Merchant Monday: Positive Energy " Owner is Tamara Holmes

By Kirk Caraway

Nevada Appeal Staff Writer

It's taken 15 months, but like a phoenix rising from the ashes, Positive Energy acrobatics and dance studio has found a new home.

A fire in an adjoining church in December 2007 left owner Tamara Holmes without a place for her business, where she had taught hundreds of children the basics of tumbling and gymnastics.

Smoke from the fire also destroyed much of her equipment.

Holmes was able to share space with Positive Karate USA, but she never lost sight of her dream to expand Positive Energy to do more than just teach children to tumble and dance.

"When it came time to sign the new lease, I thought maybe it's time to shop for a new place," Holmes said. "I found this place the very next day."

"This place" is a 4,500-square-foot studio on Challenger Way that opened for business on March 31, one block north of College Parkway near the Carson City Airport.

It's almost twice the size of her former studio, and is just about big enough to match the dreams she has for helping people.

"(The fire) ended up being good for us," Holmes said. "That's just the way life works. I don't think it happened for a reason, but it all turned out O.K."

With the help of friends and volunteers, Holmes undertook the massive task of converting the former manufacturing facility into a child-safe gymnasium and studio.

"It was 'Extreme Makeover: Studio Edition' for two weeks," Holmes said.

The new space has an expansive area for tumbling and gymnastics, with a trampoline and balance beam. On the other side of the room is a new dance area, where the hardwood floor is about 90 percent complete. Across from this area is an observation and play room where parents can watch their children's classes and look after younger siblings. In the back is an unfinished area that Holmes wants to set up as a workout area for adults.

Upstairs there is a conference room that Holmes will rent out as meeting space. On the other side is a large area she wants to turn into a teen center with a coffe-house-type feel and computers with wireless Internet access.

"The most exciting thing to me is the after-school teen program," Holmes said. "We have a perfect space for that. We want to work with Computer Corps and the Boys & Girls Club, and get a little computer lab and mentors in there."

The downstairs space is designed to be easily converted to suit parties and wedding receptions, with space for refreshments, DJ and dancing. Holmes said they already host birthday parties almost every weekend, and anticipates the new space will make this an even more popular option.

The classes they teach at Positive Energy range from acrobatics for 2-year-olds to hip-hop/jazz dancing for teens to "ecstatic" dancing for adults. Once the dance floor is finished, Holmes wants to restart tap and ballroom dancing classes.

"I think it's a staple in every child's life to be able to do somersaults, cartwheels, pirouettes," Holmes said. "And for adults, it's never too late. We've had folks in their 40s, 50s, 60s learning to tap dance for the first time. It's an overall enjoyment of life, getting together and supporting the arts."

Holmes practices what she preaches, and can often be seen demonstrating acrobatic moves for students, though she has pledged to cut back a little.

"I'm pushing 40, and I told the kids I'll do back handsprings on the trampoline but not on the floor. Not anymore," she said. "I love it. It makes you feel good, and it's fun, no matter how old you are."

Even though the new space has added many new dimensions to the business, Holmes already is eyeing an adjacent 3,000-square-foot space that could be used as a multipurpose room or basketball court.

And while getting the facility up and running has been a daunting task, it does come with its rewards.

"This is a happy place," Holmes said. "When I come to work here, no matter what mood I'm in, I leave happy. Everybody here is happy."

WHAT: Positive Energy

WHERE: 3603 Challenger Way

CONTACT: 884-3633; positive-energy.us

OFFERINGS: Approximately 30 acrobatic and dance classes per week.

Also available for birthday parties and special events