Brittany Thierman, assistant professor of marketing, is owner of Neighborhood School of Dance, a mainstay in Olean, NY, which this year will hold its 50th annual recital.
Thierman began dancing at Neighborhood School of Dance in 1993, when she was 5. She acquired the dance studio 13 years ago and three years later, in 2016, opened a second studio in Port Allegany, PA. In 2024, the Olean studio moved to a new location, at the former historic Christopher Columbus Lodge on North Union Street.
Approximately 200 students attend classes at the two locations.
“We offer classes ages 18 months through adults every season,” Thierman said. “We also offer a workshop for students ages 6 months to 18 months.”
Neighborhood School of Dance has a competition team that competes in Buffalo each year, and each year hosts a Christmas show and summer recital. Thierman said this year’s 50th annual recital will feature a combination of dances paying tribute to past recitals as well as performances to new music.
In addition to owning and operating Neighborhood School of Dance, Thierman is also director of Neighborhood Museum of Play, a planned facility in Olean which focuses on play-based learning.
