In September, 2023, Flair Dance Company found its new home. The owner and creative director of Flair Dance Company, Christina Dunnington, opened her very first dance studio in Collingswood, NJ, on September 11th of this year. Flair Dance Company, formerly known as Flair Dance Festival, is a company that promotes people of all ages and dance backgrounds and encourages them to perform as one. “Anyone that wants to dance, can find a place here,” claims Dunnington. 

Flair Dance Company is a studio for all. There are classes for  ages three and up, and dancers of all levels. Whether you have been dancing your whole life and want to further your dance career, or have never danced a day in your life, Flair is the right studio for you! “Flair is all about opening yourself up and going out of your comfort zone,” student Madison Harrington proclaims. 

Soon after Dunnington graduated college, the pandemic hit and made it hard to find performance opportunities for people in the dance field. She started out with having an annual festival, then started offering classes and increasing performance opportunities such as her very own Christmas show Cracked Nuts, until finally opening up her own studio in Collingswood. Dunnington claims that if not for the pandemic, this studio would have never happened. “I told all my friends I never wanted to own a studio”….”It was never a dream of mine”. 

One thing that greatly influenced the success of the company was the supportive and loving community that surrounded Dunnington. “I wouldn’t have been able to do any of this without having the people in my life who support me. Everyone here has similar goals including performing on stage; I get to give them the platform to do that.” One of the many people that she claims she could not have done this without, is her boyfriend, John Destefano. “John encouraged me and pushed me to my full abilities. He believed in me when I did not believe in myself.”

Dunnington left us with one piece of advice for upcoming or struggling business owners: “The biggest thing is when you start a business you are always going to feel like you don’t deserve to be in that position. But it is happening for a reason. It is important to give your self respect and overcome the imposter syndrome. Believe in yourself.”