Fulfillment of a Dream

The dream of a Vancouver business woman came to life in the creation of the Broadway Ballroom

"I started Broadway Ballroom to give people in Vancouver a place to start and explore the world of ballroom dancing," says Michelle Peng, the business woman who founded this unique ballroom and built the warm, friendly environment which has made it such a success. "Many people dream of becoming dancers, but never develop the confidence to follow through with their dreams," she adds. "I would like to bring out this confidence in them so they can realize and achieve their dreams."

Michelle Peng first became interested in ballroom dancing after watching a ballroom dance couple perform on a Taiwanese television program produced by her husband. Captivated by the costumes, graceful and powerful movement, music, and sense of joy expressed through the dancing, she decided to get involved.

Through the process of taking lessons and dancing, Michelle developed a bond with many in the Vancouver dance community. As she began to take her business and leadership skills into the dance world, she became frustrated by the challenges of finding studio time.

"I made a lot of friends during lessons," explains Michelle. "I planned to get some of these friends together to dance and enjoy a social party environment, but finding a place to do it was hard. Studios rejected us because they couldn't be bothered to provide the floor for our group to dance. So, I decided to have my own place instead of struggling to find one where we could dance."

Building Broadway Ballroom was no small challenge. The process took nearly 5 years to complete! The location offered some difficulties because it was formerly the site of a VanCity Savings branch. Dealing with the rigid structure used for the bank, such as the safety boxes which had to be removed, made excavation a huge challenge. The benefit is that Broadway Ballroom sits on a solid foundation that is considered earthquake proof. A city strike also interfered with the construction time, and there were labour challenges because so many vendors in the industry were involved in projects for the 2010 Vancouver Olympics. But the result of these delays was even more time to refine the vision and end result.

Michelle has a number of key goals for Broadway Ballroom. She wants people to enjoy an "urban tech" high quality ballroom, with skillful and friendly coaches that represent the finest instructors available. She wants the ballroom to be a hub of learning for all ages, including very young children. This has led to a number of excellent programs for kids. Social dance parties each night allow people to mingle and create a stronger, more cohesive dance community. One additional goal is to develop the ballroom as a center for competition, so that even more people are exposed to the vibrant energy and colours of ballroom DanceSport, as competitive ballroom dancing is called.

Michelle Peng, founder and owner of Broadway Ballroom, is a Pro-Am championship competitor with many top results in competitions around the world. As a successful business woman, she had long dreamed of creating a quality ballroom in the heart of Vancouver.