GREENFIELD — Sitting on the floor in her new dance studio on Main Street, Cassie Rounds reminisced on her own experiences and how they’ve led her to starting her own business.

Now open at 278 Main St., Suite 406, Chance Dance Studio provides an opportunity for people of all ages and skill levels to indulge themselves in dance. While opening a studio was a “little bit of a big leap,” Rounds hopes to share her lifelong passion with others.

“I was the kid that was always dancing in the kitchen and dancing in the grocery store,” Rounds said. “Even if I don’t pay all the bills, I’m at least opening a door to kids like me that wanted to just dance and have fun.”

Growing up in Greenfield, Rounds took dance classes at 6 years old. This passion stuck with her throughout her life, continuing throughout her time at Greenfield Community College. After earning her master’s degree in applied behavior analysis and spending some time working at Buckland-Shelburne Elementary School, where she ran some after-school dance programs, and in Hatfield, Rounds was looking to change things up.

“I was always kind of doing (dance) in one way or the other,” she said. “I don’t think I ever stopped.”

After talking with friends and family, Rounds took the plunge and rented the Main Street space, creating Chance Dance Studio, with the hopes of providing everyone with a chance to dance, especially those who haven’t felt comfortable dancing previously.

“I think people can feel embarrassed,” Rounds said. “My goal is to create a safe and accommodating space for dance.”

With experience in lyrical jazz dance, Rounds wants to bring that type of dance, along with hip-hop and other freeform sorts of dances, to people in her classes.

“I love watching ballet, but there’s something, especially with modern and lyrical dance, I like how more free it can be,” Rounds said. “I don’t expect everyone to do the move the same, which is cool. That leads itself to interpretation.”

Rounds said her teaching style, especially with children, is to avoid rigid directions and to just let the kids express themselves, even if they don’t nail the move perfectly.

“A lot of it is just accepting, especially with kids, that if you say something, it’s probably not always going to go the way you want,” Rounds said. “So I think for me, my teaching style is I try to be as flexible as possible. … I just try to be patient, kind and willing to learn from them, too.”

With classes starting, Rounds hopes to hold some sort of showcase by the end of the year to show her students’ progress, with the goal of holding “something bigger, like a recital” in the future.

“It’s good for the kids to have something to work toward,” Rounds said. “And to have that sense of pride, like, ‘We worked really hard and now we’re going to put on a show.’ That was always my favorite part.”

Classes are available for both children and adults, with classes on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays in the late afternoon and on Saturday mornings. It is $45 for a month of classes or $15 per class. Booking can be done online at chance-dance-studio.com.

“I’m excited and nervous,” she said, “and I hope that people can dance with me.”

Chris Larabee can be reached at clarabee@recorder.com or 413-930-4081.

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