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By Rita J. Egan

The owners of one Port Jefferson dance school will take their final bows on June 14 and 15 at their annual recital.

In October, Amy Tyler-Worrell and John Worrell, owners of Amy Tyler School of Dance, announced that the dance studio would close permanently at the end of the school year. Tyler-Worrell operated the business for 36 years.

“The hardest thing was telling the kids,” the dance teacher said.

The business owner, who has been dancing since she was 6, bought the school in 1988 from her dance teacher, Karen Fitzgerald. Two years later, she met Worrell, and in the third year of the school, he began teaching and assisting with the technical side. In 1992, they launched their annual production of The Nutcracker.

Through the years, Amy Tyler School of Dance has moved twice: once from its first location by Theatre Three in Port Jefferson to farther north on Main Street, where the cigar store is today, and finally to its current location on Reeves Road. 

The couple juggled their responsibilities at the dance studio with raising three children. All three have been involved with the studio. While 24-year-old Ryan is a dance teacher, 20-year-old Jack, a sound engineer, helps with sound and lights at the recitals. The couple’s youngest, Cassidy, 17, who has been dancing since she was 3 and performing in the recitals, will be attending Temple University this fall. Ryan will continue to teach dance at another school, according to his mother.

“Everybody’s in a transition period,” Tyler-Worrell said.

The turning point

Tyler-Worrell and her husband witnessed the business change during the COVID-19 pandemic.

During the lockdowns that began in March 2020, the school offered Zoom classes for half price. Tyler-Worrell said most students took the virtual classes, and some insisted on paying full price for them.

“Some people were working from home and still earning the same salary, and some were struggling,” she said. “We tried to balance it out and make it work for everybody.”

Tyler-Worrell said that the students were happy when they could dance in the studio again.

“It was so wonderful to see,” she said. “We could have just said this is it for us. We stuck it out, and the kids really needed it at the time. I’m really glad we did it.”

However, she added that studio attendance was cut by a third after the lockdowns. When the doors opened again, many students were uncomfortable dancing with masks and in squares six feet apart. The recital that year was held virtually, and The Nutcracker performance was canceled in 2020. In 2021, the school owners had a stage built on their property and held their recitals outdoors for the last three years.

“Things didn’t go back to how they used to, and being in it for 36 years, we thought this was the time,” Tyler-Worrell said.

Lasting memories

Tyler-Worrell and her husband have countless memories due to the school, and she said the one good thing that came of the difficult decision was hearing from former students, many of whom will perform in this year’s recital.

She said several former dancers have formed longstanding friendships, attending important events in each other’s lives, such as weddings and showers.

“They’re still supporting each other into their adult life so that makes me feel really good about what we created,” she said.

Tyler-Worrell added that the teachers taught technique and the importance of community. She said that while a small percentage of students become dancers, “hopefully, the skills they learn carry them into other things.”

Sara Barasch is one of the former students who fondly remembers the school and the skills she acquired. She started dancing in kindergarten in 1988 and continued until 2001. She said there was a point when she was at the studio practically every day of the week.

“It’s the end of an era,” Barasch said, “It’s something I took for granted, because I thought it would always be there.”

She hasn’t danced much for the last 20 years, but as an agent who books clients with performing arts venues across North America, she said her experience with dance comes in handy since many clients are dance companies.

“Having the background as a dancer and knowing what it’s like physically and emotionally, it helps to provide a lot of perspective,” Barasch said. 

She added she was happy to drive from Queens to rehearsals to participate in the recital’s alumni dance, and she has kept in touch with a few of her former fellow Amy Tyler School of Dance students.

Barasch credited the school with helping her gain independence as she would go buy lunch at the local deli by herself when it was located on Main Street. Additionally, the Worrells would provide students with an opportunity to work at the front desk or help clean to earn money, and she said she cleaned at the dance school more than she did at home.

“I can’t imagine Port Jefferson without the studio,” Barasch said.

For Kai Sherman, who has taken the adult ballet class at the school for the past 10 years, she said the studio helped her become familiar with the community when she moved to Long Island at the age of 32. She added she feels fortunate to have found the Worrells.

“It’s just been amazing to have them as my ballet teachers,” she said.

Sherman is grateful that in addition to adult ballet she was able to take pointe classes at the school where she has danced with the Worrells’ daughter and other young dancers.

“To see those girls go through their high school years and to see how much they’re improving and working on dance but also their schooling, you just have these proud moments,” she said.

As the recital approaches, Sherman said, the memories won’t be sad ones.

“There are all these beautiful, wonderful memories and that’s what we’re going to take away from it,” Sherman said. “And having to end on the recital is just even better because then you’re just going out on such a high note.”

The last dance

Titled “Glorydaze,” Tyler-Worrell said this year’s recital will include songs from past years with new choreography and will feature current and former students as well as the school’s famous chase scene. After the recital being held outdoors the last few years, she said she’s pleased that it will be held in an auditorium for the last performance.

“We’re doing our final one inside at J.F.K. (Middle School) and kind of trying to go out with a bang,” Tyler-Worrell said.

Amy Tyler School of Dance’s recital will take place at John F. Kennedy Middle School, 200 Jayne Boulevard, Port Jefferson Station, on Friday, June 14, at 7 p.m., and Saturday, June 15, at 2 p.m. Tickets can be purchased at eventbrite.com (search for school’s name) and at the door.