I don't exactly remember the first time I met Mr. Fagan. I do remember the way he made each of the students at the Dance Workshop feel like part of his family. Dancing there wasn't just about learning turns and working on flexibility... it was about working hard, challenging yourself, and making lifelong friends. Actually, it still is about all of that. Because of John Fagan and his family.
When I graduated college, I had no idea what I was doing with my life. On a wonderful day in August of 2014, about ten minutes after I was sobbing because of my bank account balance, Mr. Fagan called offering me a job at that same studio I once grew up in. At the time, I accepted out of desperation. Looking back however, it was a move that would change my life.
You see, Mr. Fagan is like the Mr. Feeny of my life. (Unless you don't watch "Boy Meets World"... in which case he's like a less green Yoda? I'm not sure who to equate him to, but Mr. Fagan is super wise.) On a professional level, he has taught me how to be a great boss and an effective leader. While sarcasm and jokes are his normal communication style, he is firm when need be and shrewd in his business sense. He knows when to cut people slack and when to take that slack away. When I once said to him, "I'm scared of you!" He told me, "No, you don't want to disappoint me. There's a difference. If you're scared of your boss, you think they'll go off on you at any minute. You know I won't do that. You don't want to mess up, but you know we can fix it together if you do." When I told him I had accepted a full time job with benefits and couldn't work for him anymore, I again worried I had disappointed him. Instead, he congratulated me and reminded me that I always had a home at the studio. And so, with a forty hour a week job, I still managed to sit at the desk whenever possible and watch little ballerinas and jazzers pop in and out of the studio like I once had. Not because he guilted me into it, but because I loved it. I loved the kids, I loved the establishment, and I respected and admired the person who employed me.
When I called Mr. Fagan to tell him I was moving to Oklahoma, I anxiously awaited his reply. As always, his response affirmed my choice and warmed my soul. "Kiddo," he said, "You've got to follow your heart. It's going to be uncomfortable and it might not be easy, but I know you're going to look back on this decision and remember it as one of your greatest adventures."
Tonight was my last night at the studio for awhile. The goodbye was kind of hard. I didn't get to say everything I felt about my time there, so I'm saying it now.
Mr. Fagan, thank you for being an incredible mentor to me for the past few years. Thank you for making me want to do my best every time I'm in the studio... whether it be behind the desk or behind the barre. Thank you for creating a studio with such an incredible atmosphere, and most of all, thank you for being PART of it. Your presence in your studios and your dedication to their students and staff make you and your businesses one in a million.
For more information on the Dance Workshop or it's sister studio, Jo's Footwork, please email me using the link above. I am not being paid for the content of this blog, I just think that this place and these people made me who I am... and I'd be proud to spread that positive experience in any way I can.