About Us

- The Wiens Family Background -

“I HAD A DREAM … & A DREAM COMES TRUE”

Len & Debbie met and were married in Cambridge, Ontario Canada on April 17, 1993. Len was a Youth Pastor in a Church and Debbie was on staff in an “Academy of Performing Arts” Training Base with Youth With A Mission (YWAM). Debbie had lots of training, teaching and performing there being on staff for almost 10 years. Debbie grew up in her small hometown of Plymouth, IN where her family still resides. She went to Ball State University in Indiana and the moved to Cambridge after that. Len is actually a Canadian and his hometown where his family resides is Abbotsford, BC which is 2 hours north. Len went to YWAM and Columbia Bible College for training in church / mission work. Currently Len since 1997 has been a Juvenile Corrections Officer at Denney Youth Center in North Everett with Snohomish County. Len also has served since 1996 on the Board of Directors of “Youth Unlimited”.

After they were married they moved to Ohio where Len was involved in Church work and Residential Children’s care. Len suggested to his young bride why don’t you do what you love to do (teach Dance) and actually get paid for it (after teaching on Volunteer non-paid Staff for so many years). Debbie taught and had great some experience in a couple Studios as well as a Community College.

In 1995 Len & Debbie had a “Dream” to move out to the West Coast and start their own Dance Studio Business. In July1996 they packed up the U-Haul and moved across the Country with their 1 month old son, Madison David to no place and no job. Things soon worked out where they got a place, Len got a job and Debbie quickly began teaching Dance again.

In late August 1997 they bought their 1^st house on 54^th Ave Everett (1 mile away from where we are now) and immediately remodeled the 2 car garage to be a Dance Studio. One month later in 9/97 they started with 30 students and Reflections School of Dance was born. Since then we’ve had the tremendous privilege of meeting and training over 1000 students and families.

In September 2001 after our daughter, Zoe was born we went to Hawaii for a getaway.

Len proposed a question to Debbie there. If you are doing your favorite thing in the world (teaching Dance) and you’re completely fulfilled doing what you’re supposed to, can you see yourself doing that for at least the next 10-15 years? Debbie said Yes, and Len responded by saying, “then it’s a no brainer, we’ve got expand and get you a bigger place”.

To make a long story short then we went looking around all over the area and couldn’t find anything that met our criteria until we heard about the place we have now. It was in the perfect spot and even right across the driveway from our only relatives in the State (white house). We wondered how any man would have painted this huge 3 car shop Pink so it must have been meant for us. It even matched a Pink model Dance Studio Len’s Mother gave to Debbie years before. In July 2002 we bought the older existing house and property that was going to be Developed for the neighbor houses and we also did our own remodel to the house and studio while the Development land was being worked on. Of course this all took longer than expected and we were forced to start Dance Classes in the middle of construction. Those that were with us remember walking through the drywall work, construction, dug up road and dusty muddy driveway etc.

We were literally brought to tears when one of our faithful mothers just fell in l foot of mud. She was actually laughing and said something like we like you guys so much we’d travel in a mile of this to get to you. After we got her dry cleaning bill we also decided to try in a small way to compensate loyalty by giving certificates for free carwashes, espressos, Recital tickets and a Christmas voluntary tuition charity month.

Someone once told us that if we paid a price to get what we wanted we’d appreciate it a lot more. That year was the most stressful and busiest year of our lives but it really was a work of establishment in our lives. It really was worth seeing the “Dream Come True” right before our eyes.

We absolutely love our family, our home, the studio, and the many students and families we’re blessed to have come here.