TROY DANCE FACTORY :: 291 RIVER STREET
For Capital-region native, Nadine Medina, owner and creative director of Troy Dance Factory and Retold Dance Company, you would never expect her to have fear in any part of her life. Her infectious and bright personality makes you believe in whatever she puts her mind to. You may have known someone who’s taken one of the classes TDF offers, seen them filming their professional videos and photo shoots around Downtown Troy, or experienced their showcases, flashmobs and silent dance parties. However Nadine was not creating, coordinating and performing 8 years ago nearly as much as she is today - she was working in an Engineering Firm in Albany.
The Gloversville native had always liked dancing, starting at 7 years old, a little late in dance years. She quickly picked it up and began assisting when she was 13, eventually running classes and choreographing during high school. Dance was more than just recreational, it was one of the few part of Nadine’s rough childhood that provided stability, care and community. She began babysitting the owner’s child, joined them for dinner when food was scarce and things were particularly rough at home; receiving what would become a longstanding friendship with her mentor. Dance is not just learned with a few classes, the trajectory of teaching, training and developing a dancer takes the course of many years. It is an investment for both the teacher and student. It takes consistency and hard work to develop experience as a dancer, which for many people is not seen as a career.
This was also Nadine’s mindset, to go to school for something practical and dance was kept on the side. She enrolled and graduated from Clarkson University with a dual degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering. Although her dream was to major in Dance, with the hopes of becoming a back-up dancer for a major recording artist or performing on Broadway. After graduation, following the security of a job, Nadine relocated to Grand Rapids, Michigan to work in sales for Paradigm Entertainment. What renewed her desire for dance was attending a downtown festival where Rapid City Dance Factory was performing. She was amazed by the students’ talent, met the owners and jumped back into dancing; taking up to 7 classes every Saturday- alongside students half her age. It was a humbling experience, but allowed her to not let anything get in her way. She took every and any class offered, tap, jazz, ballet, hip-hop, and point; eventually working as a substitute teacher.
After a few years in Michigan, Nadine moved back to the Capital Region, getting a job within her degree, at an Engineering firm in Albany and reconnecting with her old studio in Gloversville. She had grown so much as a dancer that her old studio supported her traveling to New York City for classes at Broadway Dance Center. She would take new things that she learned and introduced them to the studio in Gloversville. Little did Nadine know, the owner had actually been showing Nadine everything she needed to know about running a dance studio, and decided to offer Nadine to run the studio and living quarters above. After much debate, with this offer that would require a long-term commitment to train the next class of dancers and commit to residing in Gloversville long-term, Nadine decided against the job; she wanted something different. Continuing on with her full-time work, the itch to create and dance came back, but she wanted to do it in Troy, NY. In 2011, she started searching for a space in the Downtown area. What she found and saw, behind the hustle and bustle of River Street, was potential in an unassuming basement space. Renovations began in August of 2011 and Troy Dance Factory quietly opened in January 2012. Nadine’s co-workers at the firm didn’t even know of her side project. They were just awarded a recent project and Nadine was unsure of what the response would be about her new venture, hiding it for months. Once she announced her plans, her company was shocked that she did not mention her plan sooner and encouraged her to follow her dreams, fully supporting her request for flexible work days and, eventually, reduced hours.
Troy Dance Factory opened with almost no promotion, besides word of mouth through Nadine’s friends. However, a surprising feat for any small business, the studio grew over 50% within the first year and continued on a steady path. 30 students were enrolled in 2011, growing to 270 students in 2016. This proved to fill a niche in the area, even in a space on Front Street, during a time when Riverfront Park was not renovated, pedestrian friendly or well-lit. Troy Dance Factory had steadily created its own audience and maintained quality throughout the years, alongside the development of Downtown Troy. The studio specializes in street styles, modern, tap, contemporary and lyrical, to name a few. Surprisingly, about 70% of the students are adults, 30% are children. All levels are taught, with a large main studio and a smaller studio in the back. Nadine is excited to return the favor to her students with investment and care into her space, even with small details. One year she had the floors buffed and refinished, intentionally, in a different stain so her dancers knew she was paying attention and cared about the safety and suitability of the floors.
Nadine is constantly creating and growing her business by steadily introducing a new idea each season. Skype-style classes have been held from Los Angelos, and recently a choreography and video class partnering with a live local musician had great interest. Their planned “Futures in Dance“ program will educate young dancers that they can have a career in Dance and its different avenues, lighting, costumes, copyright, the hiring practices of companies and productions- things Nadine wished she knew when she was young.
What organically came out of the TDF’s annual Choreo Ball at the Arts Center of the Capital Region, is Nadine’s newest company, Retold Dance Company. Alongside three of her talented students, Retold provides an outlet for work, that one may not have learned as a young student. The dancers that the Team met during the audition process blew them away. Nine dancers were chosen. Nadine is excited and invested in the unlimited opportunities of dance; she may have come to in a round-about way, but she did not let her fears stop her. She is invested in using positive affirmation, creating confidence in her peers, and sharing how her love of dance has helped her.
©Downtown Troy BID 2018