The Wells County Chamber of Commerce recently celebrated J Dance Collective with a ribbon cutting celebration at 1169 North Main Street, Suite 1 in Bluffton. New owners and instructors Jade Murray and Jordyn Shumate welcomed Chamber Ambassadors, family, friends, students, and community members to mark an exciting new chapter for the dance studio.
Formerly ABC Studio & Activity Center, J Dance Collective continues to serve families in Bluffton and nearby communities while honoring the studio’s legacy and introducing a fresh vision for the future. For Murray and Shumate, ownership is a natural next step after nearly seven years of teaching, helping behind the scenes, and leading the studio’s competition team.
“This is something we have wanted for a while,” Murray shared. “We’ve been instructing and leading and taking over leadership roles with the competition team, and some behind-the-scenes things, so stepping into this new position was definitely something that we just felt was fitting for us.”
Their shared passion for dance, love of teaching, and experience as former competitive dancers shaped the studio they wanted to build: a supportive community where students are encouraged to work hard, celebrate milestones, and grow at their own pace. Whether a student takes one class each week or joins the competitive team, their goal is to help students build skills, friendships, and confidence that extends beyond the studio.
That focus on growth is also reflected in the studio’s newly remodeled and expanded space. Under Andrea Mann, ABC Studio & Activity Center added a second suite in 2025, giving the studio additional room before the transition to J Dance Collective. Previously, the studio included a lobby and two dance rooms, but the neighboring suite now gives J Dance Collective room to house all its programs under one roof.
The expansion has been especially helpful as the competition team has grown to approximately 40 dancers, a number the previous space could no longer accommodate without using outside locations. The larger facility now allows the studio to offer multiple classes at the same time while keeping students, instructors, and programs together in one location.
Today, J Dance Collective serves approximately 130 students, including tumbling students, with classes available for dancers as young as two years of age. Programs include ballet, tap, jazz, hip hop, lyrical, clogging, tumbling, and mini pom, a growing offering that blends jumps, chants, and dance in a style similar to sideline cheer while emphasizing performance rather than stunting.
While technique and performance remain central to the studio, Murray and Shumate hope students gain much more from their time there. “We want to keep growing, keep inspiring, and build up little confident dancers,” they shared. “We hope they gain other things besides just technique and performance, but how to be a team member and work as a group.”
With five instructors—three teaching dance and two teaching tumbling—the expanded facility is already supporting a full evening schedule across multiple rooms. Looking ahead, Murray and Shumate hope to welcome more students, expand programming, add instructors and choreographers, bring on additional tumbling instructors, and eventually introduce a cheer program.
Registration for J Dance Collective is now open, with classes running through September and the annual recital scheduled for the end of April. Families can visit https://JDance.co for program details, class schedules, pricing, registration information, and access to the parent portal for online registration and payments.
For more information or to register, visit their website or stop by J Dance Collective at 1169 North Main Street Suite 1, in Bluffton. Pictured celebrating the ribbon-cutting are owners and instructors Jade Murray and Jordyn Shumate, J Dance Collective students and staff, Wells County Chamber Ambassadors, family, friends, and Wells County Chamber staff.
Please view more photos from the event on our Facebook page.