The Star-Lite Dance Studio is an internationally recognized dance studio that teaches popular forms of beginner's and advanced dance to both youngsters and adults. Over the past 26 years, the studio and its students have gone on to win many awards and trophies while participating in various competitions held within Canada and the USA. Star-Lite has also been well represented at various European competitions that are held annually and that are often open to special invitation only.

The studio offers up-beat classes in a well lit, well ventilated, spacious building with all the necessary amenities, including a change room, small snack bar, vending machine and ample parking. Classes are held 5 nights a week and during the day on Saturdays. There is a dance recital at the end of the year which takes place at Hamilton's Mohawk College's in their first class, state-of-the-art, air-conditioned 400 seat auditorium.

History

The Star-Lite Dance Studio had a humble beginning back in September of 1980 as 'Elsie's Dance Studio' when Elsie Misuk and 24 students first began working out of the Sandra Bald Dance Studio. Elsie subsequently moved several times over of the next few years, each time to a larger facility, as the number of students, classes and teachers steadily grew. Some of these early locations included Burkholder Church, the 67 Banquet Hall on Fennell Avenue and the 2 story building at the corner of Upper Sherman and Queensdale; all in Hamilton's central mountain region.

Star-Lite Dance Studio Teaching Staff 2005

After thriving for 12 years at the Upper Sherman location Elsie was again on the move to find a bigger and better place for the studio to call home. Thus, in 2004, the Star-Lite Dance Studio moved into its current location on Hempstead Drive as Elsie's daughter, Kerry, joined her at the helm in running the day-to-day operations of the studio and helping to expand its horizons with the ever changing landscape of today's dance trends.

Elsie Misuk: Star-Lite Dance Studio Founder/Owner

"The only thing I have wanted to do my whole life was to work with children. I graduated from Teacher's College, started my own family and when my dance teacher retired, started my own dance studio. Over the years I have been blessed to know many special children and parents and it has fulfilled my dream of helping and encouraging them even if it is only in a small way.

To see a child come into the studio shy and uncertain and then watch them gain self-confidence, as well as learning how to dance, is probably the most rewarding feeling a teacher could have. I have also formed many close friendships that I will always have with both former students and parents of former students."

Elsie Misuk