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COUNTRY BOOTLEGGERS DANCE STUDIO
Norge herself grew up in York County, starting dance lessons at age 6. She shifted from ballet, tap and jazz to cheerleading at York High School, then pursued modeling as a young adult. After a modeling gig one evening at a Newport News club, she and her friends decided to stick around and watch the country line dancing lessons that followed. In just a few hours’ time, she was hooked. Norge soon became a country line dance instructor.
“I had the passion to dance. I was teaching at different bars and locations, and I just loved giving back to other people what I really enjoy doing. Then this building came open and it was a great opportunity [to have my own studio]. It started as just me, teaching country line dancing,” she said.
Before long, she was hiring other instructors and incorporating other styles of dance. She expanded the studio in 2014, gutting the back area to add a second room after she bought out a nearby yoga studio. Both rooms serve double‐duty for dance lessons as well as event rentals. The pro instructors teach classes, private lessons and wedding choreography.
Over the years, the business has picked up many awards—including Retail Alliance Small Business of the Year in 2009, York County Small Business of the Year 2010, and “Best Dance Studio” Daily Press Choice Award 2018—but Norge is more focused on her studio’s rewards:
I love watching people come into the studio with no dance experience, and then watching them walk out knowing how to dance ... building friendships and connections between couples,” she said. “It’s so funny, I’ve been doing this for decades—the men often say, ‘I don’t want to be here, my wife made me come. And then they are the ones who want to come back!’”
Norge also gives back to her community through Dreamcatchers, Relay for Life, Beyond Boobs, and the annual “Williamsburg Dancing with the Stars” fundraiser. She is active with the Peninsula Women’s Network and Business Networking International.
“I feel like I have touched a lot of people’s lives in many different ways,” she said. “I feel like I’ve gained a lot of new friendships and gave instructors different opportunities to grow their business and enjoy their passion. I feel like I’ve given back to the community, and I’ve accomplished more than I ever thought I would.”