New studio taps into Wareham’s dance world
Aug 5, 2024
Acushnet’s Molly Lavoie stands in front of her newly opened dance studio, Magic Soles Studio of Performing Arts. Photos by Nick Mossman
The group of musical theater campers get ready to practice a song from “The Little Mermaid.”
Rosalie Lavoie swims like one of “Ursula’s” eels.
Charlotte Coelho smiles as she rehearses a dance scene from “The Little Mermaid.”
Rilynn Lavoie practices a dance from the musical.
Remus Lavoie sings during vocal warmups.
From dance student to dance teacher to dance mom, Acushnet’s Molly Lavoie has played many different roles in the world of performing arts.
She now looks to pick up a new title in Wareham – dance studio owner.
Lavoie’s new venture, Magic Soles Studio of Performing Arts, 181 Main St., ran performing arts and dance camps throughout the month of July in the leadup to its grand opening, which was held on Saturday, July 27.
Since she was young, Lavoie has danced in many different styles such as ballet and Irish step, an art that she now shares with her kids.
“Dance was my life growing up,” Lavoie said.
Eventually becoming a dance teacher, Lavoie said that she taught dance until she had her first daughter right after college, that’s when she became a dance mom.
“Every time [my daughter] went on stage or competed I was just like, ‘this is not it for me,’” Lavoie said. “I can’t be watching my child dance on stage but learning from other people that are not me.”
And so, the dream of the Magic Soles Studio of Performing Arts was born.
But at first, it was a dream left dormant.
“[Opening my own studio] just seemed like a really overwhelming task,” Lavoie said.
It wasn’t until Lavoie opened a photography studio in downtown New Bedford that she gained the “oomph” to believe that her dream of opening a dance studio was doable.
“I feel like I waited so long to start this business because of doubts,” Lavoie said. “Just being confident in myself has made not just my own dreams come true but my family’s dreams come true.”
Lavoie said that all of her children are planning to dance at her studio, which she called “a nice big dance community family.”
One of Lavoie’s favorite parts of owning her studio was seeing her kids thrive, she said.
Lavoie’s son, Remus Lavoie, 6, is enrolled in the studio’s musical theater camp for the month of July, where students are learning scenes from “The Little Mermaid.”
For Remus, he said that practicing the scenes over and over again was tiresome, but fun.
“If we were actually underwater it’d be way easier,” he said.
