PSU grad opens dance studio in State College

STATE COLLEGE — Brianna Clemente spent the last four years at Penn State, studying, making lifelong friends and enjoying THON, football weekends and other Happy Valley traditions … but she’s not your typical recent college graduate.

On April 29 — just a week before her official graduation ceremony — Brianna announced the opening of Lucky Star Dance Studio on Martin Street in State College. An official grand opening will be open to the public June 13 from 6:30 to 8 p.m.

“It’s been a whirlwind since I made the decision to stay in the area to start my lifelong dream of owning my own studio,” said Clemente, known as “Miss Bri” to her students. “All the late nights, hard work and added stress have been worth it, and I’m just getting started.”

Clemente began dancing at age 3 in her hometown of Annandale, N.J., and by age 12 she displayed the maturity and ability to begin teaching classes for her younger peers.

Through high school, she exceled as a competitive dancer and continued to grow as a teacher and choreographer. Her love for working with children led her to study for a career in pediatric occupational therapy, but during her sophomore year at Penn State, things began to change direction.

“As a child and teenager, I always had the dream of pursuing my passion for dance and opening my own studio, but when I started college, I let my practical thinking take over,” Clemente said. “I still wanted to be involved in dance, of course, so I looked for teaching jobs at local studios and was fortunate to be hired by Hot Styles Dance Company in Bellefonte.”

During her two and a half years at Hot Styles, Clemente taught a range of classes and choreographed and coached for the studio’s competition teams, helping the teams grow and helping dancers achieve their personal goals. As she watched the students develop their skills and excel at competitions and in classes, she realized she couldn’t deny her true calling and made the decision to forge a path toward owning a studio of her own.

“Working with my academic advisor, I was able to customize a major and focus the rest of my coursework on things that will help me to succeed as a business owner and teacher,” she said. “At the same time, I took advantage of the huge growth in online courses during the pandemic to further my own education in dance and choreography. I developed my business plan and began looking for space, and things began to fall into place.”

Lucky Star Dance Company — the same name Clemente chose for her dream studio as a child — is located at 1510 Martin St. The studio name is displayed proudly along the building’s second floor windows. The space is currently undergoing minor renovations, like new Marley flooring, in advance of its official grand opening on June 13.

“Staying in the area was a big factor in my decision,” Clemente said. “Coming here for school, I fell in love with Happy Valley and so did my family. I knew I wanted to stay if I could. While there are wonderful studios here, I saw an opportunity to bring a unique approach and new offerings to the area.”

According to Clemente, Lucky Star Dance Company will work with students to personalize their dance experience around their individual goals and availability. Classes will be available during the day, for example, to students in home-school or flexible learning environments. In addition to classes, the studio will offer competition teams at varying levels of commitment to help more students participate.

“Competition dance can be an overwhelming activity for both students and their families, especially when siblings are also involved in travel sports teams or other extracurriculars,” Clemente said. “I want to give all students who love dance the opportunity to participate in team competition at the commitment level that works best.”

The studio will also offer a track for students who are interested in pursuing dance in college or as careers, as well as classes for current college students.

“As a recent Penn State student, I know that pursuing dance activities on campus can be a challenge, so I’m excited to offer classes specifically designed and planned for college students’ schedules,” Clemente said. “Eventually I also plan to offer a few dance-related fitness courses like yoga, pilates and barre.”

She said making this dream come true has been part passion and part personal drive and ambition, with a lot of support, love and encouragement along the way.

“My family and my friends have been behind me 110 percent; I think some of them knew I’d take this path before I believed it myself. I’m also grateful for my professors, for my past teachers and mentors, and for the opportunity I had to teach at a local studio while I was a Penn State student. These experiences and these people are all part of my Lucky Star Dance Company dream come true.”