We had the good fortune of connecting with Cathy Rumfelt and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Cathy, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
Well, there are three of us – Grace Bagwell Adams, Lindsay Giedl, and Cathy Rumfelt. Grace and Lindsay had known each other and danced together for awhile, and Cathy and Grace had met during a benefit show in Athens. We all had similar ideas about what a performing arts studio should look like and feel like, and when the opportunity came up, we decided to go for it. It felt risky to start a business during the pandemic but we took the chance!

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
The Studio is a performing arts studio – we offer youth dance, adult dance and fitness, musical theater, and kids music classes. All three of us owners came here from different paths – Lindsay is a professional dancer, Grace is a public health professor at UGA, and I (Cathy) have had my own music class studio for kids for about 10 years. Bringing all of those backgrounds together was a challenge in its own way, but we all contribute something to the team!

Creating a place that is inclusive, warm, inviting and offers excellent instruction was important to all of us – dance has played a role in all of our lives in one way or another and we wanted to share it with others! Our mission statement is Arts for All. All for Arts. We have really tried to make that at the center of everything we do!

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Athens is a great place to visit – and a great place to live!

We would have to start in Normaltown and grab some pizza at Automatic Pizza – and then grab a beer at Hi-Lo.

If we wanted to see a show, there are always bands playing downtown – Georgia Theater, Flicker, and of course the 40 Watt Club!

There are also so many good breweries, but I’m partial to Athentic. They have awesome beer and food trucks on the weekends.

When we get hungry again, Tlaloc or Agua Linda a would be my choices for dinner!

I’d probably finish out the week in Five Points – shop at Avid Bookshop, chocolates at Condor, and then dinner at Dinner Party.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
The Modern-Pinups!

The Modern Pin-ups is a performance group for women who are looking to dance, perform, and participate with a diverse group of women empowering each other. We all dance together in this group and have had unending support from them as we started this business.

Website: Thestudioath.com

Instagram: @thestudioath

Facebook: https://facebook.com/thestudioath

Image Credits
Heather Larkin

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutAtlanta is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.