Training Center for the Performing Arts
21990 Greenfield l Oak Park, MI 48237 l (248) 968-5885

About Us

Beverly Stone started teaching dance at a recreation center in Ypsilanti after graduating from Eastern Michigan University with a degree in Physical Education with a minor in Theatre. When we moved to Detroit, she started teaching in our basement with little kids on the block and later moved to Johnson Recreation Center. After doing a recital at Johnson Recreation, we had the opportunity to buy our own studio. We bought a building on Livernois near 8 Mile and MBS Training Center came into being in 1981; the founders were Michael and Beverly Stone. That first studio was small it had one dance room and a small changing area. When the studio opened, we taught both dance and computer literacy. We were there for several years before the dance students completely took over and we started to experience a great deal of growth. Then disaster struck. After some minor electrical work, we had a devastating fire which totally destroyed the building. Though parents asked us to continue and offered to help us find a place to finish the year we were ready to quit. But then Beverly was invited to New York to write some reports on the performing arts for the Kellogg foundation. When she came back she was re-energized.

We found a new location in a former bank on 9 Mile Road and Coolidge in Oak Park. We worked like soldiers to transform that bank into a dance school. We were able to do it and with a two room studio we hired a few more teachers and started to add substantially more students. Our focus was always on combination classes and modestly priced classes. We wanted to give parents a great value for the money and we knew that would help us grow. We had tremendous success in Oak Park and new students came from all regions of the greater Detroit metropolitan area. We were on 9 mile for about 8 years. As we were contemplating expanding the studio on 9 Mile to include an additional dance room, the opportunity to obtain a larger building on Greenfield presented itself.

We were pleased and blessed to be able to move into our current location that has 11,000 square feet and is located at 21990 Greenfield. We now have 4 large dance rooms, three student dressing rooms, office space, lounge space, viewing areas for parents and a cafeteria. We are located across from Northland, within Oak Park but across the street from Southfield and just a few blocks north of Detroit. Most of our students are from Detroit, Oak Park and Southfield but many come from as far away as Canton, Ypsilanti, Inkster, Eastpointe, Troy and other distal suburbs. Our prices for both classes and shows still represent one of the best deals in the area. Most classes currently include tap, ballet and jazz/hip hop or tap, ballet and gymnastics for younger students. In addition, we have other classes such as gymnastic or hip/hop only. Though most of our classes are designed for girls and boys aged 3 -18 years old, we have adult classes like Pilates, Hustle, Ballroom, Jazz/Hip Hop and Tap. Because our facility is large, we can accommodate families with multiple children frequently allowing both siblings to dance at the same time in different studios. We also have classes for parents. Over the years we have become one of the largest dance schools in the Detroit metropolitan area and in Michigan. We employ over almost two dozen adults and teen-aged assistants; however, our adult teachers lead all classes. Our main goals are:
1. Providing quality instruction to all students
2. Enhancing and building student self-esteem through dance achievement, and
3. Providing quality theatrical production to the metropolitan Detroit community

Since 1981, we have presented two productions a year, one just before Christmas and one in late spring / early summer. These programs are open to the public and are attended by students, parents, former students and those that enjoy dance, music and theatre.

Our basic classes are small typically 10 – 12 students and meet for 1 1/2 hours per class including tap, ballet and hip hop or tap, ballet and gymnastics. We have eight intense performing groups: MBS Dance Company, MBS Junior Dance Company I and II, MBS Senior Performers I and II, MBS Junior Performers I and II, MBS Primettes and the MBS Boys Company. Each of these groups meets for 3 1/2 hours a week. They perform in the MBS Christmas and Spring/Summer Recital. We also have three specialty group classes: one in ballet (MBS Prima Ballerinas), one in tap (The Stone Tones) and a third in hip-hop (The MBS Hip-Hop Company.)

We always give our very best to our students keeping prices low, including every student in the performing experience and bringing in guest teachers, etc. Our current venue for most recitals is at Seaholm High School in Birmingham, MI. Over the years we have performed numerous times at Ford Auditorium, Rackham Auditorium, Mercy College and the Masonic Temple among other locations.

We try to keep our recitals interesting by treating them as theatrical dance performances with a theme, backdrops, transitions and well developed characters. Our students have blossomed in this environment and many have gone on to major in dance, theatre, communications and other related fields in college. We have also had several students join major dance companies. We keep recital ticket prices affordable so that they are affordable to the community at large. We have appreciated the support which we have received from the communities of Detroit, Southfield, Ferndale, West Bloomfield, Farmington Hills and especially Oak Park where we are located; and, we eagerly look forward to many more years of dance instruction and recital production.