Name Shirley Larkin | ||
Shirley J. Larkin (June 17, 1934 - August 10, 2011) is the founder of Larkin Dance Studio in Maplewood, MN.
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History
Larkin was born in St. Paul in 1934 and learned to dance while in primary school. As a high school sophomore at Central High School, Larkin taught her first students. She later gave lessons out of her home in Mahtomedi, and then soon she went on and taught out of available classrooms at the former Gall School in White Bear Lake, MN. Later she moved her studio to strip mall, Plaza 3000, on White Bear Ave in Maplewood, MN. Throughout her life she and her husband Russell, who died in 1996, had six daughters including Mary Kay, Patricia, Michele, Nancy, Kelley and Molly. Shirley J. Larkin died in the Alzheimer's unit of the Lighthouse Senior Center in 2011 and at that time she was currently 77 years old.
Larkin Dance Studio
Larkin founded Larkin Dance Studio in 1950 and spent the last 61 years sharing her talent, love and gift of dance with many children and families. Larkin Dance Studio is a full-service dance studio that has tap, jazz, lyrical, ballet, hip hop, zumba and pointe classes held by a professional staff of highly experienced dance instructors. Guest teachers also come in from all over the country to teach classes to the Larkin competition teams. In January 2014 Larkin Dance Studio upgraded to a larger location off Highway 36 in Maplewood, MN. Larkin Dance Studio enrolls students from all around the metro area and even some students from Wisconsin. Just over 900 students are enrolled in classes at the studio, with around 200 students who compete on competitive teams at competitions around the metro area each year. The competing teams also go to nationals each year where they complete with studios from all around the country. In addition to her busy schedule, Shirley Larkin choreographed many musicals, taught dance workshops and has judged numerous dance competitions. Her daughter's and current owners of the Larkin Dance Studio, Michele Larkin Wagner and Molly Symanietz, along with the Larkin staff work harder than ever to keep the Larkin legacy alive after she died in 2011 and the staff continues to teach the students to dance "the Larkin way."