A new dance and music school opens in Horizon West

For 13 months, Leslie Jarvis has anxiously waited for the grand opening of her new dance studio. And the wait is finally over.

On Monday, June 12, Jarvis and her staff celebrated the grand opening of Peaches Dance and Music.

“It’s a dream come true to have this magical studio in such a magical city,” Jarvis said.

Prior to opening Peaches Dance and Music, located off of Reams Road in Horizon West, Jarvis owned and operated a dance studio in the Miami area for nearly 30 years.

“I had a database of more than 30,000 kids when I left that studio,” she said.

Her decision to close her Miami studio and move to the Orlando area was tied to her two sons - one enrolled in UCF and the other expressed his desire to join the magnet program at Dr. Phillips High School.

“It was a very, very difficult thing to do - sell my studio,” Jarvis said. “But I’m so glad I did because I’m loving it here. I’ve always loved Orlando, and I’ve always thought that it’s a magical city.”

After relocating to West Orange, Jarvis knew it was only a matter of time before she opened another dance studio.

“This has been my life’s work,” she said. “I’ve been dancing my entire life.”

Knowing that she ultimately wanted to live and work in the Windermere area, Jarvis began searching for the perfect spot for her studio.

“I just kept driving around in circles to see if anything would pop up,” she said. “Then I saw a sign go up (on Reams Road).”

Construction on the new building began last spring, and now Peaches Dance and Music encompasses nearly 8,000 square feet. It’s named after Jarvis, who is known to her students as Miss Peaches.

The studio features four different dance studios - two barre studios, a dance studio that can transform into a black box theater and an aerial studio. It also features a shop where dancers can purchase both European and American dance wear.

With nearly 20 dance teachers on staff, the school teaches every kind of dance, from jazz and tap to ballet and contemporary. And, as Jarvis likes to say, they’ll take anyone from as young as two to 102, and the goal is to imbue the students with the love of dance.

“It’s important to balance the discipline with the enjoyment,” Jarvis said. “I believe the discipline has to come with joy and artistry.”

But students can learn more than just dance at Peaches.

The studio also features three music rooms where students can take lessons in voice, ukulele, bass guitar, drum set, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, Spanish guitar, piano and violin.

“We have a lot going on here musically,” said Rita Kay, the music director at Peaches. “It’s really all comprehensive. We have those three rooms, and I want them full from day to night.”

At Peaches Dance and Music, students can participate in classes, summer camps, intensive dance programs and even celebrate their birthdays at the studio.

So far, the studio already has more than 100 students enrolled in classes and summer camps, and the phone hasn’t stopped ringing yet.

“I did not expect to get so many phone calls and inquiries about this studio,” Jarvis said.

But Kay said the studio would not be the same without Miss Peaches at the helm in the middle of all the activity.

“She’s the most awesome person in the world,” Kay said.

With the doors finally open and students attending daily classes, Jarvis said that she hopes her new Peaches Dance and Music will find just as much success as her previous studio in Miami.

“I’m excited for it to get going,” she said. “It feels natural to me. It feels like it’s supposed to be.”

Contact Brittany Gaines at [email protected].