Mrs. Rosemary’s Dance Studio: Celebrating 25 Years with the Chamber

By Michael Anderson, the Staten Island Chamber of Commerce

One thing is for sure: Rosemary Cappozalo, better known as Mrs. Rosemary, loved to dance.  

In 1959, when the young Julliard School student looked for a job to help support her family – which consisted of her husband and one young daughter at that time – there really should have been no surprise where she would turn. 

“She went to the American Legion Post in South Beach, and she asked the group of men who were playing cards if she could rent the hall on Saturdays to teach the neighborhood children dance,” said Cappozalo’s daughter, Luanne Sorrentino. “And she did, with 46 students that first year. She charged them $1 each. And the next year, they all brought a friend, so it doubled, and it grew from there.” 

And grow it did. In just a few years, demand had grown so strongly that Mrs. Rosemary sought a new space that would be the home for her new dance studio. 

“She went around the corner to Arthur Avenue – a little side street in South Beach. There was a little storefront amongst these residential homes, and she rented that for years,” said Sorrentino. “She expanded her offerings and then bought the building in New Dorp in the early 1970s, which is the current home for hundreds of aspiring dancers. When she outgrew the small Arthur Avenue storefront, she purchased another building in South Beach on McLean Avenue. She then used both those buildings to share her beautiful vision of dance.” 

In 2004, another property would come into the Cappozalo fold. The St. George Theatre – one of Staten Island’s most renowned icons – which had remained dark and unused for over 30 years. Mrs. Rosemary and her daughters, Doreen Cugno and Sorrentino, started a not-for-profit organization in 2004 to save the historic theater from being torn down. Today, the St. George Theatre has returned to its former glory, drawing in major international acts and thousands of guests annually.  

Although Mrs. Rosemary passed away in 2009, the St. George Theatre and Mrs. Rosemary’s Dance Studio were in good hands.   

“Our mom trained us well. The hard part was missing her, but running the businesses came easy as we had the best mentor. We trained by watching her, learning under her tutelage. It was like that with all the teachers in the beginning. We would sit there with our notebooks while watching and taking notes when we were younger. When we went off to college, we studied dance and theater and received our Bachelor’s degrees in those fields,” said Sorrentino. “She never pushed us. It was never really spoken. It was just what we did, and it was what we wanted to do. We loved it. We just fell into it so easily.”   

If you talk to any parents or students at Mrs. Rosemary’s Dance Studio, they’ll tell you that the family’s passion for dance is what has made the business one of Staten Island’s most recognized dance studios for over 60 years. And although Sorrentino still loves to teach dance steps and choreography, she says it’s more than that. 

“It’s not just dance that we teach – it’s life skills. We always say when they leave that big yellow door, they leave with some great self-esteem. And, whether they’re going to be a math wizard or a Broadway star, they leave with confidence to lead them on a great path. 

“It’s so rewarding. We love what we do. They’re our dancing families. They really are. We get to know them through the years,” she added. “It’s such a privilege and an honor for us to watch these students grow up in front of our eyes. We get to watch them blossom into these beautiful young adults.” 

The Staten Island Chamber of Commerce has also watched Mrs. Rosemary’s Dance Studio blossom through the years. In 2021, the business is celebrating 25 years with the Chamber. 

“I think my mom joined the Chamber to be more involved with the community. She always wanted to make a difference,” said Sorrentino. “I think it may have introduced my mom to the other businesses through networking. She had the opportunity to know the other businesses in the community and getting more involved.”