THE FOOTWORKS STORY
We are a dance studio located in Kimberly, Wisconsin who offers a variety dance genres to all ages. My name is Kim Mader and I am the owner of Footworks Dance Company. I come from a long family tradition of dance. I give thanks, with sincere gratitude and appreciation, for the example in dance studio ownership and life lessons that I have learned from my Great-Uncle Richard Verhoeven and his daughter Patti Verhoeven-Provost. As a dance dance studio owner, I am in the business of human beings.
With over 20 years of dance studio ownership, I have worked with many amazing students and shared many joys with the wonderful families I have had the honor of getting to know. Sharing in our students successes, happiness and accomplishments, far beyond the short time they spend at the studio as a child, brings me great pride. For those that come up through our studio know, the studio is family. Over the years the term “2nd daughters” (& sons) is a very common phrase and heard regularly at the studio. The teachers at Footworks share in my philosophies. Their talent in dance, dedication and heart is unmeasured. I can truly say that whether I am your teacher, or one of our fabulous instructors is your teacher, you are in good hands. Many of our teachers grew up at the studio and were part of our student mentorship program, and are considered my family, whether biological or not. Between my husband and myself, we have 5 daughters (ALL of whom danced from me growing up) and 1 son. 3 daughters are teachers with our studio and 1 works in administration.
My dance journey has been shaped by so many. My parents and grandparents helped start me out on this journey, and without them, their support and their encouragement I could not do this today. They were instrumental in the opening of Footworks Dance Company. My brother Todd works at the studio during the week, with cleaning and miscellaneous tasks. If you spend time at the studio, you will come to see the very special and kind-hearted man Todd is. My husband is my best friend and life partner and there is absolutely no way I could do this without him. He does so much work behind the scenes that goes unrecognized. From maintaining our yard and taking care of snow, remodeling projects, props & cleaning – you name it – he helps. If I have a married staff member, you can bet their husband has helped our studio, in some way, as well. Many other family members and parents of our students come together each year to help make our recital successful, and pitch in throughout the year. I could not have asked for a better family support system. Our studio truly is a special place and and dance home for so many in our fabulous community.
My gratitude extends far beyond family, former teachers and former students. My life has been shaped and forever changed in this dance world by the teachers I worked with at my 1st dance teaching job (Tabby, Lisa, Jill, Chris, Jody, Amy & Deb). I cannot thank Peggy and the Kimberly School District enough, for their help in shaping Footworks Dance Company. Without them, I could not have started the studio as it is known today. Kathy Hansen, has been an especially important in getting
Footworks off the ground in our early years. The year I opened the studio, my mom was to be my “right hand” helper. She was to take care of all the administration, while I taught classes. A few weeks after we opened our doors, my mom was tragically diagnosed with a glio-blastoma brain tumor and died 7 weeks later. Without question and without any expectations, a beautiful woman and life-long friend of my mom’s stepped in. She was Kathy Hansen. Terri Smith, who is a teacher at our studio and Director of Administration, has played in integral part in the shaping our studio as it is known today. I thank you all, from the deepest depths of my heart. YOU HAVE ALL POSITIVELY CHANGED SO MANY LIVES.
Before our dancers perform, I tell them “love you, you will be great”. I tell them things like “I believe in you”. “be confident, show everyone what I see”. “each performance is about being better than last time, don’t worry about everyone else”. When they watch an amazing dancer performing before them, and I see the fear and lack of confidence building, I say “they are not you, only you can be you, and your style is not the same - go show everyone the amazing person you are!”. I say these words out of pure love for our dancers.
We are a national award-winning studio with our competition companies. We have come onto to such successes by building character and confidence first. No trophy or accolade could replace the true value of creating kids ready to take on the adult world, with the confidence to make their difference in “their calling. I wish to help create kids with a philosophy of “paying it forward” and the skills to achieve their dreams. We work to teach our dancers to step outside of their comfort zone, for here is where you find true growth. We work to teach our dancer’s that their true success in dance will be in “finding themselves” and their own style (not to mimic someone else). We let our dancers know we believe in them. Through this, we can then work on technique. Our goal is to build a dancer far beyond athleticism, to one filled with creativity and artistic freedom. This does not happen overnight, it is an ongoing process. Our program is built to have our dancers graduate as artists with ability to change lives, create, imagine, choreograph and lead the next generation, in whatever career avenue they choose to pursue.
When you walk through our doors, we are here for you (students and parents). You may walk in wanting a dance class, but what we truly offer is far more than a dance class. We are a “family” on a mission to make the world a little better place, by shaping kids into amazing human beings and dance is the means to do that. We are a group of people with our own stories and life experiences wishing to make your kids the absolute best they can be! I can assure you that if your child is in need, between myself and my staff, we will do everything in our power to help them on their life's journey. Myself and my staff wish to share in your joys and successes far beyond graduation. The phrase “it takes a village” is true of Footworks Dance Company, from one generation to the next.
We welcome you into the very special dance world of “Footworks Dance Company” and our forever story. We are sharing dance, in our never-ending story, from one generation to the next.
Happy Dancing,
Kim Mader, Footworks Dance Company Director
"Praise His name with dancing" Psalm 149, Vs 3
