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Graduating Penn State Student Set to Open State College Area Dance Studio

Brianna Clemente stands in front of 1510 Martin Street with "Lucky Star Dance Join Today" in the second floor windows.

After she graduates from Penn State on Friday, Brianna Clemente will stay in the State College area to begin fulfilling her lifelong dream.

The Annandale, New Jersey, native announced this week the opening of her Lucky Star Dance Company at 1510 Martin Street in Ferguson Township. Lucky Star, which bears the name of her dream studio as a child, will hold a public grand opening on June 13.

“Staying in the area was a big factor in my decision,” Clemente said in a statement. “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.”

Clemente began dancing at age 3 and by 12 was teaching classes to younger students. When she arrived at Penn State four years ago, she planned to continue her love of working with children by studying pediatric occupational therapy.

During her sophomore year, though, Clemente knew she still wanted to be involved in dance. She began working at Hot Styles Dance Company in Bellefonte, where she taught a variety of classes and coached the studio’s competition teams. That experience over the last two and a half years made her realize she wanted to pursue her dream of 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,” Clemente 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 will work with students to personalize their dance experience around their individual goals and availability, she said.

It will offer a wide variety of classes, such as ballet, contemporary, lyrical, hip hop, jazz, tap and more. Programs will be offered for youth, as well as collegiate training and dance teacher training programs.

Information on registering for summer classes is available at www.luckystar.dance.

The studio also will have multiple competition teams.

“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,” she said. “I want to give all students who love dance the opportunity to participate in team competition at the commitment level that works best.”

Clemente plans to eventually offer dance-related fitness courses like yoga, pilates and barre, as well.

The studio is currently undergoing minor renovations, including new Marley dance flooring, in advance of the grand opening.

“My family and my friends have been behind me 110%; I think some of them knew I’d take this path before I believed it myself,” Clemente said. “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.”