Inside Look: Dancing with the Sioux Falls Stars featuring Magen Richael

Imagine the thrill of a sold-out crowd all while supporting Empire Mental Health Support. Megan from the Sioux Falls Stars joins us to share her inspiring journey from childhood dancer to studio owner. From her first steps at age three to owning the Hip Hop Shop in Del Rapids, Megan's story is one of passion and perseverance. She opens up about the powerful, transformative nature of dance—how it can boost confidence and provide a liberating outlet for both students and performers. Together, we reminisce about our unforgettable experiences at the Dancing with the Stars event, filled with nerves, excitement, and a sense of accomplishment.

Dance opportunities aren't just for the young; we celebrate dance as an accessible form of fitness and well-being for all ages. Whether you're a seasoned dancer or just starting out, discover how dance can be a unique form of exercise that enhances both physical and mental health.

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Transcript

Dancing With the Stars Experience

Speaker 1 0:00

We have an awesome episode planned for you today, diving into my experience with dancing with the Sioux Falls Stars, and I get to welcome my dance partner, megan, to the show. So let's dive in all about dancing dancing with the Stars, and the experience that we had a little behind the scenes. Let's go. Well, welcome to the show, megan, so excited to have you on here. Tell you what time flies. True, we just got done doing Dancing with the Stars, it feels like, but now looking at it, it's like three weeks ago, four weeks ago.

Speaker 2 0:54

Wow, really A month already. That is crazy.

Speaker 1 0:56

Yeah, so I wanted to take some time to chat with you. You are the dancing professional. I am apparently the star the celebrity the celebrity, the celeb, um, but what is it that you do? What is your dancing Me?

Speaker 2 1:13

Yeah, you're dancing every day.

Speaker 1 1:14

Well, yeah, but first let's even talk about when did you get into dancing?

Speaker 2 1:17

Like when I was three. I've been dancing since I was three. I took classes all the way up. I was probably 18 or 19 when I met somebody that asked about me teaching, and I've been teaching ever since.

Speaker 1 1:29

Really.

Speaker 2 1:29

Yeah, so I have the studio that I started teaching at at like 18, 19. I took some time off because I had college. I had you know some military stuff and then I came back and bought it from her and I've been running it ever since.

Speaker 1 1:39

Cool. And what is that studio called the Cool?

Speaker 2 1:41

And what is that studio?

Speaker 1 1:42

called the Hip Hop Shop Hip Hop Shop, and it's in yes, del Rapids, okay, del Rapids.

Speaker 2 1:44

We just moved location. So we've been in the same building for 20 plus years and we just moved into the Rapid Fitness building, which is on Garfield.

Speaker 1 1:52

Awesome, yeah, very cool. So now your location is brand new.

Speaker 2 1:56

Brand new.

Speaker 1 1:58

And have you already started classes in the new we did.

Speaker 2 2:00

We started October 15th and we're still not completely put together yet. So we still have sound panels pushed up against the wall. They're not hung yet. We watch. I mean, I started classes when the mirrors were still just like kind of leaning against the wall. So little baby steps we're getting there. But yeah, brand new, it's been fun.

Speaker 1 2:14

Absolutely, and so you got into dancing when you were three. You've been dancing kind of ever since. Um, in dancing, which I'm not a dancer, well now you are. I am now. I am now. I wasn't a dancer. Yes, it's a lot of fun. It's so much fun. It is very fun. It's very I don't know therapeutic if you will Freeing, liberating, yeah, just being able to listen to the music and move your body. And what was it, though, that inspired you to want to make this a career?

Speaker 2 2:43

You know, I don't know if I was inspired to make it a career. I think it just kind of happened. Yeah, I just did what felt right. I did what was fun. The opportunities presented themselves kind of slowly over time. I didn't anticipate it happening. It just kind of it literally fell into place, yeah, and it's been, I feel, really lucky because of it. But yeah, it was never really a set out plan, it just kind of happened.

Speaker 1 3:06

Yeah, that's awesome. What, what have you? What would you say is something that dance like? Obviously, fitness for me is an outlet and it's also a platform for me to to prove to myself that I can do hard things. Um, and that's definitely like what fitness does for me. What would you say is something that dance really does for you, or that you've even seen it do in some of your students?

Speaker 2 3:28

Well, I think a big thing is confidence.

Speaker 1 3:30

I mean especially with.

Speaker 2 3:32

I have little girls that will start at three and they'll dance. You know, maybe they'll dance all the way through senior year, maybe they'll stop in middle school and pursue other sports or whatever. In the small town it's kind of a. My, my studio is very like I would say. It's more recreational, less competitive, so I have girls that do everything. But I think it just gives you that confidence to to push yourself to work within a team dynamic, to do scary things, getting out in front of a crowd to do something that you maybe are you going to succeed at it.

Speaker 2 4:00

There's a chance it's going to work. Maybe, and I think that that that can be just part of life in general and and carries over into, like you said, even the like physical fitness, and which I completely agree, I'm right there with you, but it's, it's just that confidence to push your body to try, try something, literally in front of a crowd.

Speaker 1 4:16

Yeah, absolutely. I remember the night of the dance, uh, the night of the show, if you will. We were backstage and you're like, you've been practicing, but like are you good in front of people? Because, right, and we've been practicing just in front of nobody, um and so, yeah, getting out there in front of how many people were there.

Speaker 2 4:36

You know, I don't know, I never, I don't know if I ever heard an account which is interesting, but it was like the district was packed. It was packed, it was a sold out show Every was packed. It was packed. It was a sold out show. Every single seat was sold in full. So I, on top of probably the volunteers, that were there too.

Speaker 1 4:47

So yeah, I mean it was it was a big crowd, I was nervous. I mean, I do this all the time and I was nervous. So yeah, it was. My wife did tell me she's like you looked a little stiff, babe. I was like, hey, I'll, I'll work on it.

Speaker 1 4:59

But um, but no, it was so much fun so I'd love to be able to get into some of them watching this or listening to this. They maybe have never heard of Dancing with the Stars, true, which I never had until I got asked how about you? Had you heard of?

Speaker 2 5:13

this before I had heard about it. I guess I didn't realize it was still happening. I had heard about it years ago.

Journey Into Dancing With the Stars

Speaker 1 5:20

Yeah, when I think it used to be a benefit for a different I'm not even sure, but I had heard about it. Then I thought it kind of disappeared with 2020, so that it had been going on. I was excited, and I do think that kind of during 2020, in that COVID year, I think that there was like a break that was taken, because it sounds like that's when, after 2020, a different charity kind of got behind it. I think so, and so now for any of you that are watching or listening now, it is a benefit to support Empire Mental Health Support here in town and in the surrounding area, to help just mental health and being able to raise awareness for it. And I tell you what I thought it was an awesome event.

Speaker 2 5:56

It was amazing.

Speaker 1 5:57

Yeah, I've been to so many fundraising events and so many times you and they're all great you go, you hear their, their mission, you hear the work that they do and you hear why they do it and it's very inspiring. But obviously these organizations need to raise money and so at the, a normal charity event, there's then a component of of fundraising that goes with it, and this felt like such for three hours. Yeah, like you were engaged in watching something and and like just a fun night. I would, I would and will go watch for sure I'm actually excited to go back.

Speaker 2 6:30

I honestly I hope I'm involved somehow next, year um I I have said a thousand times, it's probably one of my favorite nights of this entire year yeah and any, and again we're saying it's three hours, but really it wasn't.

Speaker 1 6:41

It was like three months for us.

Speaker 2 6:42

I mean, we put in a lot of time.

Speaker 1 6:43

So it was an ongoing thing and it still is. I mean, it brings people together.

Speaker 2 6:46

It was what a great great cause, super fun, great you know everything about it was just, it was a blast.

Speaker 1 6:53

Yeah, absolutely, and I tell you what, to that point, you mentioned to bring people together. Just a bit ago, we had a fun workout with with some of the other dancers. You missed it, I know. Rub it in. We'll do it again, though. We'll do it again, Um, but, and then even to uh, my wife and I were out the other night and we ended up running into you and Clayton and it just it is. It's these connections and these relationships that you make that I don't know that we would have ever made them otherwise.

Speaker 2 7:17

I don't know how it would have happened Not not to the easy level that it did yeah. You know like not as I don't know, not as connected yeah.

Speaker 1 7:24

Yeah. So let's talk about like when you? How did you find out about Dancing with the Stars? When was the first time? It's like, hey, you're going to be involved or hey, would you be involved. How'd that look?

Speaker 2 7:33

So well, Raina. Raina ropes me into, Raina Rasm things.

Speaker 1 7:42

Because you're part of Lyra, correct, I am yes.

Speaker 2 7:44

Yes, I dance with Lyra. And she had texted hey, is anybody available or interested in being a professional? We need more dancers. And I thought well, let me check my schedule. If it works, sure I'll do it.

Speaker 1 7:55

So I said yes, and then of course it wasn't too long after of the gate was like I can't do that.

Speaker 2 8:09

Nope, nope and again. Of course we won't ruin the surprise.

Speaker 1 8:10

Everybody knows he ends up winning the whole thing. I drug.

Speaker 2 8:11

a man forced him to do it and then he kicked me. But yeah, I think Reina is the one that told me about it and again I'd heard of it. But I did do a little research when she brought it up, just to see, you know, kind of find out as much as I could. Well, not really I found out as much as I needed.

Speaker 1 8:24

I should say yeah, sure, but yeah, what about you? Yeah, to that point, kind of same thing. I've got a good friend, tony Bartholomus. He's a client at FitBody. He helped us with our home mortgage and part of Lyra.

Speaker 1 8:36

And he's also part of Lyra. Yeah, from what I found out, I think that we get very ingrained into our own little bubble. Yes, and the world is huge. Like the world is so big and there's so many things going on that we're just oblivious to, and so this dance world, I'm oblivious to it at this point.

Speaker 1 8:55

I didn't know anything about the dance world. Of course, I've seen some of the different dance buildings and obviously I know dance is a thing Like my daughters danced when they were young, and so I know dance is a thing Like my daughters danced when they were young, and so I knew Tony was a dancer. And all of a sudden, tony, after one of the workouts, he's like CJ, I've got something for you. And I'm like what is it Like? Tell me more. And he's like well, I was on. I don't even remember what he was on, but he's like I was on something where they were talking about finding local stars that would be willing to participate in a Dancing with the Stars, and I told them that they need to reach out to you. I'm like Tony, I don't dance. And he's like no, you don't have to dance.

Speaker 2 9:37

You'll learn that you will have to dance.

Speaker 1 9:39

Right, but now, in this moment, you'll learn that. But you can have fun in front of people, and he's like I just think you'd have a blast. I'm like, well, hey, put my name. He's like I already put your name in, so I wasn't asking for permission, I was more so telling you that I did it. I was like, oh, perfect. So then I get this email and it's from the event company and they're like hey, you've been nominated to be one of the stars and dancing with the stars. Please let us know, by whatever date, if you're available and willing to do this. And first thought I was like, hmm, is this something like you said, like on my schedule, allow, like will I be able to do it? Also, too, a little bit of thought that went through my head is like my wife can be like cool with this, like just dance. Like I don't dance with her, you know, let alone like try to yeah, I'm going to go dance with somebody I've never met before, um.

Speaker 1 10:30

So I talked with her and she's like, go for it, give it a shot, and and so yeah. Then all of a sudden, you know, some time went by and we end up at PIN Studios and that was the first night that I had met you. And that night, all of a sudden, we get paired. Yes, and then we have to go take photos with each other Like up close and personal. Yeah.

Speaker 2 10:48

Hi, can we? Yeah, that was definitely like hey, stranger yeah that was like probably the most odd part of the whole experience.

Speaker 1 10:53

That was, yeah, that was like probably the most odd part of the whole experience.

Speaker 2 10:57

I completely agree, it was exciting, it was fun but at the same time, it was like just diving right in.

Speaker 1 11:01

I don't even know you and yet I have to like hold you for this. I know that's full of intimacy.

Speaker 2 11:06

Yeah, I'm like, uh, yeah, agree, totally agree. So that was definitely odd.

Speaker 1 11:11

But from then, From there, we then got kind of like the schedule of events and it was like you need to start your practices, and they gave us kind of like a so apparently guidelines.

Speaker 2 11:21

Yeah 20 hour rule was just a guideline. Yeah, because Everybody cheated.

Speaker 1 11:26

Let me, yeah, let me tell you I don't like. Come on, clinton, were you 20?

Speaker 2 11:30

hours Way over.

Speaker 1 11:31

Ah geez, boston, Boston. But so we then laid out a practice schedule and we met at Ballo. Do you say Ballerina, ballerina, ballerina, and that is what Raina owns? Yes, correct, yes, okay. What are the chances that Raina owns Ballerina?

Speaker 2 11:48

You know, come on. Clever, yeah, clever, I love it.

Speaker 1 11:51

I love it. But so, yeah, we met there and we start dancing. And what was your? What thoughts were going through your head? You're going to meet me for the first time at a dance practice. Like, what's going through your head? Does this guy know how to dance? Like what are the things I think?

Speaker 2 12:06

I think I was handling it like I would any sort of like first class OK. You know, I don't know what you're capable of, I don't know what you can do. I had kind of like a few guidelines that I'm like I'm going to teach him this, but really I'm going to be seeing what you can handle and what you can do, just because I had ideas like what I wanted to do as far as choreo and that sort of.

Speaker 1 12:23

Thing.

Speaker 2 12:23

But I needed to know what you were capable of doing. So I think I just literally I treated it like you were a toddler coming to your first class.

Speaker 1 12:31

I think I need to get treated like a toddler more often. You were fine, it was good and I think, to that point, one of the things that I really learned and I even mentioned this, like in the little interview thing that we did but all the time, as it pertains to FitBody and helping our team and helping our clients, it's like making sure that they know when you need help, you need to ask and you need to make sure that you are putting yourself out there and asking the questions so that you can get better yeah.

Speaker 1 12:57

And it wasn't easy Like I say that all the time, but it wasn't easy for me to say, hey, megan, how do I do this thing with my feet or how, like I just wanted to get it. I wanted to just be able to do it, um, and I didn't want to show you or let you see that I couldn't get it and so I had to like.

Speaker 1 13:14

So that thought process was like, man, I bet our clients or our people that we're teaching, like they're going through that same mentality of like how do I how do I ask and feel comfortable and okay with, like I know you've shown me this every practice, but explain the ball change again and where my foot is supposed to go, and it almost felt like, almost like I know I should know this, so why should I ask?

Speaker 2 13:37

But it would also. I think what you're really good at is imitating. Like you can, in the moment, just imitate anything I do. That doesn't mean, if I'm standing there and I'm not doing it with you, that you remember how to do it.

Speaker 1 13:46

Right.

Speaker 2 13:46

And I didn't. I didn't realize that I think right away because you'd get it. I'm like oh and doing it. I didn't get that quite right at the beginning.

Speaker 1 13:56

So that was definitely a learning curve. So, yeah, learning that style. So I think you know, as it pertains to anyone that might be, you know, listening to this, it is going to be uncomfortable to ask for help, but if you truly want to make progress in whatever it is that you're trying to achieve, it's going to be more uncomfortable to remain the same and to remain kind of not fulfilling your goal.

Speaker 2 14:19

Yeah, or not having the clarity of what you're supposed to be doing. If you're not even doing it right. What are you really accomplishing, Right? Exactly so ask for help.

Speaker 1 14:27

Ask often, and that's how you'll be able to keep on getting better. So we had 20 hours to get this dance dialed in and when you came to me you already had the song Cause you had you had like messaged me like what do you think about some of these artists?

Speaker 2 14:42

The night, of the night that we met.

Speaker 1 14:44

Yeah.

Speaker 2 14:44

I think I asked kind of your style, oh sure. What kind of music you liked and kind of looked through after that. But yeah, yep.

Speaker 1 14:49

So we had the song what was it called? The Way you Lie, yeah, the Way you Lie, yeah. So there's two versions there's one that's just an Eminem version and there's one that's Eminem and Rihanna.

Speaker 2 15:05

There's actually, there's actually three versions because, there's a part one and a part two and we technically used part two. Oh, gotcha, okay it's one of those complicated, yeah.

Choreographing Dance and Making Connections

Speaker 1 15:11

Lots of Cool. But so you put this song together. How do you then choreograph a dance?

Speaker 2 15:19

I don't know how to answer that question. I've been asked this before. How do you choreograph? I don't know, Depending on the style. Sometimes I have elements I know I already want in there.

Speaker 1 15:28

Yeah.

Speaker 2 15:29

But sometimes I just visualize and kind of, I don't know, I don't. It's like I don't know how to answer that question I'm not really sure. I just do it.

Speaker 1 15:40

Yeah, Are there some? Are there some dance teachers that cannot choreograph, or like?

Speaker 2 15:46

yeah, I think that there's a definite difference between being a choreographer and a T a dance teacher.

Speaker 1 15:50

Okay.

Speaker 2 15:50

Yeah, for sure. Or being a dance coach, Like a lot of um, a lot of teams actually will hire other choreographers and then the coaches will just do the cleaning and the perfecting, you know. But as far as core, yeah, Choreography is definitely a separate, separate thing.

Speaker 1 16:05

Yeah, do you enjoy that part of?

Speaker 2 16:07

it, I do, I, I like I've been asked that before too Like what do you like better, doing choreography, doing the dance, doing the teaching? I would say, my favorite classes are when I'm teaching choreography.

Speaker 1 16:17

Yeah.

Speaker 2 16:18

I do definitely love doing the choreography because it's new, it's something fresh and exciting.

Speaker 1 16:22

And it's your thing, right? Yeah, exactly, and I do your brain.

Speaker 2 16:25

And that's why I do love doing my own choreography. I've never hired anyone to do anything and I coach cheer. I've done musical theater, I've done all kinds of things. I feel more attached and more accomplished and more part of it when it's my own creation versus like paying or hiring somebody else to do it.

Speaker 2 16:39

So, and it helps me get. I mean, I've definitely grown and changed as a choreographer. It's still a skill I'm constantly trying to grow and get better at, because it's not what is something that you can do to grow in that area?

Speaker 2 16:49

So I for me, I've found, especially from like being part of Lyra and having more just connections with other dancers, choreographers, it's inspiring. You kind of end up when, I mean you end up in your little bubble and you I mean every choreographer has a style, but you don't want to fall into like a stagnant, just like obvious, like oh look, that's Megan's choreography again. Yeah, you know you want to still have new and exciting things, so I think being a student learning new dances- helps me be inspired.

Speaker 1 17:18

It's almost like you do something. It's like man. I want to incorporate that.

Speaker 2 17:21

Or it'll just spark something else. Oh, I never thought of that and maybe I could try this too. I mean, today you have constant access through social media, TikTok, YouTube, the internet, everywhere Anytime you have a roadblock like I would have back 20 years ago, I'd just be, doomed.

Speaker 1 17:37

Now I'm like, okay, I'm just going to pull up a YouTube video and that's the cool thing about that is, even at one of our practices we were going through some of like the saved videos that you had on some of your socials and it's like I seen this. I seen this couple dancing doing this thing. Let's see if we could try something like that.

Speaker 1 17:52

Yeah, exactly so and that's to that point. I do feel like that's something really good for people to take away from from. Listening to this is like if you hit a roadblock and you haven't Googled, like how, like just use Google like step one, google whatever problem you're having and start there. But so many people they they're like how do I do this? And then that's when they give up because they don't even take the first step of like just Google.

Speaker 2 18:17

Seriously. There's access to information at your fingertips all the time.

Speaker 1 18:21

Yeah.

Speaker 2 18:22

Look it up. Yeah, I agree.

Speaker 1 18:23

Yeah, very cool. And so, yeah, we got this dance down. We had 20 hours. We honestly really didn't get to meet the other dancers, not really Until the night before, and that wasn't even part of the thing.

Speaker 2 18:36

No, we planned it separately.

Speaker 1 18:37

We planned a little night just to get together with some of the dancers. Not everybody could make it, but then we met. It was like 9 o'clock on Saturday and all day, and then the performance started at what? 6?.

Speaker 2 18:49

I think the social hour was like 6 to 7. It started at 7.

Speaker 1 18:52

So it was like an all-day thing, but it was like an all day thing, but it was such a fun day.

Speaker 2 18:55

It was a blast.

Speaker 1 18:56

Making connections. And we practiced so hard and did the best we could up until the day, but then, once that day hit, you only could do what you could do.

Speaker 2 19:05

You're prepared, as prepared as you're going to be, yep.

Speaker 1 19:08

And whoever won won.

Speaker 2 19:10

Exactly.

Speaker 1 19:11

And it was so fun to do that. But you will never execute better than your level of preparation. Agree, right.

Speaker 2 19:19

I mean, I think sometimes, when it comes to performing, an audience can bring out elements that weren't already there, because you're just well, this is true.

Speaker 1 19:26

You know what I'm saying?

Speaker 2 19:27

Yeah, just because you're feeling that extra energy and you know it might even just be the showmanship part of it, but it does for me anyways. An audience brings out a little extra in me, extra flair, and actually I've learned a lot about myself as a coach because the things that I have coached and preached to my kids I found myself going okay, you're not doing that.

Speaker 1 19:45

Yeah.

Speaker 2 19:45

And you're trying to get the girls to do this for you all the time and look at you not doing it. So it's been it's been eyeopening.

Speaker 1 19:57

It was a whole. Oh, it was such a great experience, experience all the way around, for every part of it, yeah, yeah, and so maybe next year you'll be a dancer again I would, I know. For me, I'll definitely attend the event. If there is somewhere to serve or volunteer or help, I would be more than willing and wanting to do that because it was such a good event. Like you said, the connections let's dive in, though, a little bit to just the hip hop shop, and let's dive in a little bit Because, after we got done, something that I did even talk with my wife was like, man, we should find places we could go take dance lessons, and there's from, I believe, the Shrine downtown has some things on certain nights. I also found and even another couple told me about this there's some app and I show her off. Have you heard of this? No, so online it's called Show Her Off and it's some guy and his wife and they created at-home dance videos that you can do.

Speaker 2 20:49

You got to pay for them. Oh, I was going to say Wow.

Speaker 1 20:50

So you pay and you can subscribe to different things. And I was looking in my YouTube and I actually looking in my YouTube and I actually had, years ago, bought a at-home program and never did it. Oh, wow, but so and then I went to look into it and I had lost my login and whatnot. But it said that they change over to an actual app-based platform. Message us here. So I messaged him and he messaged me back and got me a new login. So now I can log in and I've got like a little platform that it's like move your furniture out of the way, turn it on the YouTube.

Speaker 2 21:18

And what's it called? Again, show her off, show her off. Okay, I have to remember that. That's cool. Show her off, cool.

Speaker 1 21:23

Um, but so. There's that, but so um the hip hop shop. It's in Del Rapids.

Speaker 2 21:27

So I was going to say, speaking of that, I was just talking to Clinton about this. A couple of days ago I a couple of classes that were for partner dancing.

Speaker 1 21:37

Yeah.

Speaker 2 21:38

And they were really a huge hit. I would end up having to add a class every time I'd advertise, and I haven't done it because I've been so focused on the new studio and other things. But we were just talking about trying to do one before the new year at the hip hop shop. We would love it for you guys to come.

Speaker 1 21:51

Yeah, that'd be great. Yeah, I'd have a blast, and I are available, we're there.

Speaker 2 21:57

Yeah, that would be awesome. I will go according to your schedule. I'll make sure you can be there. Sweet, I love it.

Speaker 1 22:02

I love it, see, and that also right. There is the power of connection. Yes, Because we are. We're willing to help each other out, and life is about like Well, loser here's the other loser here's the losers of Dancing with the Stars, you know what I'm saying, Like here's my partner. Yeah, I think that would be really fun. That'd be a lot of fun. Have you and Clinton ever taught anything together?

Dancing Opportunities for All Ages

Speaker 2 22:27

Yeah, this partner dancing. We did probably I don't know five or six of those classes. Oh okay, a couple years ago was it not? Probably not lasting in season, but this season before okay, and then, like I said, last season was just so busy with this switch over and it's yeah kind of a crazy year.

Speaker 1 22:43

But so, at hip-hop shop, what is your like? Who's the the target client or who do you average?

Speaker 2 22:49

okay, so um, on a typical like, yeah, every weekly base I my my season is october through may. Okay um it's very recreational. We I have one little competitive team that is like 7 to 11. And then I take my middle school high schoolers 7 to 11, like years old, years old, Okay, yep yep, and then I take my middle school and high school dance teams to like a couple super local dance competitions, but otherwise it's extremely recreational.

Speaker 2 23:13

It's really low commitment, it's according to like age instead of like dance ability, because then you're with your friends and so they just come once a week for a lesson.

Speaker 1 23:27

We learn a variety of styles of dance, and then, you know, learn a couple. What's the youngest? You take Three, three, well, they can be almost three, so they're like on the edge. I think it's like a December cutoff or something. So okay, and then what about the oldest?

Speaker 2 23:36

Um, I well, the oldest, anybody that would want to do a solo I'd take them on. But, usually typically it's seniors in high school.

Speaker 1 23:42

Okay, so it is mainly like school age for the hip hop shop. Okay, and you have a couple of different dances or competitions that you take them to. Yes, and what styles of dance?

Speaker 2 23:56

I do Okay, so primarily all over the place. But primarily I would say my style is a blend of there's some ballet and lyrical Okay, jazz is a huge. I love jazz Just kind of like some modern contemporary. Sometimes I do some I would call it musical theater style stuff a little bit here and what was speaking of style of dance?

Speaker 1 24:14

I've been asked a couple of times and I don't know the answer style of dance.

Speaker 2 24:18

I've been asked a couple of times and I don't know the answer.

Speaker 1 24:21

What style was our dance?

Speaker 2 24:21

Ooh, our dance Cause I feel like it was a mix. It was a mix, it was my style. I would call it.

Speaker 1 24:25

Megan style.

Speaker 2 24:25

Seriously, it kind of blends. It blends those you know lyrical. There's some lyrical elements, there was some ballet elements, there was definitely some jazz elements. Um, I gave you a little bit of hip hop elements, elements, just kind of a blend.

Speaker 1 24:40

I don't know if you, if it could be really described yeah but yeah okay, and is that normal for, like a dance, to have multiple styles blended into one, or not really?

Speaker 2 24:52

I think so. Yeah, I would say that, especially over the course of my years teaching. It used to be, you know, like every style was in a box, like this is what made you be this was ballet, this was lyrical, this was palm, this was hip, and I think they still do that in some competition form. But as far as when you're watching you know the world of dance, or you're watching you know Dancing with the Stars, I typically see that it's a blend of styles.

Speaker 1 25:24

Blend. Yeah, okay. So hip hop shop is going to be mainly your high school or school age student. But just now, dance in general. Is there an age where it's like you're probably too old to start dancing? Absolutely not, absolutely not.

Speaker 2 25:35

Absolutely not. You could be 106. You could start dancing, yeah, I think. I mean, think of Dancing with the Stars and how different all of we, all of us were as far as partners go. Everybody had something to offer in a completely different way and we were I mean, our ages were all over the place from low twenties to sixties. I mean it was all over the place, yeah.

Speaker 1 25:53

Yeah, okay, and so where? How did like for me the dancing world? Again, I said we live in these little bubbles. So I lived in a bubble and it did not include dancing. Dancing wasn't part of my bubble, so I didn't know what. Even well, number one I don't even know if I wanted to even look. But if I wanted to look because now that I have experience in dancing, it's like hey, I'm interested in like maybe doing a class here or there, but maybe not like committing to signing up for a whole program. Where do people look for this stuff?

Speaker 1 26:24

So I would say well, I was about to say you should take your own advice and Google it.

Speaker 2 26:29

But I mean, that's why I even told you, a really great thing is like the Shrine. I've done it before it's. I mean, what is it? Does it cost even to get in?

Speaker 1 26:37

I don't know, I don't think it might even be free.

Speaker 2 26:39

I don't even think there's a cover charge and there's always a dance professional that's there, that at the start of any style of a play, a song, they'll have that you know professional showing you the basic step. And then there will be couples there that are doing just the basic step around the room and you've got couples there that clearly are pros at what they're doing and they're thrown in all kinds of tricks.

Speaker 1 26:58

Yeah.

Speaker 2 26:58

So I mean, I think the biggest thing is to start somewhere where you're comfortable, but it is hard to find. I think 2020 did a number on dance studios around here, so it is really actually hard to find studios that teach just partner style dancing. They're out there.

Speaker 1 27:13

What about? What about, like, even just going to dance shows? What about even just going to dance shows If you wanted to just be a spectator and go watch dancing? Because I've also found out now with Lyra and some of the different stuff, you guys are dancing all over the place.

Speaker 2 27:27

So Lyra dances, we dance all over, I mean all throughout the year. They're doing at the Pavilion. I think it's in I'm not even sure what month, gosh, I should know this, but they are doing a live and local at the Pavilion. This season We've danced at award shows at the Pavilion. They've grouped up with. Well, there's like Headlights, theater Company or Dance. I'm not even sure that Headlights is what I know they're called.

Speaker 2 27:52

They do like pop-up all over the place. I've seen them pop up at random like just festivals. I mean it's constant. There's things going on. If you, I guess, check events calendars for Sioux Falls Um, a lot of times it's intertwined with other events. You know there's arts um award shows, there's you know musical theater. Musical theater, I mean the pavilion and the Orpheum are two really big spots.

Speaker 1 28:14

There's stuff going on there that has at least some a lot of times to do with dance a lot of dances happening there.

Speaker 2 28:16

There's stuff going on there that has, at least a lot of times to do with dance A lot I mean a lot of the time and so I would check the pavilions website. There's so much happening there Downtown Sioux Falls. Like I said, they will have pop-ups at just even random Hello High, where we ran into each other. They've done a pop-up dance at that location. I mean, it's just random all over the place.

Speaker 1 28:36

So yeah, and so with that, it's like sometimes too, we have to look for what we're looking for. You have to go out there and find it. It's not going to just be out there, but I feel like so many times I've heard it, I'm sure you've heard it there's nothing to do.

Speaker 2 28:51

There's so much to do.

Speaker 1 28:52

There's so much to do and so we've got to find it. But I was telling my wife like it would be so fun just to go, you know, have dinner and then go to watch a show of dancing, and that's. It's so available if you just look for it.

Speaker 2 29:06

It's everywhere. I will say I think that I have tickets to one show or another almost every weekend.

Speaker 1 29:11

Really there is for people to say there's nothing to do in Sioux Falls. That's not true at all. There is constant things to be doing in Sioux Falls, so much so that I have to say no, sometimes, like I need a day off. Yeah, it's it, there's so much going on. Yeah, absolutely, sometimes came to my mind I was thinking, uh, with the hip-hop shop and you had said that, like you would uh, like sometimes you do one-on-one you do one-on-one okay?

Speaker 2 29:32

yep, I do so is that any age?

Speaker 1 29:34

I would do any age.

Speaker 2 29:35

I have never had an adult ask. I've put it out there, I've said zero to 99, you can come yeah.

Speaker 1 29:40

But of course, what about the 106? Well, yeah, I suppose I don't know a whole lot of 106. Me either. If they are interested, I would take them. Yes, yeah, but yeah, okay, and what does that look like? Like, if I wanted to do that how would I do that?

Speaker 2 29:54

Well, again I have, I mean I would. Uh, well, you again I have, I mean I would just talk to you. Yeah, I was gonna, well, you would. But I the best way to probably get in touch with me, because I, you know, I do, I'm my own pr, I'm my own web designer. I'm my own everything, yeah um but I am on facebook at hip-hop shop and then I'm on instagram at dr, which is dell rapids. But, doctor, hip-hop shop is what people you know what I think it is.

Speaker 1 30:14

I've seen that, yeah, often and I thought it was doctor.

Speaker 2 30:16

Yeah, but it's actually Del Rapids but it's catchy because of the doctor, so it's fine. But yeah, and on there there's a link to my website that has all the information that anybody would want to know. Sure Until we can submit, and then you just like pay per session type of thing.

Speaker 1 30:31

Yeah, very cool, that is awesome, and something that maybe a lot of people don't know about you is that I believe this to be true you also have coached fitness or trained fitness.

Speaker 2 30:43

Oh, I do, I actually do, and you still do I do. Yep, I teach fitness classes Tuesdays and Fridays at the gym in Del Rapids the same gym that my studio is in and that's Rapid Fitness.

Speaker 1 30:51

Rapid Fitness Because that whole gym got a whole new, like the whole gym is new.

Speaker 2 30:54

They just added on to an entire side that, well, there's still the, the main area that's been there, but they just did an entire addition oh okay, and so that's like, so they just added on, they didn't move.

Speaker 1 31:03

Oh okay, they just added on so yeah, it was kind of an l-shaped building and now it's a square. Oh, okay, so they just filled it in. Yep, filled it in and my studio is in one of the corners so, oh, very cool. I've seen some photos of it and it does seem so open, nice tall ceilings.

Speaker 2 31:15

Brand new, yeah, so everything is really it's awesome.

Speaker 1 31:18

And you were in Rapid Fitness before as well, or no?

Speaker 2 31:21

No, no, I was actually in a strip mall, like across town.

Speaker 1 31:24

Oh, okay.

Speaker 2 31:24

Which was nothing wrong with it. It was perfectly fine, but there's just some perks to being at this location.

Speaker 1 31:30

So, yeah, very cool. So what do you normally teach when it comes to fitness on Tuesdays and Fridays?

Speaker 2 31:35

Yep Tuesdays and Fridays, my class I would call it like a Pilates yoga meets like some strength, so I do like some light weights and it's you know, that sort of thing.

Speaker 1 31:46

Yeah, okay, and how long have you done that?

Speaker 2 31:49

Well, I actually I took a huge hiatus, but I started doing that probably 15 years ago, Okay, and I did that for a few years, took a break when I took over the dance studio. I cut out the workout portion to focus on the dance portion, yeah, and I just never put it back in there. But now I've been teaching at Rapid Fitness, for I'm not even sure, a year, maybe not that long. No, it's not too long A year, maybe a little more than a year.

Speaker 1 32:12

Okay.

Speaker 2 32:13

Yeah, I think so.

Finding Joy in Movement and Wellness

Speaker 1 32:13

Very cool. And so with Rapid Fitness do you have to have like uh, membership add-on to go to the classes, or like if you're a member there you can just attend. How does? That work do you know or you don't really know?

Speaker 2 32:24

I don't, because I think I've always well, and now I just don't worry about that, but yeah I. I think it might have an ad might be an add-on, but okay there's probably like you can pay a lesser rate just to have the 24-hour access and then, if you, want to take the classes. It's probably additional sure.

Speaker 1 32:41

Okay, I would say maybe yeah, but you don't handle any of that, you just I know that's I just, I just teach yep, matt does all of that, but I do know they're doing a. All classes are free in november, oh, very cool, if anyone's interested in hearing this in bell rapids yeah, yeah, okay, very cool tuesday morning, friday morning, yeah, come hang out at 6 am.

Speaker 2 32:56

6 am, and how long is it? It's a 45 minute, 45 minute okay, very cool.

Speaker 1 33:01

I do feel like we will oftentimes at fit body um, especially in the summer. We'll do like special saturdays where we bring different types of stuff, whether it be we've had like revolution, revolution revolution um, we had them come and do some yoga stuff.

Speaker 1 33:15

Um, we do pound, we had um cool hip-hop. Uh there's. Uh, janelle was a gal that I met and she does hip-hop fitness cool. Um, she teaches that in a gal that I met and she does hip-hop fitness cool. Um, she teaches that in brandon. Um, I think it's at the rapid fitness in brandon. Okay, yeah, because there's a rapid fitness in brandon there is yeah, yeah, and matt still owns that also right okay, very cool.

Speaker 1 33:34

Um, so we'll bring all the different things. Maybe at some point we'll have to bring in, yeah, a megan workout into fit body. Count me in. Yeah, cool. But I think it is just fun to to know that, like the working that not working out, the dancing it was, it was a workout. Also, like it is a workout, and I think that so many times I've heard people say like working out isn't for me. But I feel like they just need to try something different.

Speaker 2 34:02

They just haven't found the right workout. Yeah, I think, yeah.

Speaker 1 34:04

Because that is moving your body, releasing your stress and really being comfortable in your own body Like for me, like that's what working out does. Is helps you build confidence in who you are, and, um, dancing is something that definitely even helped me with. That is like, oh, I can learn a whole new thing, and I think a lot of times we don't allow ourself to enter into the unknown or enter into something new.

Speaker 2 34:30

We stay in our comfort zone. Yeah, stay in our comfort zone, yeah.

Speaker 1 34:33

And that's how we grow is when we push that comfort zone, lean out of it. I totally agree, yes.

Speaker 2 34:37

And I think I hear that a lot too with with people wanting to join the gym or join classes like oh, what if I? What if I? Well, who cares? You don't know, unless you try, just give it a go, and maybe it isn't for you. But you don't know, unless you try it.

Speaker 1 34:48

Yeah, absolutely. Well, this is awesome and I just feel like it opens up people's awareness to to that dance is out there, Cause, like, again, if you're like me and you lived in my little bubble where dance wasn't part of it, I just didn't even know about all the awesome dance opportunities that are out there, from from participating in dance to viewing dance, to just the connections through dance, um, and it can become a lifestyle. Um, like, totally agree, you live it.

Speaker 2 35:17

Well, even for me I'm constantly finding out about new dance related like not only opportunities, but, like you said, shows things that I can do as a participant, things I can do as a spectator. It I'm I'm still learning all the time about it.

Speaker 1 35:29

Yeah.

Speaker 2 35:30

So it's just like you said it's a matter of connections. One connection leads to the next, to the next, and you're like oh wow, that's happening too.

Speaker 1 35:46

So I love life and it's just about finding what fills your cup and trying different things, because maybe maybe someone out there will try dance and it won't be for them, that's okay. Maybe someone out there will try my style of workouts and that's not for them, that's okay. But it doesn't mean stop. It doesn't mean don't try another thing. It means keep looking until you find that thing that is for you, because that's where you're going to find joy and that's what life's about is having joy and having fun doing the things that you like.

Speaker 2 36:14

I agree, and and we've talked, we've talked about this before Physical activity is not just about having physical wellness. It is we just talked about the Dancing with the Stars it is mental wellness too. It's to me almost more mental health related than it is physical health, Like. I it's such a mental release. For me it's a meditation, it's just a way to get outside of all of my thoughts and focus on something that's productive and I just think it's so beneficial for anybody and everybody.

Speaker 1 36:43

Yeah, you know, and I didn't really think about this as we were going through leading up to Dancing with the Stars, but kind of just even like right now, as we were even talking about it for me, when we would go to our practice, they were usually an hour-ish long, and when I was trying to learn the moves or the dance that you were teaching me, or trying to figure out what it is we were doing, I could not and did not think of anything else.

Speaker 1 37:05

Like all I thought about for one hour was dancing and was learning new footwork. And so, literally, I could be driving to our practice and I'm thinking about the, the stressors of life, whatever they are, um, thinking about that. And then we get to dance and you have to turn that off and focus on this dance, and I really do think that it was very therapeutic to to turn off life. So many of us live in this rat race of life where it's just go, go, go, one thing to the next thing, to the next thing, and we never have moments where we can just you know what turn off and focus on whatever the simple task is, it actually reminds me this is silly, but it reminds me of yesterday and I was with my little two-year-old niece and sitting down and coloring and I was coloring and I actually said that to her.

Speaker 2 38:00

I said this is like meditation, Like it's just any way that you can get out outside of your actual like busy brain and focus on something else is.

Speaker 1 38:10

Yeah and again. Maybe it's coloring, maybe it's not working out, maybe it's coloring, but find something yeah, and it does and it allows you to break away from the busy and just be in the now.

Speaker 1 38:19

And I think one of the biggest things that I've really been and I've been telling some of my coaches this even too, as we're talking because I always have been one to set like big goals, I would set big goals, but then where I have really found that my downfall was is I wouldn't celebrate myself or be excited about until I hit a big goal. And so what I've really realized, especially over this last little period I don't think it was all to do with, obviously, dancing with the stars, but just really going through life is realizing that hey, set a big goal and strive for a big goal, but if you want to try and find true happiness, celebrate every day and even if it's just one step, one tiny step in any direction towards that goal. Because if you only celebrate once you hit that big goal, like it's not, you're not going to get there because you're going to be defeated.

Speaker 2 39:08

You can find joy and success in every day. You just have to look for it.

Speaker 1 39:11

Yeah.

Speaker 2 39:12

I'm a huge to-do list maker, so I'm I do. And I'm like, oh, there's that, it's such a satisfaction. Yep, every day I feel like I've been successful somewhere or another.

Speaker 1 39:22

So yeah, yeah, and sometimes you've got to put things on there that you know you're going to get done. You know that I'm going to put this thing on there.

Speaker 2 39:31

I might put shower on there, check that off. It still feels good to close it off it still feels good to win.

Speaker 1 39:36

I put on my daily task list today drink all my water. I daily task list today drink all my water. I live in the health and fitness world. I'm a. I'm a health and fitness, I own a gym. But I put on my daily task list for today drink all my water. And when I get my last bottle of water in, I'm going to check that off and I'm going to feel good. Exactly, and I'm going to feel good about feeling good.

Speaker 2 39:58

Yes, and and that's, and a workout can be that too though because that's another thing on your to-do list that when you're done with it, it feels good, you accomplished a goal.

Speaker 1 40:05

Yeah, you know something super goofy and I I think it was actually just last night Um, I was going to go work out yesterday and I and I didn't. The kids had the day off from school, and so I didn't go to my normal workout time. And then my wife and I were like, well, let's go to a later one. And then it got to be too late and we ended up, well, yeah, let's go on a walk. And we didn't go on a walk, and so finally, my wife and I were like you know what let's just do. I think we ended up doing 50 squats, 10 pushups and 25 sit-ups. It was the simplest thing, but we did it and we got done. And it was so good to move your body a little bit. It was like seven or eight o'clock at night and just move your body before you go to bed and you sleep a great. So, yeah, find the little wins in life.

Speaker 2 40:55

Little wins, agree yeah.

Speaker 1 40:57

I love that Well, hey, thank you so much for taking the time, megan. This is awesome. You guys, we will put in the description of the show links to. I'll try to find a link of our dance. I'm sure we have that.

Speaker 2 41:09

We have it in video somewhere.

Speaker 1 41:10

So we'll put a link to our whole dance so you can watch the whole dance. In the description I'll also put a link to the hip hop shop so that you can find out more about Megan with her social medias and the different stuff. You want to follow that and I'll tell you you do a good job on your social media.

Speaker 2 41:24

Thank you. This is a new endeavor, so I appreciate that it's fun.

Speaker 1 41:28

It's fun just to see because, like, obviously I got to know you through Dancing with the Stars, but I didn't really know what it is that you actually do, and it is so fun to see the kids dancing or the different things that are happening in your studio.

Speaker 2 41:46

And so it is fun to follow along. So I will tell you Good. Thank you, I really you have no idea. Thank you, I appreciate that a lot. Keep going. Did you hear that?

Speaker 1 41:48

Matt, I'm going to make sure. Yeah, yeah, there you go. Let them know, matt. Matt, if you watch this, I want you to watch this specific part Scroll to.

Speaker 2 41:59

He gave me such a hard time. He hey, there you go, celebrate the small wins. There you go, I'm loving it, I love it.

Speaker 1 42:04

So, yeah, I'll make sure to put a description or a link in the description of that so that you guys can follow along with that, but otherwise, you guys, that is what we have for you. Thank you, guys, for joining us. Is that your phone? What's going on? Something's home oh well, that's good If you hear a little bit of background music.

Speaker 2 42:20

That's our closeout music.

Speaker 1 42:22

Time to go. You guys, thank you for joining us today. Have an awesome day and make sure to catch us on the next episode of the Fit and Healthy Sioux Falls Show. Bye, guys.