Today we’d like to introduce you to Joe Carlson, Leila Carlson and Richie Prospal.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
Our co-founder Richie Prospal who has over 20 years of industry experience, dancing, teaching and developing choreography had an overall goal of one day opening his own space to train and develop dancers. My husband Joe and I fell in love with dance and the Hip Hop community when our son, Tristan started training as a breakdancer.
We also had aspirations of opening our own local space in the Pacific Beach area. After collaborating with Richie and realizing we not only had the same business goals but we were practically neighbors! After finding the perfect space The Facility is now open with a drive to enhance an already diverse community.
Has it been a smooth road?
It has been a fun adventure so far! We found our location much sooner than we had anticipated. However, falling in love with space motivated us to start the process and get our doors open. First, however, we had to make the space our own. We wanted to design a studio that would inspire creativity for each dancer that came to The Facility to train. So construction began.
The Steel Room and The Brick Room are our 2 main studios where any dancer at any level can come and utilize our state of the art sound system and custom wood sprung floors.
We had an aggressive timeline but we did it and we hope our space adds to the hip-hop culture and the Pacific Beach community. We have met some amazing people in the process and the support we have received has been incredible! Our sign is now up out front and it looks amazing, it was designed and fabricated by a local San Diegan who does amazing custom work.
Construction and timeline struggle aside, we could not imagine opening a business in any other city after feeling so much love and support from family, friends and our community.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with The Facility – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
The Facility is a premier dance training studio located in Pacific Beach. Designed and developed with the dance industry and community in mind we want to give every dancer, choreographer and artist a place to evolve and grow. As we grow, we are constantly thinking about what we can do to find and encourage all the local talent here in San Diego.
At The Facility, through unique classes offered, every dancer will have the opportunity to take their skills to the next level. The youth classes are energetic, interactive and designed with kids and parents in mind. With classes like Baby Beats and Hip Hop Tots, parents have an opportunity to engage their children through music and movement. For the older kids, Urban Dance, Breakdancing, Popping and the Fusion classes will expose them to the variety of dance and culture the exists in the industry, while having a ton of fun!
The adult classes at The Facility also cater to all skill levels. With high energy classes such as Intro to Hip Hop, Cardio Hip Hop and Hip Hop Sweat any dancer can build stamina and play with choreography. Classes developed for technique, isolated movements and FUN: Burlesque, Twerk and Heels (heels not required). The more advanced dancer can come train and develop as an artist with our specially designed classes that breakdown footwork, technique and choreography.
Our two studios – The Steel Room and the Brick Room offer that perfect canvas for dancers of all levels and ages with those wood sprung floors and state of the art sound system. The studio space was also designed to double as venue space. It is both modern and industrial and can be a perfect backdrop for many different types of events.
Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
San Diego is obviously an amazing place to live and visit. The weather is perfect and it’s just beautiful. I truly love that there is something for everyone here. Because our city is so diverse there is never a lack of culture or education. The city and people who live here amaze me all the time.
It’s rare in my opinion to live in a big city but feels like such a part of a community. The San Diegans really do set this place apart and as community members and now business owners we have felt such love from our San Diego Community. But the beach is still my favorite place to be!
Pricing:
- Adult Monthly Membership – 1 Class per Week – $51/month
- Adult Class Packages starting at $65 for 5 classes
- Summer Camps available for $110 – $149 per week
Contact Info:
- Address: 1414 Garnet Avenue San Diego, CA 92109
- Website: www.thefacilitysd.com
- Phone: 858-900-2352
- Email: dance@thefacilitysd.com
- Instagram: thefacilitysd
- Facebook: thefacilitysd
- Twitter: thefacilitysd
Getting in touch: SDVoyager is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
