Rise by lifting others is the motto of Victoria Dance Productions (VDP), which celebrated three decades in business in fall 2023. From pirouettes to hip hop beats, this local dance studio has been a rhythmic heartbeat in the community, nurturing talent and crafting unforgettable moments on the dance floor.

“We create a family atmosphere,” says Victoria McNamara, founder and owner of VDP. “We are all about life balance.”

That life balance is the driving force behind her school. McNamara believes that dance shouldn’t be restrictive. She offers a variety of options that suit her students’ needs—from casual weekly classes to the more time-intensive competitive levels.

That dedication to flexibility and options is what drew Lindsay Newton to VDP. She was one of McNamara’s first students. She says McNamara’s personable nature is what has kept people around for the last 31 years. “There’s no place like home,” Newton says.

As a kid, Newton’s favorite class was tap, and she still remembers the first time she had McNamara as a tap teacher. “We all fell in love with her,” she says. This was in 1989, and McNamara was teaching at a different studio at the time. When the time came to open VDP, Newton says many families followed.

Lindsay’s mom, Alyne Murphy, fondly remembers those early days. “She came in like a breath of fresh air,” Murphy says. “I made incredibly good friends, and I felt so at ease there because it was all about family. It wasn’t about a certain section of the community—it was everybody.” After dancing at VDP as a child, Newton returned once her daughter, Reese, 14, expressed interest in dance at age 4.

“I love dancing at VDP because I have always felt like I am part of a family there,” Reese says. “I also love knowing my mom’s favorite teacher growing up was Victoria, and now I get to experience her, too.” McNamara collects signatures and graduation years of dancers, who come back to visit as a celebration of this momentous anniversary. Alumni sign a banner in the back hallway that says, “Tradition never graduates.” 

“So many alumni have come back and are telling their stories,” she says and mentions that the studio’s success comes from mutual support.

“The longer I’ve done this and the more people go away and come back, our sense of pride grows, watching these people become amazing humans,” McNamara says.