Tamie Griffith, of 5678 Dance Studio in Modesto, CA, knows exactly what it takes to run a successful dance studio – because she’s been doing it since she was 16!
“My sister and I started 5678 Dance Studio when I was 16 and she was 19,” said Tamie. “We had always wanted to open up a dance studio, for our entire lives. At that point, there was no dance studio in town that was really where we wanted to be. So, with a $1,000 loan from our grandfather, we built our whole dance studio.”
From the outset, Tamie and her sister wanted their studio to stand out from their competition. They wanted their dancers to be able to learn and dance in any style, and they wanted to make sure their studio ALWAYS stayed current – which meant attending conventions, learning new dance moves and teaching techniques, and of course, keeping up with the latest fashions.
Catalog Dance Costumes Don’t Cut It for 5678’s Competitions
“For competitions, I don’t use catalog costumes. Because I want to make sure that when we show up at a competition, our costumes are original and unique,” said Tamie. “I don’t want my kids to have to go right behind another group that had the exact same costume as us. And a lot of times, it’s hard to even find a catalog costume that actually matches the vision that you have or what you’re doing with your dance.”
For the last 16 years, Tamie and her dancers at 5678 Dance Studio have been performing in D.A. Designs’ custom dance costumes. Tamie said she continues to work with us because we are professional, provide high-quality costumes, and can “basically read her mind” when she tells us what she wants her costumes to look like.
“One of my favorite costume designs from D.A. Designs was, last year, we did a production number of Sing, Sing, Sing,” said Tamie. “We had 32 girls in these yellow, fringe costumes with pearl necklaces and feathers. The whole style. We took that piece to Disneyland, and Disney actually asked us where we got it from.”
“there’s Never a Rhinestone Out of Place”
Tamie said she also loves that D.A. Designs Dancewear creates age-appropriate costumes for her younger dancers, that we respond to her needs if any issues arise, and that our costumes always, always arrive on time. Those, alongside a host of other reasons, are why Tamie and 5678 Dance Studio continue to order from us.
“D.A. Designs’ quality is better than other custom costume providers,” said Tamie. “There’s not a rhinestone out of place, the material is where it needs to be – it’s the highest-quality material. And the costumes always look fabulous.”
Even though we’ve never actually met Tamie in person, we feel like she’s a part of the D.A. Designs Dancewear family, and we’re proud to say that she feels the same!
“They are basically a part of my dance family,” said Tamie, “and I enjoy working with them year after year.”