Madeline Axtell remembers one of the first events Rio Dance Studio hosted last year, when adults flooded the parking lot outside of the studio’s garage door with echoes of music and laughter.

It’s the exact place Axtell dreamt of creating one day: a place where adults can come together for collective movement. Nearly a year and a half later, she continues to watch her dream grow at her studio in Happy Valley.

Rio Dance Studio, named after Axtell’s middle name, is a dance studio for adults, for anyone and everyone over 18 years old. It’s for first-time dancers and experienced dancers alike, where the community gets together to make art through movement.

That’s the tagline Rio adopted since the studio’s inception: you are the art.

“It’s been very authentic, which I’m really grateful for,

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