Business: Booth’s Dancesport Ballroom
Address: 6830 Broadway, Denver, CO 80221
Hours: noon- 9 p.m. Monday–Thursday, 1-10 p.m. Friday
Founded: 1997
Contact: (303) 412-7712, boothdance.com, @BoothDance
Employees:3
Interview with Tim Merz, owner
Q: How did you get involved in this business?
A: I ran track in college and I ended up blowing out my foot. I couldn’t run or jump on my foot anymore, and so I couldn’t compete. I spent about two years of my life lost, wondering what I was going to do. I happened to see an ad in the Westword that said, “ballroom dance instructors needed, no experience necessary, will train.” I liked dancing, dressing up and music, so I thought it could be a good fit. I applied and I got a call from Richard Booth. I came in to be interviewed, went through the teacher training program and then got hired on as a dance instructor. That was 2004. Then last June, I bought the business from the founders.
Q: What distinguishes you from other businesses in your category?
A: Booth’s is the longest-standing, independently run ballroom company in Colorado. We specialize in the art of dance sports, which is competitive ball room dancing. Our instructors travel around the U.S. and other countries competing professionally and pro-am with our students. All of our teachers are certified, and they’re required to take exams each year. We also do a lot of creative, artistic projects. To split the time between competitive ballroom dancing, we put on huge production numbers. We’ll be doing our holiday showcase performance at East High School, 1600 City Park Esplanade, Denver, Dec. 2-3. It’s a artistic dance telling of “Star Wars.” We also love helping people with their wedding dances. Our motto is: Helping people change their lives through dance.
A: I can honestly say that my life was saved when I found dancing. I was a sports guy and that’s all I really knew. When I couldn’t run anymore it was a pretty dramatic change for me. Dancing filled that gap in my life. We find that most people who walk through the door are looking for something in their life. I absolutely love working with other people and I love seeing how dance can change them. My work is athletic. We teach people dance, we’re fitness coaches, scientists, mathematicians and artists, and we help people in many different ways. What I love about my job is finding a personal way in which I can help someone and enhance their life.
Q: What is your business’ biggest challenge?
A: It’s learning how to reach out to new people. For the last 20 years when Richard and Jennifer owned the studio it was as simple as buying an ad in the white pages and that’s how people would contact you. Nowadays, there are so many marketing formats with social media and it’s so hard to keep up with all of that.
Q: Something people might be surprised to learn about you or your business:
A: We’re one of the highest competitive schools in town, and so our level of quality is top-notch. We fly in coaches from around the world who are world champions. We’re also probably the only school who is reaching out to a younger generation of dancers. Ballroom dancing sometimes is associated with tired images, but we’re changing that perception. I’m part of that change and that plays out here in the studio. We’re called “the top line” and we’re a little bit edgy, so we hope to reach out to that newer generation by updating music and having more energy in what we do.