Dance studio owner Joee Schapiro opened her doors to dancers for the first time at age 27 in 1974. Now, 50 years later she welcomes third-generation dancers to her studio.

“What was really the best thing is, I'll get a phone call and they'll go, 'Well, I used to dance with Joee when I was little,’ or now it's, ‘My grandmother danced with Miss Joee when she was younger, is it the same Joee?’ And I'll go, ‘Yes’, and we start talking,’” Schapiro said.

The background

The walls of Joee Schapiro Dance Studio are filled with seasonal photos and trophies from dance competitions dating back 10 years. An acrylic plaque hangs in the lobby that’s filled with names of dancers Schapiro has taught who became professional dancers, opened their own studios and taught at her studio before opening their own.

Schapiro said many of her students have professional careers in New York, Italy, Japan and some have danced for the Houston Texans.


“I want them to know that I got them to a certain level, and they’re to take what I gave them and their kids need to be better than them,” Schapiro said.

Diving in deeper

When Schapiro was pursuing her degree from the University of Houston as a theatrical set design and lighting major, she met Patsy Swayze, who became her dance teacher.

“[An old student] was talking about teaching, and she said, ‘I was doing something, and all of a sudden I went, Oh, my God, I got Joee arms’... I said, ‘Yes, because I had Patsy's arms, and she passed it [down], and I passed it [down] and someday your kids will open the studio and they'll go, Oh my God, I've got [your] arms,’” Schapiro said. “That's what we're about, we pass on the knowledge, and then they pass on their knowledge, and they better be better. I've got my kids now [that] do things I never did.”


Schapiro describes her studio as “very traditional, very old school,” with the mission statement: “We believe little girls should dance like little girls and mature dancers should present themselves in a conservative fashion. Our ideology is reflected in our costumes, music and choreography.”

The dance studio offers ballet, tap, jazz, hip hop, lyrical, contemporary academy classes and competition classes.