April 17, 2017

Meet Szewai Lee of Duet Dance Studio in West Bucktown

Local Stories

Today we’d like to introduce you to Szewai Lee.

Szewai, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
My story began when I was 4. I took my first ballet class and instantly fell in love with the art form. I was very inspired by my dance teacher, who was passionate about what she did and full of patience, love and joy. After my first dance lesson, I told my mom that I wanted to become a dance teacher one day! Since then, dance has become a huge part of my life. Besides ballet, I have taken a variety of dance styles. And when I was in college, I was exposed to ballroom dancing and immediately hooked! Soon after college, I began teaching ballroom dance and it’s been over 10 years since I started. After working for other dance studios for a couple of years, I decided to start my own. I co-founded a dance studio in 2008 and opened my own studio, Duet Dance Studio, in 2013. It’s truly a dream-come-true to have my own studio and share the joy of dance with people everyday. I feel lucky to have found my passion when I was a child and for all of the opportunities that brought me here today.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Just like any other sport, dance could be physically demanding and injuries are almost inevitable. Throughout my dance career, I’ve had injuries that slowed me down and caused a lot of pain and tears. But that’s part of being a dancer. Injuries have made me a stronger dancer mentally and a more patient business owner. Running a small business is not easy! Besides planning and teaching dance lessons, I have to take care of the business side of things, such as marketing, training, hiring, bookkeeping, and even mopping the floor, which can all be very time consuming and stressful at times. Over the years, I’ve developed my own way of organizing tasks and gotten pretty good at multitasking. And also, I’ve learned to trust my team, delegate tasks and ask for help when needed.

Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Duet Dance Studio – what should we know?
Duet Dance Studio is a ballroom dance studio specializes in partner dance instruction for fun and weddings. We teach a variety of ballroom and Latin dances, such as Waltz, Tango, Swing, Salsa and Bachata. We also offer private dance parties for birthday, bachelorette party and holidays.

We have won The Knot Best of Weddings for 3 consecutive years in a row and are known for our ability to turn people with two-left-feet into fine dancers on the dance floor! I’m proud of the strong team that we have. We are not only your dance teachers, but we are also people who truly enjoy working with people and knowing our students. Many of our clients love how cozy and welcoming our studio is. Unlike other typical dance studios, which often feel sterile and intimidating for beginning dancers, our studio feels like a friend’s loft. When you enter our space, it’s more like you are walking into a friend’s gathering than going to a serious dance class. You will be greeted by our friendly staff and learn to dance comfortably without feeling judged. Plus, it’s BYOB! It’s perfect for those who need a little liquid encouragement.

Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
I’m truly grateful for my current and past employees, who are all very talented, loving, and passionate about dance and teaching. Without them putting their minds and hearts into my business, I wouldn’t have made it this far myself. I also feel grateful for my loyal and supportive students, who have become good friends over the years. Seeing my students grow as dancers and how dancing has made positive changes to their lives reminds me the reasons I do what I do. Both my team and my students teach me new things everyday, both in dance and in life. They’ve inspired me to be a better dance teacher and business owner.

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