Double Bears Dr. Dana (Lindsey) Mayo and Michael Mayo have built a life and their careers in Macon. Now, in addition to their medical and law work, they are giving back to the community as the owners of a new dance studio.
On Sept. 3, classes began at the Barre Dance Studios on Bass Road in Macon. They are offered to children from 18 months old in “Mommy and Me” sessions to college-age, with both recreational classes and competitive opportunities available.
The Mayos are high school sweethearts who have been married since 2009 but together for nearly 23 years. Michael, who was born in Tallahassee, Florida, moved often while growing up and met Dana in high school when his family settled in her hometown of Douglas, Georgia.
Michael always knew he wanted to be a lawyer and earned his undergraduate degree in political science and government at Mercer in 2006. The Woodruff Scholarship made it possible for him to attend Mercer Law School and stay in Macon like he had hoped.
“We had a saying at Mercer Law that it’s teaching you to think like a lawyer. Even more than that, I think Mercer undergrad helped me think like a law student and helped me think like a mature citizen,” Michael said.
After graduating from law school in 2009, he became an attorney at Almand & Wiggins law firm and a partner at Martin Snow before co-founding Mayo Hill Law Firm, which specializes in cases related to serious injury wrecks and medical negligence.
Dana’s journey to medical school wasn’t as straightforward. She grew up dancing competitively and aspired to be a professional dancer, until she toured with the prestigious Tremaine Dance Competition and Convention. She was named Dancer of the Year in the convention’s teen female category in 2001-2002.
“I realized the lifestyle was not what I wanted long term,” Dana said. “I decided that wasn’t the ultimate path in my life.”
As a Mercer student, she discovered she wanted to go into pediatrics after getting involved in the Up ’til Dawn student organization, which raised funds for and awareness of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Dana graduated with an undergraduate degree in biochemistry in 2008.
“I thought it was the perfect campus, the perfect feel for me,” Dana said. “Mercer was very small, very personal. You could get to know everyone on campus. I got to know all of my professors very well. I loved it. I think (Mercer) very much so prepared me for my career and my future.”
Dana went on to graduate from Mercer School of Medicine in 2013, during which she had her first child. She completed her pediatric residency in Macon and had her second child. The Mayos now have three children, ages 13, 9 and 3.
“(Michael) went through law school before I went through med school, so he understood it,” said Dana, who was a pediatrician at Primary Pediatrics for 3 1/2 years before joining Dr. Seth Bush at Middle Georgia Pediatrics. “We were very supportive of one another. We helped each other through it. We tried to survive it, and we did it.”
The Mayos’ eldest child, Julia, has been dancing since age 2, and the couple has remained involved in the local dance community as their daughter’s skills have advanced. They saw a need for a studio in the area that would provide an elite education to dancers of all genres who are interested in pre-professional training and competitive dance opportunities.
“We’re not ones to sit around with idle hands,” Michael said. “We saw a need. We saw the opportunity, and hopefully it pays off in the community and for the dancers.”
Dana said opening the studio has been a lot of work on the front end, but all the pieces are now coming together. They hired Claran Collins as the studio director as well as nine instructors with a wealth of experience. Class registration has already begun, and auditions have been held for a competitive dance team, which will participate in regional and national events.
Michael said the fact that the studio work is so different from their day jobs has made the additional responsibilities come easy.
“We’re also driven by its purpose. We do feel like it’s an opportunity to make a difference,” Michael said. “We’ll be able to work with and instruct hundreds of dancers in the Middle Georgia area. Hopefully we can start something really great. We would love for Macon to be considered a dance-oriented, performing arts-type location that could host its own dance competitions, in much the same way the city has embraced other arts.”
Dana said her own dance experiences growing up kept her focused and in shape, showed her how to be on a team, and kept her out of trouble. She hopes Barre Dance Studios can provide that for young dancers as well.
“If the dancers can get focus, dedication, hard work and life skills from a team-type sport, I think that’s a win,” she said. “The big goal for me is to have a space for dancers who want to come in and take their dance education to a higher level.”
