Perseverance Pays
By Kevin Allenspach
At just about every turn, life leads back to dance for Kasey Dumonceaux. Growing up in St. Michael, it was her passion. After eighth grade, she began commuting to the St. Paul Conservatory for the Performing Arts, where she routinely spent 40 hours a week on the studio floor.
Though she continued dancing at Gustavus Adolphus College, Dumonceaux continued to invest in her optometry studies, preparing for a future that might not include dance.
“I was going into my last semester, and it really started to hit, ‘OK, what am I going to do?’” Dumonceaux said. “I was going to move to Texas, and that was kind of going to be the end of my dance career. I decided that’s not what I wanted.”
Heartfelt conversations with several professors convinced her to pursue her dream. She finished her dance honors major in 2019 and almost immediately began working for a studio in Buffalo. An ownership change two years later put her at a crossroads.
“That was kind of my, ‘OK, I’m going to start something on my own’ moment,” said Dumonceaux, who launched Persevere Dance Project.
She juggled multiple jobs while living with her parents to get the studio up and running. “My goal was that anyone who wanted to continue dancing with me could do so,” Dumonceaux said. “We found a space in Waverly (population 2,100) that was central to a lot of our clients.” It worked. However, they soon stretched the studio space to its limits.
And that’s when the next door opened. While parents waited at the nearby Uptown Bar & Grill for their children to finish classes, a casual conversation sparked an unexpected opportunity. The bar owner overheard the parents discussing the need for more studio space, and it just so happened he owned a vacant building one block away.
“He wasn’t advertising it,” Dumonceaux said, “but we worked something out.”
The space needed extensive remodeling. Dumonceaux sought small business assistance in 2024 from Wright County, and that led to talks and a lending partnership with Tim Swanson, business finance manager at the Initiative Foundation.
The Initiative Foundation is one of the few U.S. Treasury-designated Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) headquartered in and serving small businesses in Central Minnesota. It’s a designation the Foundation has proudly held since 1997. The organization underscored its commitment in 2023 by creating the Impact Fund, a subsidiary that anchors the Foundation’s lending programs. By providing access to capital and serving as a resource magnet to support borrowers who may face barriers, CDFIs like the Initiative Foundation help to create opportunities for economic growth in disadvantaged areas.
“We can support emerging businesses more fully with the additional backing we receive from the U.S. Treasury,” Swanson said. “We don’t try to take on the business of traditional banks. Instead, we complement their efforts. Our goal is to support businesses that need help to grow and gain a stable position so they can graduate to traditional lending sources.”
The century-old building at 408 Elm Ave. had room for two dancing studios and a lobby, but it needed work. To keep costs down, Dumonceaux and her father, Mark, rolled up their sleeves and did what they could.
“We cleared it down to zero, then got some contractors to come in to build out the rooms,” Dumonceaux said. “Then, between my dad and me and a few parents, we did all the sheetrocking, insulating, painting and everything else.”
Her loan was designated for renovation costs—a priority for the Initiative Foundation, which recognizes that many rural communities have aging buildings that risk falling into disuse or disrepair without investment.
“The idea is to take buildings that might otherwise sit empty or eventually become dilapidated—and reopen them,” Swanson said. “Kasey knows what she’s doing. She has experience, and she and her father saved money by putting their sweat equity into the project. I really admire her dedication.”
Persevere Dance opened its new studio space in February. The 2025-26 season will offer recreational, competitive and adult dance—a new avenue of growth that draws customers from Watertown to Dassel to Annandale and all points in between. In addition to Dumonceaux, Persevere Dance employs three choreographers and two instructors. The competitive company includes ballet, jazz, tap, acrobatic and pointe styles of dance.
Recreational dancers can start as early as 2 years old, with competitive opportunities following soon after for those with a passion for performance. Dumonceaux has also seen growing interest in adult classes—an increasingly popular offering for those returning to dance after years away.
“For a lot of people, dance was a big part of their childhood. It’s what they love,” Dumonceaux said. “Now that we have more space, that’s something we want to cater to.”
That expanded space has become more than just a studio—it’s a second chance for dancers of all ages to reconnect with a lifelong passion. It’s also a symbol of what’s possible when community, creativity and perseverance come together.
“I grew up dancing my whole life and obviously love it–I’m still dancing,” Dumonceaux said. “I’m really glad this is the course I charted.”
For more, visit perseveredanceproject.com.
Learn more about the Impact Fund and find out if your business or business idea qualifies for lending.