SHELBY — Shelby Bachmann said if you were to ask her high school self what she might see herself teaching, she would have said baton twirling.
After eight years at a dance studio, Bachmann added baton twirling to Drop The Beat Dance Center’s class offerings in October.
She started learning baton twirling at age 4 and said she wanted to make the center a “one-stop studio.”
“All the classes we offer currently have the potential to complement each other really well,” she said.
“When I was growing up doing baton, I actually did not have any dance experience until I entered the 5th grade. When I started improving and growing in dance, it really vamped up my baton twirling skills as well.
“When you watch the college majorettes, you will notice that there are many who tumble and dance while twirling baton. Our goal with providing all of these classes here at the studio is to help our athletes pursue any dreams that they have.”
Drop the Beat Dance Center offers competitive and recreational classes for jazz, contemporary, acrobatic, lyrical, hip-hop dance, tumbling and baton twirling, as well as private lessons in Shelby.
Classes are for anyone ages 2-18 of all levels from beginner to advanced.
The studio also hosts “My Grown-Up and Me” classes for kids ages 1 to 3 and their parents or guardians. The class works on motor skills, baby tumbling, strengthening, social and directional skills. Bachmann said Drop the Beat Dance Center is currently accepting registrations for this class.
Want to sign up for classes?
Ask about pricing and class options by messaging Drop the Beat Dance Center on Facebook, call/text 419-512-8108 or send an email to dropthebeatdancecenter@gmail.com.
The studio is also open Monday–Friday from 4 to 8 p.m. at 214 Mansfield Ave.
The studio currently has limited space for recreational dance and tumbling classes, but many spots available for baton twirling classes.
“Especially for parents who want their kids to have something to do during the winter, it’s a great activity,” said baton coach Bethany Cuthbertson.
“The winter is a great time to start class and learn some skills they can practice at home, and in the summer, we try to bring them out for parade season.”
Drop the Beat Dance Center was previously located in Ontario and moved to 214 Mansfield Ave. in Shelby after the COVID-19 pandemic.
“This was previously a garage, but we added the wall and turned it into a studio space,” Bachmann said. “We’ve finished renovations on a second studio floor, and we have outdoor practice space for nice weather too.”
The studio’s main room is approximately 1,800 square-feet and the second room is about 1,400 square-feet.
Bachmann said her students are from around Richland County and the surrounding area including Galion, Crestline, Loudonville and Plymouth.
The shop also offers private classes, with Bachmann mentioning a Lexington student that comes for hip-hop dance training. Classes are taught at recreational and competitive levels.
Drop the Beat a nationally & internationally recognized studio
A team of 23 jazz dancers from Drop the Beat Dance Center earned the 2024 Nexstar National Talent Competition in Sandusky.
At the same competition, soloist Ava Gaytan took home second place at nationals in the senior age division. The studio earned the “spirit award” and Bachmann earned multiple choreography awards, and “Excellence in Entertainment.”
Competitive teams travel around north central Ohio, and even went to the World Dance Championships in 2021, located 10 minutes outside New York City.
Drop the Beat’s routines have earned them “Golden Ticket” invitations to the international stage based on placements and scores at regional and national competitions.
“It’s an amazing experience, but can be costly, so we don’t go there every year” Bachmann said. “In 2021 specifically, our Senior Jazz Small Group won second place at the World Dance Championships. This is a memory that I will never forget.”
Students also regularly perform in parades and recitals. The winter recital is set for March 1 at Mansfield Senior High School.
The head coach also said the fall season is a great time to sign up for competitive dance classes to give students plenty of time to prepare for competition season.
Drop the Beat classes hosting open enrollment
Each class meets about once a week at the studio. Baton coach Bethany Cuthbertson said two different baton classes, broken up by age group, meet Monday nights. She hopes to have three classes in the summer for parade season.
“Twirling has really been a dying art for a lot of years,” Cuthbertson said.
“When you think about a high school marching band, if they do have majorettes, they have one to three around here — you don’t usually see a large squad.
“It takes a lot of practice and a different skillset than color guard to be a majorette, so that’s what we’re here for.”
Classes start at age 2 and at any skill level.
Cuthbertson, who was a majorette coach for Madison High School for about 10 years, said the best part of being a coach is seeing students refine their skills.
“A couple weeks ago, we were working with lassos for leg wraps, and one of our girls said ‘So you just do this,’ and caught it, got it immediately, and we were both so excited for her,” she said.
Bachmann said she enjoys seeing her students grow and improve.
“We’ll have some students come in at a beginner level and in less than a year, they look like a completely different athlete,” she said.
“I think dance and baton are suited for a lot of different personalities and it’s nice when they all work as a team and focus on achieving something together.”
Bachmann also said dancers often find empowerment through expressing their stories through dance. She gave an example of a 9-year-old dancer whose parents recently told her about her adoptive father.
“Her adoptive father, who is the only father she has ever known, came into Gabriela’s life at just 8 months old,” said Gabriela’s mother Casey Gowitzka. “We decided to tell her about her adoption, and as hard as that was, Gabriela handled it with such grace and strength.”
Gowitzka said her daughter dedicated her dance solo to her now father.
“After Gabriela learned she was granted a solo this season, she knew exactly what she wanted her routine to be about,” the mother said. “This is her time to share her story, and we are thankful she can do that through her dancing.”
Drop the Beat Dance Center staff include:
- Shelby Bachmann – studio owner, head coach
- Michelle Fife- front office receptionist
- Cassie Everhart- dance coach / tumble Coach
- Bethany Cuthbertson- baton coach
- Paige Lowe- dance coach
- Samantha Schaaf – classroom support/ coach for “My Grown-Up and Me” class
- Remington Blevins- Community Liaison
- Logan Bachmann, Curt Fife, Rob Harris – Prop Distribution
“It takes a huge village to ensure the business runs smoothly and I am so thankful for mine,” Bachmann said.
Drop the Beat Dance Center is on Facebook and can be reached at 419-512-8108. The studio is at 214 Mansfield Ave. in Shelby, immediately northwest of Life is Sweet Cakery and next door to Nicole & Co. beauty salon.
Drop the Beat’s winter recital is scheduled at Mansfield Senior High School for March 1 at 3:30 p.m.