Orange Chamber of Commerc

March Business of the Month, Brushwood’s School of Dance

Orange County Chamber of Commerce Director Judi Cooper speaks with Pamela Brushwood, owner of Brushwood's School of Dance in Gordonsville, Virginia

Brushwood’s School of Dance was established in 1975 to provide a well-rounded study of dance for the students who desired the many benefits derived from careful, disciplined dance training, as well as for the potential professional. We opened classes in a small room above the office of Orange Livestock Market now known as Knight Cattle Company. We started with four dancers and when the numbers climbed to over forty-five students, we moved our classes to my home in Gordonsville in 1979. Later when we outgrew that, we moved to a building owned by Preddy’s Funeral Home, ad now we have a studio behind Krecek Kakes owned by GPA, LLC. We have had students attending from our county, as well as Greene County, Madison County, Culpeper County, Albemarle County and Fluvanna County.

I studied dance in Richmond as a child with Julia Mildred Harper, became a member of the Richmond Ballet when it was a civic company, then later took classes with Alice Shisler in Charlottesville. I am a member of Dance Masters of America Inc.

I have always wanted to provide a healthy environment for our students, as a safe place to express themselves through music and dance. I know we have been successful in that endeavor.

Currently, I have a team of six teachers who support the philosophy that I have. And I have been blessed to teach and know many, many students, and their families in the years we have been in Orange County. We know have children of children I taught in the past taking classes. And I am looking forward to teaching their grandchildren in the future! Our dancers participate in dance festivals, community events and recitals. And we are really excited to announce that we will be dancing at the Richmond Raceway on April 3, 2022, for the NASCAR pre-race activities.