‘Miss Maddy’ McKown balances dance studio and custom creations
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Madison McKown with her husband, Albert
The first session of Miss Maddy’s Dance Studio is set for registration on January 29th at the studio located in Tuscola, Illinois at 107 West Central Avenue.
Miss Maddy’s is owned by Madison Allen-McKown, a Hume native and Shiloh graduate. Maddy began dancing when she was a freshman in high school.
“I joined the school dance team and loved it so much that I started self teaching myself other types of dance off of the internet,” Maddy said. “Then when I started teaching hip hop at studios, the other instructors would teach me a thing or two that I didn’t know.”
As McKown taught dance and worked as a waitress, she saved up money to open her own dance studio. Maddy hadn’t had much luck looking for a place, until her father found somewhere for rent as he drove by.
“Then everything fell into place from there,” McKown said.
Miss Maddy’s Dance Studio was opened in August of 2018 and teaches Hip-Hop, Jazz, Tap and Ballet. Classes are broke down into age groups consisting of ages two years old to three years old, four to five, six to nine and ten to eighteen.
“At the end of our session, we have recitals where the dancers perform all the techniques they have learned,” Maddy said. Classes are kept to ten dancers in order for the students to get one on one help where needed.
Each year, Maddy hosts two sessions. “I do a fall/winter session and a spring/summer session,” McKown said. “Sometimes I have three where I go through the actual summer”. Each session lasts three to four months. “Fall is September to December, then Spring is February through May.”
Registration for the upcoming Spring Session will be held on January 29th from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at the dance studio. The registration fee is twenty-five dollars and forty dollars per month after that.
The Spring Session schedule will be Monday to Friday. Monday is Duet Class from 4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.; 2 years to 3 years old- Tap/Hip Hop from 5:00 p.m. to 5:45 p.m.; 6 years to 9 years old Hip Hop from 6:00 p.m. to 6:45 p.m.; 6 years to 9 years old Hip Hop from 7:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Tuesdays begin with 4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. open for solo or duet. 2 years to 3 years old Ballet/ Hip Hop will be from 5:00 p.m. to 5:45 p.m. A private class will be from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Wednesdays also begin with 4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. open for solo or duet. 4 years to 5 years old Hip Hop/Ballet will be from 5:00 p.m. to 5:45 p.m. 10 years to 14 years old Hip Hop will be from 6:00 p.m. to 6:45 p.m. A private solo class will end the night starting at 7:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Thursdays have a solo class from 4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. 4 years to 5 year old Ballet/Tap will be from 5:00 p.m. to 5:45 p.m. 10 years to 14 year old Ballet will be from 6:00 p.m. to 6:45 p.m. A duet class will close the night from 7:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Friday begins with a solo class from 4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. 6 years to 9 year old Ballet Class will be from 5:00 p.m. to 5:45 p.m. with a private solo class taking place from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
In addition to running the dance studio, Maddy began ‘Miss Maddy’s Merchandise’.
“For my twenty-second birthday, my husband bought me a cricut,” Maddy said.
Maddy married Albert McKown in October. “I saw on Tiktok and Facebook how people were making shirts, cuts and signs with their cricuts, so I decided to try my hand at that.”
After her husband said they looked good and could sell them, Maddy started making other items for customers. At this time, Maddy makes just cups, signs and shirts. “Cups, I can put your name and favorite character on them or any design you can think of,” McKown said. “For shirts, I can so any saying. I have also been selling bleached t-shirts with the coolest designs on them.”
Depending on how many orders have been placed, turn around time is usually three to four days, but honestly just depends on what is involved in the order. “Each project is unique in its own way,” Maddy said. “It takes time to think it out and make sure it will look perfect for the customer.”
Once the order is sent and all of the materials are available, Maddy begins putting the order together. “If it’s just a shirt, I lay the shirt out on my table, turn on my heat press, print out the design on my cricut, then line it up and iron it on,” Maddy said. “For my cups and signs, I print the design with my cricut then line up and stick it on.”
Depending on the size, signs and shirts are fifteen dollars. Bleached shirts are twenty dollars. Cups such as color changing cups and water bottles are ten dollars. Tumblers are fifteen dollars.
If you would like to place an order with Maddy, contact her on Facebook by searching Miss Maddy’s Merchandise. If you would like to sign up for a class or have any questions, search Miss Maddy’s Dance Studio or give her a call at 217-251-7827.
