It’s not very often that you come across a performing arts studio that offers both music and dance classes. For a performer, this combination is a dream scenario that many wait until college to experience. However, at The Studio of Valley Forge, young students can begin their training in both areas taught by a highly-trained team!
Established in 1988, The Studio of Valley Forge’s faculty includes Sarah Vogan and Janellen Farmer. This mother-daughter duo is a powerhouse in the Philadelphia region. Both ladies are well-respected in their field and widely known for their contributions to the arts, making them a highly-desired teaching team for your young performer.
“What truly sets us apart is that we are both recognized professionals in our respective art forms,” said Vogan. “We count among our colleagues acting coaches, accompanists, photographers, and others who can assist in audition preparation. This means helping to prepare a complete package: voice, dance, acting, as well as headshots and videography.”
Vogan has been dancing since the age of 3 and has her B.A. in Dance from Mount Holyoke College. After college, she began teaching dance at several local studios throughout the greater Philadelphia area and taught master classes in tap in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware. She is currently part of the professional tap ensemble, the Lady Hoofers. Since 2016, Vogan has performed with the ensemble at the Kimmel Center, the Suzanne Roberts Theater, City Hall, and most recently, the East Wing Rotunda at the Capitol. While she has had the opportunity to perform as a soloist many times over the years, her biggest role has been with The Lady Hoofers performing as the Queen of Versailles in “The Tapcracker” for the last three years. In addition to her professional dance career, Vogan also choreographs for various community theaters and local schools and co-coaches a local high school dance team.
Farmer is a graduate of the Opera program from the prestigious Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, Villanova University, Westminster Choir College of Rider University, and has done a summer fellowship in choral conducting at Oxford University. She has a Master's in Opera, as well as a Master’s in Voice Pedagogy with a Musical Theater concentration, and is currently a Professor of Voice in the Performing Arts Division at DeSales University. Farmer is actively involved in preparing young musical theater artists for their careers by teaching healthy, holistic singing techniques covering all genres of music. In addition to teaching, as a professional singer, Farmer has sung in opera companies in the US, appeared five times in solo recital at Carnegie Hall, sung jazz at the Four Seasons and Ritz Carlton hotels, and was a regular sold-out performer at the legendary Cabaret at Odette’s for many years. As a teacher, Farmer’s students perform in concerts, cabarets, and churches. She has also worked with patients of various laryngologists doing voice rehabilitation and has had great success working with students with pitch difficulty.
With impressive backgrounds in the arts, Vogan and Farmer knew that combining their respective backgrounds would save students a lot of headache going between voice lessons to multiple dance lessons throughout the week. The duo began thinking of ways to combine forces more than 15 years ago.
“Our goal from the beginning has been to offer a one-stop shop for students looking for instruction in the performing arts. Our students over the years have had to piecemeal their education and travel between different studios in order to gain the instruction needed to become a triple threat.”
“This has been a dream of ours for as long as I can remember,” continued Vogan. “We started collaborating on and off over 15 years ago, preparing students for various auditions and we even offered a small summer musical theater camp. I wanted to build my reputation and gain as much experience as possible before joining forces with Janellen and developing the dance program for The Studio.”
The Studio offers private lessons in voice (ages 12 and up) and dance, group dance classes for ages 3 to adult in ballet, tap, jazz, and musical theater, and even birthday parties!
In addition to regular classes and private lessons, the team has offered audition prep for students seeking to be cast in performance companies, shows from the community theater to professional levels, as well as admission to universities.
“Looking to the future, making the studio a leading force for the arts is our dream,” said Vogan. “As it grows, adding faculty and programs for all ages, encouraging students of all levels of ability to find their voices, their dance skills, their outlets to express themselves freely, and to find joy in creativity.”
This fall, the voice studio will be hosting a few master classes for their students as well as their annual holiday soiree! The dance studio will be hosting an open house at the end of August for students to meet their instructors, register for classes, and see the dance space. Holiday events for Halloween and Winter are also being scheduled.
"We are thrilled to see our dream of running a performing art studio become a reality,” said Vogan. “We want to share our love of voice and dance with students of all levels and ages. There is room for everyone at our studio to find their joy in the arts.”
Vogan leaves our readers with a few words of advice for any performer: “Never Give Up! Ever! If performing is your passion, do the work, hone your technique, practice, practice, practice!”
For new dancers, Vogan says not to expect to be perfect!
“When you take class, you do not have to be perfect. This is something that should bring you joy without judgment (from yourself or from others) for making a mistake. We have to be patient with ourselves as we learn new things and give ourselves the room to grow and get better. The steps will come, but the fun is in the learning process.”
Want to get more information or to sign your kids up for their one-stop performing shop, email studiovf.dance@gmail.com and while you’re at it, make sure to check out their social media pages, as all of the Studios new information and events are posted regularly.
“Never Give Up! Ever! If performing is your passion, do the work, hone your technique, practice, practice, practice!”
"Our goal from the beginning has been to offer a one-stop shop for students looking for instruction in the performing arts."