Virtual Studio Built During COVID Launches In-Person Instruction at Woodmont Triangle in June

Unity Dance & Movement is opening at 4853 Cordell Avenue in Bethesda on June 20 at the former site of Unity Woods Yoga Studio. The 4,000 square ft.  studio will offer programs for all age groups and experience levels. Per Unity Dance & Movement:
Bethesda, MD – Families with children, dance enthusiasts of all ages, and those interested in exploring the art for the first time will soon have a new option for taking ballet, jazz, modern, tap, and other movement instruction this summer as a new dance studio opens in the Woodmont Triangle neighborhood of downtown Bethesda. Unity Dance & Movement will begin offering programming for all age groups and experience levels on June 27.

Located at 4853 Cordell Avenue, the new space will be housed at the previous Unity Woods Yoga Studio, which stopped operating at the location in summer of 2020. Owned and operated by Maryland native Jen Dobbins, Unity Dance & Movement is the in-person outgrowth of a virtual dance space she’s operated since 2020.

“When COVID closed many area dance studios, several parents and students approached me, asking that I teach virtually,” Dobbins says. “I started offering instruction, via Zoom, in my living room. Word gradually got around and I eventually hired some of my former colleagues to keep up with demand. Now, as the region transitions beyond the pandemic, we have a unique opportunity to bring back in-person dance instruction to Bethesda.”

Dobbins has been teaching dance professionally in the DMV region for over two decades. While she had always dreamed of opening her own studio, it was not until the pandemic brought the industry to an abrupt economic standstill that she pursued entrepreneurship to earn a living and help many of her former dance colleagues make ends meet. She notes that virtual instruction also helped keep adult and youth students alike engaged and healthy during the pandemic’s shutdowns.

“Even when we all needed to socially distance and work from home, there remained a desire to connect and that extended to dance,” Dobbins says. “Parents wanted kids to continue instruction and stay in touch with peers. Adult students felt the loss of a creative outlet they’d come to rely on every week. It seems like a long time ago now, but during the pandemic’s onset we were all learning as we went, discovering ways to make dance work via laptops and tablets. When I reflect on how we got through that period together to now preparing for in-person classes, I’m humbled.”

The new Unity Dance & Movement location will offer 4,000 square feet of space with three studios operating simultaneously, affording the community a range of programming. Atop a mixed residential and commercial building, it has floor to ceiling windows with views of the Bethesda skyline. Currently being fitted out, it will have state-of-the-art flooring and sound. The site will offer hybrid learning capabilities for those who still prefer virtual classes.

Dobbins’ virtual studio, DC Conservatory of Dance, has served as a creative anchor for the local dance community throughout the pandemic. The woman-owned enterprise organized four virtual end-of-season performances over the last two years attended by hundreds of dancers’ families, many from other countries. Now, as the studio transitions to an in-person environment, it is rebranding as Unity Dance & Movement.

“Most our virtual students live in Bethesda, so when I thought about where to locate our physical studio, I naturally gravitated toward this community,” Dobbins says. “We wanted to remove ‘DC’ from our name to not be geographically limited and part of our mission has always been inclusivity, so ‘Unity’ was something we’d already considered. Once we learned our space had previously been occupied by Unity Woods Yoga, that sealed the deal. So, we’ll be relaunching with a new name at the beginning of summer. We think it reflects our values and pays homage to the last occupant and their contributions to the neighborhood.”

Unity Dance & Movement will open its doors June 20^th with classes commencing a week later. Summer camps for students aged 6 – 12 begin June 27 alongside classes for other youth and adult students. Rolling registration is available by visiting unitydanceandmovement.com, calling 202-878-2282, or emailing [email protected].