jacked.
studio, I knew I wanted a vibe of everyone being ‘family’ and very tight. We don’t call ourselves a dance studio—we call ourselves a dance family. We have very personal relationships with all of our students and families.”
Six years ago, Studio Jacked was born, not only from Jackie’s passion for dance, but also from her love of teaching dance. “I’ve been dancing my whole life since I was three years old. I always had a love for dance and a passion for it, but Studio Jacked came into my head when I got my first teaching job. I started teaching dance when I was 18 years old, and it kind of brought me into a different realm from actually dancing on stage to creating the dances and teaching children. That’s really when my passion exploded.”
In addition to this unique feature, is Jackie’s commitment to the ideal of acceptance and encouragement over perfection and achievement. While the studio offers both recreational and competitive classes, in either case, Jackie and her fellow teachers Alexa, Lara and Kathleen all stress the importance of enjoyment and over perfection. “The dancers come here to escape the pressures of life and use dance as an outlet.” Jackie herself said she always strived for more creative freedom. She stresses to her dancers that “it’s really about selfexpression and being who you are and comfortable in who you are and not being judged for it.”
Jackie reflects on her experience growing up in a large dance studio and the one thing that was missing there: a sense of community and belonging. “I never really felt in place at dance. When I decided to open up a dance
The teachers at Studio Jacked are all extremely welltrained and versatile. From the School of American Ballet, Bachelor’s degree in dance, to Broadway and professional NBA and NFL dance teams, they all bring
52 / Rivertown Magazine August 2019