When Rita Brown first moved to Fountain Hills in 1977, the Silver Stein was the favored watering hole in town.

“We built our home here 46 years ago,” Brown said. “This is where we came for lunch, because it was the only place for a burger.”

Since then, the building has served many purposes, including a veterans service organization, a storage space and most notably, the home of the infamous Fountain Hills Irish American Club.

“They put giant leprechaun footsteps throughout the Town,” Brown said. “At one time, they went water skiing around the Fountain…Just fun stuff.”

In September of last year, Brown and Artistic Director, Roger Homyak, DVIDA, began the labor-intensive process of repurposing the building into their new dance studio, Real World Dance.

Located behind Hao Restaurant at 17030 E. Enterprise Dr., Real World Dance provides private and group lessons in salsa, swing, jazz, country and ballroom dancing.

“I also have a hip hop girl, so we’re trying to bring in all facets of dance so that it’s not just based on the ballroom, however, ballroom [dancing] is the mainstay at this point,” Homyak said.

Real World Dance offers field trips for its dancers to experience the diversity of dance throughout the Valley and dance parties for dancers to show off their skills.

“That’s where people who are learning get to come in and just have fun, because now you have to go out there and dance on a crowded floor,” Homyak said.

On Saturday, Feb. 4, Real World Dance invites the community to attend its Grand Opening ceremony. The event will feature dancing exhibitions, food, music, prizes a dance demonstration and a stretch class. The event runs all day from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the new dance studio.

Boasting 1,300 square feet of open space on echoey, hardwood floors, Real World Dance studio can be divided into separate areas for multiple dance lessons along with a full-wall mirror for dancers to watch themselves improve. The space holds two separate bathrooms, an office/kitchen and most importantly, a water station to fuel up after breaking it down on the dance floor.

Homyak has been dancing for 34 years and has been instructing for seven years in Fountain Hills. He is accompanied by three other dance instructors, all with varied backgrounds in dance.

“We do a lot of couples dancing up here, so that’s really nice,” Homyak said. “It’s very romantic for these couples because [many] are retired and they want something to do together.”

As the Business Advisor and avid dancer, Brown feels privileged to be associated with a space that holds so much meaning and nostalgia for the time when she first set eyes on Fountain Hills. Her enthusiasm for dancing is due in part to its many health benefits.

“Dance is considered one of the best activities for staving off Alzheimer’s and dementia,” Brown said. “You’re using both sides of your brain and your body at the same time. It really creates pathways through your nervous system that we let atrophy as we get older.”

Looking to the future, Homyak and Brown plan to host live music events and become known as the town’s distinguished dance hall, where the community can engage in socializing and dancing.

“Dance is moving to music,” Brown said. “If you can enjoy music, we can get you enjoying moving with it.”

Real World Dance is located at 17030 E. Enterprise Dr. For more information, call 480-219-2188 or visit their Facebook page.