Local » Focus three-studio dance facility. Soon we’ll build an arts complex on our North Miller Road property.” Today their family includes two sons, Mead Andrew and Charlie IV, and Charlie’s wife, Sined Lopez Comiskey. One day there will be grandchildren who Judy says will “light up our lives.” Talent development thrills Comiskey, who believes “every child is born with unlimited and untapped potential.” She adores working with children, she says because, “You never know what to expect next and they keep you smiling. I’ve never met a child I didn’t learn something from.” Because of our “highly experienced, caring teachers,” she adds, “many become professionals. Amazing individuals like Nora Trivunovich, Linda Cheney, Melissa Kelly, Dawn Gundlach and Laura Crane keep the academy running smoothly.” Social skills and academic performance in both the verbal and math categories show marked improvement in children who participate in the arts. This, Judy says, is why the academy’s motto is “Smart Kids Dance.” Senior Jazz Class Photo courtesy of Motte Photography
Judy’s Dance Honored by Academy Brandon Chamber T
Judy’s Dance Academy is committed to numerous charitable causes, too. These include Relay for Life, Breast Cancer 3-Day Walk, American Diabetes Association, Cystic Fibrosis - Rock and Roses, and Camp
Christina. Studio dancers also perform at local nursing homes, the Hillsborough County Fair, the Strawberry Festival, Nativity Bethlehem Breakfast, Novemberfest, and St. Stephen’s Spring Fling. When not dancing, Judy enjoys local community productions, her involvement with Nativity Catholic Church activities, and playtime with the family’s two “adorable” labs, Lady Godiva and Coco Channel. She attends conventions and workshops to stay current in dance. “But,” Judy shared, “flying airplanes is my favorite hobby because I conquered my fear of flying by becoming a pilot myself.” She participates also with Women in Aviation, the Airline Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA), and Holy Innocents Episcopal Church in Valrico. On being a local, Judy said, “I love living in Brandon. The small town atmosphere helps you know people more personally. My studio echoes this through the families who have become friends outside of dance.” Describing her philosophy about giving back and paying forward, she believes, “Life is like a boomerang. The more you give out in your community, the more that comes back to you. This gives a sense of stability and purpose in our ever-changing environment.” Whether it’s wings in the sky or dancing shoes on the ground, Judy Comiskey has found her way and most definitely, her home here in Brandon.
Written By: Cheryl Johnston
he Brandon Chamber of Commerce recently recognized Judy Comiskey for her 20-year involvement with the organization.
In addition to the community commitment, she is the very active owner of Judy’s Dance Academy in Valrico, a comprehensive, family oriented studio for all ages. The value of Chamber membership was an early lesson. Comiskey shares, “Membership connects me with people I would otherwise not have known and gives me a better understanding of the needs in our community.” She also credits the Brandon Chamber for “great promotion of area businesses and its wonderful annual
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directory.”
Judy and her husband, Charles Comiskey III, relocated to Brandon 25 years ago with his civil engineering work. Today he is a project manager for Total Building Solutions. As a teen in Evansville, Indiana, Judy founded the still active Harrison High School Dance Team with which she toured Europe before meeting Charles and earning a B.A. in Communications from Purdue. Prior to Brandon, she taught in Chicago, Houston, and Stuart. But here, Comiskey said, is her greatest accomplishment. “I took a leap of faith (encouraged & financed by my Uncle) 20 years ago to open a one-room studio with 50 students that is now a thriving
september 2011 thefocusmagazine.com
2010-2011 JAM Dance Company Photo courtesy of Motte Photography