A dream of dance becomes lifelong career
By TWILA HILL
From just about the time she could walk, Karen Buchholz-DePriest was dancing.
What started as an extracurricular activity her mom signed her up for as a child, turned into her dream and profession. Buchholz-DePriest now owns Studio 203 Dance Centre in Killeen, a business she opened 47 years ago, with the goal of inspiring other budding young dancers to pursue their own dream in dance.
“Just watching the growth of the children for this many years is rewarding,” Buchholz-DePriest shared.
After graduating high school, Buchholz-DePriest said she didn’t know what she wanted to do in life. With a little encouragement from her mom, she decided to visit her grandmother in England and study dance. She learned the art of dance at several prestigious academies in England, including the Royal Academy of Ballet, before deciding to return to Central Texas and open her own studio.
The studio was originally established in 1976 as Karen and Donna School of Dance, by Buchholz-DePriest and her sister Donna Arce. After several years in operation, Buchholz-DePriest said her “sister decided she liked to dance, but didn’t like to teach,” so Arce stepped away as an instructor at the studio. After attending a conference and hearing from experts that a business should never be named after the owner, Buchholz-DePriest said she decided to change the name to honor its location, 203 West Stan Schlueter Loop in Killeen.
Since opening its doors, the studio has trained more than 7,000 dancers. Their alumni include professional dancers and NFL cheerleaders, but most importantly, young boys and girls who aspire to be dancers of their own one day, just like Karen Buchholz-DePriest once did.
Studio 203 accepts children from ages three to 18. It is located at 203 West Stan Schlueter Loop in Killeen. For additional information, call 254-526-6778, or visit http://studio203dancecentre.com.
