Dance queen plans family events, classes at Middletown's Frog Hollow Golf Club

Delaware dancing entrepreneur Valerie Gooding has waltzed her way into a new venture in Middletown that she likes to say will be run by her family for families.

Gooding, the owner of the New Castle Dance & Music Academy that opened in 1978, recently purchased six acres at Frog Hollow Golf Club in Middletown to turn it into "a hub for Middletown's busy families" that will include all kinds of activities for children and adults.

She will oversee "The Edge of 18," which includes the large banquet hall, the pool and pool house, the tennis courts and the playground, while Perfect Swing Management & Hospitality Group LLC runs the golf operations, including the pub, restaurant, catering and pro shop.

Gooding has a grand vision for The Edge and Frog Hollow – located at 1 Whittington Way on the northwest side of Middletown – that includes a working relationship with Perfect Swing. 

She sees fathers playing golf at the award-winning 18-hole championship golf course, moms working out at a fitness center she plans to expand, while the kids dance or take music and voice lessons.

Then at the end of the day, she envisions the family sitting down for a meal at the club's restaurant, which features pub food and American fare. 

Gooding said each summer as a child her family, including her seven siblings, attended a golf and swim club that had something for everyone, from fireworks to swim lessons, Hawaiian luaus to league golf and volleyball, to dances and family dinners. 

She wants to re-create that at The Edge, which will be membership-based and plans to renovate and polish each part to give it that summer club feel. She will offer discounts to people already taking dance and music lessons to join the pool and golf club.

Gooding says she's watched families of her students bring in food to feed them while they're trying to juggle all the kids' activities.

"The Edge will provide everything under one roof," she said.

She's familiar with the area because she's been renting the large banquet hall and other space at Frog Hollow the past year and operating dance classes there to familiarize people with her offerings.

She said parents will be able to get or stay fit by taking part in Zumba, aqua-fitness, strength training, golf, swimming, dance and social/ballroom dancing, to name a few activities.  

Children may enjoy the playground or participate in lessons ranging from dance to musical instruments, musical theater, drama, vocal instruction, gymnastics, jujitsu, golf, swimming and diving. 

Pool memberships start at $255 annually during the March Madness promotion, with the cost for a family of four $510 during the promotion.

Mini dance camps start at $99 a week if registered by March 31, while full-day camps are $215 during the March Madness promotion.

Gooding said there are also early-bird specials for ballroom rentals.

Annual golf memberships start at $299 a year for individual memberships, with special rates for military and first responders.

Gooding and her daughters will run the daily operations of The Edge while still overseeing the New Castle Dance & Music Academy at 680 Peoples Plaza in Newark.

Under the guidance of Gooding, and then later with her daughters as partners, the Newark academy expanded rapidly and has been home to thousands of students for almost four decades.

The New Castle Dance & Music Academy was selected to perform during the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio, and her dance academy is the reigning Imagine Dance Challenge Victory Cup champions. 

Heather Foster Pate, 42, of Smyrna is the vice president of performing arts and programs, while younger sister Dana Parkinson, 39, of Newark, is the VP of events and initiatives. Both share the "family-oriented" vision with their mother.

"I think it is important to have the one-stop shop for everyone in the family to be able to come and do something they love," Dana said. "We want children to be able to take advantage of all the different events and activities we'll offer here." 

The Goodings have a history of success. In 2014, the dance and music academy was named the Delaware Small Business Administration Family Business of the Year. And then in 2016, it was named the Best Kids Dance Studio in Northern Delaware by the Happening List people's choice competition. 

A spring break camp is scheduled for April 2, while the soft launch of The Edge is set for May 5. The grand opening will July 2.

Gooding said she and her boyfriend Fred Wojtowizc, project manager for renovations at The Edge, have been putting in a lot of time into renovating the entire space.

They are putting a three-tier dance floor in the banquet hall, and removing the carpeting and putting in new flooring, among other things, and plan to rent the space for events, as well as use it for lessons.

Wedding packages will include ballroom dance lessons for the bride and groom, and it will be available for banquets, fundraisers, bat mitzvahs, meditation weekends, community fundraisers and even corn hole tournaments.

Gooding said a "very successful" daddy/daughter dance was held in the space last year for the academy's fundraiser for the Diamond Elite Performing Company.

"The possibilities are endless for that space," she said.

Gooding said she has been looking to acquire land in Middletown for the past two years and chose the town because it is a close-knit community where everybody knows everyone and there are a lot of children.

She believes The Edge will bring vibrancy not only to the neighborhood, but also the community as a whole.

"I think families create a stronger community, and if we can enhance that and offer more for parents and children, it makes for a happier environment," Gooding said. "This will be a place for everyone. We think the community will appreciate it."

Reach Jerry Smith at jsmith17@delawareonline.com. follow him on Twitter at @JerrySmithTNJ.