The Gretchen Greene School of Dance will host a grand opening celebration for its new studio on Wednesday, November 2. A ribbon-cutting ceremony is scheduled to take place at 11 a.m.

During the event, there will be a raffle benefiting Healthy Savannah. Donations will also be collected.

Located at 1007 Bryan Woods Loop on Whitemarsh Island, near the intersection of Bryan Woods Road and Highway 80, the new studio was designed and built by the Dewitt Tilton Group to provide more space and more accessibility to accommodate the different levels and needs of the students.

“We are looking forward to this event to show how proud we are of our new studio’s spacious design which will allow us to share the art of dance with more students in Savannah,” said co-owner Travis Dodd. “Encouraging health and wellness was always one of our missions at Gretchen Greene School of Dance, so being able to help Healthy Savannah through our grand opening celebration is a win-win."

When Gretchen Greene (now Gretchen Dodd) completed her run as one of the famous Radio City Music Hall Rockettes in New York City, she returned to her hometown of Savannah and opened her first studio in 1969. Now almost 50 years later, she is joined by her two grown children, Trina and Travis, who are proud to help Gretchen achieve her dream of sharing the joy of dance with students, their families and the community.

Gretchen, Trina and Travis will all cut the ribbon on the new facility.

Immediately following the ribbon-cutting ceremony, tours will be available for guests along with refreshments and a prize giveaway.

“We were honored to work on this project because we know it will positively touch so many lives in our community,” said Kim Thomas, director of operations at Dewitt Tilton Group. “What makes the new dance studio stand out is not only the flow and function of the building but the curb appeal. The new facility features a fully covered, two-lane drop-off and pick-up station for the dance students.”

“The team at Dewitt Tilton Group has been great with solving problems during the design build,” added Dodd. ”They helped us with real estate and closing issues, enabling the process to go smoothly and efficiently.”

The ribbon-cutting ceremony and grand opening celebration are free and open to the public.