Bender Performing Arts is developing under the supervision of a former student and husband

Georgann Yara
| Special to the Arizona Business Gazette

When Meri Bender says she grew up in the company she runs today, it’s not an exaggeration.

When she started dancing at what is now Bender Performing Arts, she was 5 years old. The dance school was about a year old, and Meri was learning from its original founder, a single mother with a record player and a falling mat in a garage in Phoenix.

Meri continued her education through high school, and after graduating from art school in California, she returned to Phoenix to teach at the dance school of her youth.

That same year, Meri met fellow dance teacher and colleague Kevin Bender, who became her husband and, when they purchased the school that bore their name in 1996, her business partner.

For a married couple with 31 years of experience, Bender Performing Arts is not just a business. It was a very personal part of their lives. It was also a way to fulfill their dreams of teaching and using the performing arts to bring out the best in students, both as children and as adults.

“It helps them be great people and gives them the confidence to do anything they want in life,” Meri said. “That will always be our core mission.”

This year, the school celebrates its 50th anniversary as the oldest dance studio in the Valley, offering almost every style, including ballet, tap, jazz, contemporary and hip-hop.

At the 2022 Alumni event, Kevin listened to many stories from former students sharing over the decades what dance has taught them and how it instills resilience and discipline in a way that other activities cannot.

“I didn’t know how it affected their adults,” Kevin said. “It was this fortitude that got them through college and work.”

Since Benders took over, the curriculum has expanded to include private music and singing lessons, musical theater and tumbling, pom and cheering classes for children ages 2 1/2 to adults. It also creates original productions and songs, and gives students the opportunity to compete or dance recreationally. What started in 1974 in a garage has grown into a state-of-the-art, 14,000-square-foot facility.

The couple’s strong theater background inspired additional programming.

“It’s a place for everyone, whether they’re advanced and want a career or beginners who want to try it,” Meri said.

Kevin said that in its first year, the school, originally the Betty Johnson School of Dance, had fewer than 100 students. With each passing year, the number of admissions continued to increase.

“Every few years she would move up the street and into bigger spaces,” Kevin said.

When he and Meri bought the school from its original founder, Betty Johnson, it had 500 students. Kevin said today that number has doubled, with Bender Performing Arts serving 950-1,000 students at any given time.

According to business industry resources IBISWorld, Bender is part of the US dance studio market, which will be worth $4.5 billion in 2023.

Evolution has created an intangible quality that reaches students beyond lessons and performances. Kevin uses the term “third place” – a sociological concept that refers to a social environment in which people can spend quality time and build relationships. This place takes first and second place, respectively, after home and work or school.

“We feel like we are a third place for them where they can be themselves, be who they are and enjoy what they do with other like-minded kids,” Kevin said. “A place where they feel confident.”

That’s exactly how Karen Conway’s 16-year-old daughter, Alyssa, described the dance school she attended for almost 10 years.

“It’s a huge compliment because of what they teach and how the teachers love and treat them all the time,” said Conway, who lives in Phoenix. “It’s such a warm and welcoming place and she feels safe, loved and supported there.”

Alyssa practices ballet, contemporary dance, jazz and hip-hop. This is his third year on the competitive team.

Conway has noticed an impact beyond just what her daughter demonstrates in the studio or on stage. Alyssa is very organized and disciplined, which shows in her classes and report cards. He doesn’t want to disappoint his dance teammates, so he puts in the time and hard work into practice, like an athlete in a mainstream team sport like basketball or soccer.

“She has all the life skills that will make her successful as a person and as a professional, and they really taught them in a very loving way,” Conway said. “It’s truly amazing and there is no other space I would want my teenager to take part in.”

For Meri, teaching has always been her passion. After graduating from college in California, she returned to her hometown to teach for her first and long-time instructor.

Born in Columbus, Ohio, Kevin moved to Arizona with his family at the age of 6. He was a performer since childhood, even having an agent, and in addition to dancing, he also did voice-over work.

Kevin was 15 when he started teaching tap dancing to first graders. He continued his professional dance career, which took him to Los Angeles, where he also taught. He mainly shot commercials and music videos for famous pop stars, but during the 1986 writers’ strike he returned to the Valley for a break. One day, Kevin came home and saw a message on his answering machine asking if he would like to be a substitute teacher at the Betty Johnson School of Dance.

“I thought it was temporary, but I never left,” said Kevin, who wanted to raise a family one day and knew the nomadic lifestyle of a professional dancer was not conducive to that goal. “I wanted stability and I got it through teaching.”

Six years later, he met a new teacher who became his wife and mother of his children.

“We wanted the same thing. Friendship turned into love,” Meri said. “We wanted to be entrepreneurs and have a family.”

In 1992, Meri and Kevin took over the management of the school. It was around this time that Johnson had the idea that he might want to hand over the ownership reins. The leadership allowed the Benders to experience and demonstrate running a school while learning about business ownership.

Four years later, the Benders bought the school from Johnson. In 2006, they moved to a new building, built from scratch, and changed the name of the school. They see it as a continuation of Johnson’s legacy.

“Our goal was never to change what Betty did. It was about expanding on her vision and keeping the same culture and love for it,” Meri said.

This mission is reinforced by numerous community efforts and fundraisers for various children’s charities. This includes a partnership with Valley nonprofit Moriah Cooperative, which provides inclusive community programs for children with special needs.

Another testimony is the number of multi-generational Bender families. Many of the students are children of former students.

“Parents have seen how art has helped them as people, and they want the same for their children,” Kevin said. “Seeing the growth and experiences you can pass on to students and seeing the aha moments… It’s rewarding.”

Many of the instructors and directors, like Meri, are former students who have returned to offer future generations the same treasured memories, experiences and friendships that they experienced.

“We look at the wall (photos) of our employees and it turns out that they also grew up here and now they have taken over,” Meri said. “There is nothing more rewarding as an educator than watching your students succeed as your employees.”

What: Bender’s performing artsWhere: 3141 E. Beardsley Road, #110, PhoenixEmployees: 26Interesting statistics: According to business industry resource IBISWorld, the U.S. dance studio market size was $4.5 billion in 2023. Details: 602-971-9170, benderperformingarts.com