The moment you walk through the door at Prima Dance Co, you know you’ve arrived somewhere special. Every detail has been considered, from the natural light streaming into each studio space to the couches where parents gather with coffees in hand. Here, professional standards meet joy and smiles. It takes a visionary to create this kind of magic. Former professional dancer Abby Welch is exactly that, and Prima Dance is her answer to what dance education can be.
A dancer from the age of 5, Welch grew up in the Washington, D.C., suburbs, where she found her first instructor, a former soloist with the New York City Ballet trained by American choreographer George Balanchine. “I was very lucky that a high-level teacher was in our neighborhood,” Welch says. That standard of excellence is exactly what she’s building at Prima Dance.
Years later, after a professional dance career that took Welch around the world, she found herself driving her three daughters across Denver to multiple studios. This routine proved unsustainable, but at a studio closer to home, Welch discovered something more troubling.
“[My daughter] was getting great instruction, but she wasn’t getting great life lessons. She wasn’t with people who cared about how she was developing psychologically, which was most important to me as a mother.” Within that disappointment, Welch saw an opportunity to create something South Denver was missing.
Drawing on her previous experience founding two successful dance studios, Welch got to work. She spent the better part of two years creating the space she wished existed for her daughters. “I wanted it to be some place I’d want to go to and not dread taking my child to this extracurricular activity,” she explains.
Welch worked with an architect to create a bespoke dance experience designed for dancers and their families alike. Dedicated dressing rooms, a sibling play area, and a welcoming lobby that’s become a gathering spot are thoughtful touches that make Prima Dance a place worth lingering.
Each of the six studios has state-of-the-art Marley sprung floors that protect growing joints and help prevent injuries. Light pours in from large windows. You can see trees. You can see the sky. “That’s important when you dance,” Welch says. “If you feel like you’re in a cave or in a black hole, that can affect your posture and how you feel about being there.”
Prima Dance offers a full roster of classes, including ballet, tap, acro, jazz, contemporary, and hip hop. Classes range from pre-school to adult. For dancers who want to compete, the Prima Pre-Pro Company offers two tracks: ballet and commercial dance. Regardless of style or skill level, every Prima dancer receives high-level teaching from instructors at the top of their field.
The Prima faculty hold master’s and bachelor’s degrees in ballet, contemporary dance, and pedagogy. Among the ranks are American Ballet Theater-certified teachers, classic Giordano Jazz certifications, and professional dancers who have performed and choreographed on the world’s biggest stages. “I’m very proud of the staff we have,” Welch says of the 14 instructors. “They are each so good in their own dance specialty.”
Among the shining stars is Monica Ramirez, a professional dancer who has performed at the Grammys, toured with Rihanna, and appeared in the Apple TV+ holiday film Spirited, featuring Ryan Reynolds, Will Ferrell, and Octavia Spencer. “Dance isn't about perfection," Ramirez says. "It's about progress, artistry, and resilience. My goal is to create an environment where they feel challenged, supported, and excited to keep growing, not just as dancers, but as people.”
Ashley Richter and her two daughters fell in love with Prima Dance a year ago. “We came in for a trial class, and my girls left smiling, their passion reinvigorated,” she says. “There’s consideration for how kids learn and the importance of what kids are hearing. They constantly preach: every body is a dancing body.”
For Richter, the experience has expanded beyond dance. “The studio has become a second family … rooted in a shared appreciation of our children’s passions.”
Community was always part of Welch's vision, but so was something bigger. “I want to be the go-to place in Denver. When someone says, ‘Where should we go for dance?’ I want them to immediately say my name.”