Three generations, one studio: why Savannah families keep coming back to this haven of health and heritage.

Forty years ago, a Radio City Music Hall Rockette started the Gretchen Greene School of Dance. Today, her daughter, Trina Dodd Stafford, carries on her mother’s theatrical legacy. South spoke with Stafford about continuing the tradition and keeping future ballerinas on their toes.

South magazine: How did your family end up in this industry?

Trina Dodd Stafford: Well, both my grandparents were in show business; they were musicians in local jazz bands. My mother, [Gretchen Greene], basically grew up in a dance studio where her mother was the class pianist. (You know, back then they used live pianists in dance classes.) I think that was a huge influence on her. As soon as she was old enough, she dyed her hair blonde, hopped on the first plane to New York and was a Rockette within a month. It was 1968 when she decided to move back to Georgia and open the Gretchen Greene School of Dance, where she still teaches classes today.

SM: Was there a time when you thought you might pursue a career outside of dance, or was it always your intention to get involved in the family business?

TDS: Like our mother, both my brother Travis [Dodd] and I grew up in the studio as well, and even though there was a time when we both tried to explore other career options, we eventually realized there really is no place like home. When we were growing up, working in a family business wasn’t really something a school guidance counselor would recommend. It took us a long time to figure out that, hey, this family business stuff is pretty cool. And what a blessing, really, to continue to build on what your parents have done.

SM: I imagine there must be a lot of rewards in that line of work.

TDS: There are. You know, in dance teacher circles, they say you’ve really accomplished something when you start teaching the children of your former students. We’re lucky enough to have entered an even more exclusive group of studios who are teaching the grandchildren of former students. The best thing about teaching at Gretchen Greene is watching the kids grow up. Whether they go on to be doctors or professional dancers, watching them learn and develop is really what motivates me.

Like what you’re reading? Read the full article in the December/January 10 issue of South magazine.