Launching Dowagiac’s fourth dance studio in a bumpy economy gave her pause, but ultimately Michele Winchester decided not to defer her dream any longer.

“This has been a dream of mine to own a dance studio in my hometown of Dowagiac,” she said Sunday afternoon after cutting a pink ribbon on Miss Michele and Company in the very visible former Heartland auto dealership at 56271 M-51 South.

Her dancers use the newly-mirrored walls of the vehicle showroom, sharing the facility with a separate concern that offers family martial arts.

Karate classes use the space Wednesdays and Fridays.

Like many a Dowagiac dancer, Winchester got her start at age 3 with Miss Kathy Miller in Decatur.

“Teaching dance is a passion that I have been fortunate enough to do since 1995,” Winchester said.

“That’s when I started teaching at Kathy’s. She motivated me to dance. My mom took me two to three times a week. She’s a big part of why I still love it. We went to Spain and did regional and national competitions.”

She taught for Flint Dance Studio in South Bend, Ind., for 10 years.

Miss Michele and Company started in 2007 at the Federated Covenant Church on Center Street and is coming up on its fourth annual recital in May 2011 at Dowagiac Middle School Performing Arts Center.

“This is a huge step, but I’m ready,” she said, her motto, “Educate, Motivate, Inspire” emblazoned across the glass behind her.

“What’s been pretty big so far is Zumba. I have school teachers and principals. It’s been around for about 10 years. I got trained to teach it in September,” Winchester said of the fitness routine infused with Latin music.

“We’re open Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays from 4:30 until 9 p.m. We have a small competition team with six girls. The first competition is in February in Chicago. We’ll do another one in March in Battle Creek. And we’re going to be in the Christmas parade” Friday evening.

Instructor Linaya Hass of Cassopolis was recently crowned Miss Capital City, the Lansing-based open preliminary to the Miss Michigan pageant in Muskegon next June.

“This will be my last year,” she said. “I age out after this year. This is my last shot.”

Linaya, Miss Cassopolis 2004, went on to win the crown of Miss Cass/St. Joseph County for 2007.

After completing her marine biology degree at the University of South Carolina in August 2009, Linaya spent a year in Washington state with AmeriCorps.

“I’m laying low around here for a year,” she laughed. “I worked for a coastal research learning center as an education outreach specialist. I traveled the whole state of Washington. We went into schools and did projects and presentations and took kids on field trips to the (Pacific) ocean. I’ve thought about going back to school and getting my master’s in education because I like teaching.”

Julie Sharma manages the studio. Brooke Means is its receptionist.

“I wouldn’t have been able to do this without the Federated Covenant Church,” Winchester said. “That’s where I got my start. I also want to thank my mom, Joyce, my family, grandpa Tony, Julie Sharma, my dancers and parents, past and present, Dan and Stacy Leversen and Flint Dance Studio.”

www.MissMicheleAndCo.com

Studio phone: (269) 762-7764