The Billye and June School of Dancing was the beginning dance studio venture for June Neal Key, which opened in September of 1951 with fifteen students. She partnered with Willita Hinton, a friend and dance associate of The Ebony Dancers Dance Troupe, of which they both were a part of. Classes were conducted in a rental hall over the Selectman Garage on North 5th Street in Kansas City, Kansas for two years. As classes grew and more space was needed, the dance classes were moved to 9th and Walker for approximately seven years. The school then moved to 6th and Quindar0 Boulevard for a short period, and then moved to 7th and Quindaro Boulevard for three years.
Her partner stepped down from the venture when she married and started a family. The school closed, but only for a short time. The parents wanted their children to continue taking lessons and asked June if she would reopen the studio. Since the school had accumulated about 60 students, she decided to reopen the school in the name June Neal Dance Studio. The studio opened and was housed in the Masonic Building at 9th and Walker, where it stayed for nine years as classes continued to grow to well over 100 students. By this time, the studio had become well known throughout the metropolitan area.
June Neal dance students performed in a variety of programs and events across the city, and were winners all dance and talent contests. Because of their winning track record, pageant contestants would come to the studio to learn routines for their talent category, and they would win. The studio has provided choreography for churches, schools, organizations, sororities, and special city events. It also has provided dance lessons for Kiddie Kollege Nursery School for over 35 years, Yates Branch YWCA, Central Branch YWCA, the Performing Arts Camp sponsored by the Mid-American Arts Foundation, and many others.
In 1975 the studio moved to 7th and Minnesota in the Pylon Plaza Building for four years, and then moved to a large new studio at 845 ½ Minnesota Avenue for 10 years. This new studio had two large dance rooms, two offices, a large reception room, two restrooms and a large storage area. The studio stayed there until the building failed and they had to move again. Today the studio is located in the Dynamic Life Baptist Ministries Building at 1916 Central in Kansas City, Kansas.
The school’s main focus in instruction is the arts, which includes ballet, tap, jazz modern and acrobatics, but down through the years has offered classes in baton twirling, voice lessons, dramatics, karate, adult dance and physical fitness. The studio has always maintained a very good teaching staff, and has taught thousands of students down through the years. In fact, the school has taught generations in the same family line. Most of the main teachers on staff are former students, and some have taught for many years at the studio. Ms. Neal is a strict teacher and is very serious about the instructions she and her teachers provide.
The studio motto is: “We can improve your God given talent with good instruction”. Ms. Neal continues to be dedicated to youth and to the arts.
