Houston's Jazz Center: "The Met" is the go-to studio for serious training.

How does a studio become a desired dance destination in a sprawling city that technically has no center? With Houston families heading to the affordable suburbs to raise children, it has become a remarkable achievement to draw parents and teens back into the city limits. The Houston Metropolitan Dance Center with its lively yet serious approach to training is doing just that. In a city where every suburb is well-stocked with dance studios, "The Met" is keeping contemporary jazz dance alive and well in Houston proper.

Executive director Michelle Smith, known for her "can-do, the sky is the limit" Texas spunk, has a reputation as one of the perkiest people on the dance planet. She was a principal dancer with former director Delia Stewart's company and inherited the school when Stewart retired in 1995. Smith's go-for-it approach appears to be working, and her pep is contagious, judging from the energy exuding from a recent evening class. "Look around," says a beaming Smith, about the environment she has created. "If it looks like people are having fun, it's because they are."

Located in the heart of the museum district, The Met prides itself on being Houston's premiere studio for contemporary jazz. Converted from a church, the building has a rough-hewn flavor. The air-conditioning is iffy, the original wood floors need work, and the exposed brick adds just enough of an urban decay vibe to make the place feel cool.

With three studios, an enrollment of 400, and a faculty of the most sought-after jazz teachers in town, the studio generates a buzz. On a typical Saturday you will find students age 3 to adult taking classes. Dance savvy city-based parents especially like the "serious training" approach. It's also not unusual for parents to drive their kids in from the outlying areas--Smith claims that 50 percent of the students come from the suburbs. She is particularly proud of the number of teachers from other studios who take class. "We are one the few places where adults can get a high level contemporary jazz class."

The focus on intense training means no competition teams and low-stress recitals for the youngest ones. Smith has nothing against competitions and regularly welcomes team members from other studios. "Competition dancers take class with us to improve their technique to make them stand out at the competitions," she says. "Competition schools use most of their time learning dances, which leaves less room for training. So the kids come to us for that additional edge."

Marlana Walsh, known as the "technician," graduated with a degree in dance from Point Park University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She teaches at the studio and is a member and manager of The Met's resident professional dance company, Houston Metropolitan Dance Company. "Having a variety of teachers and styles is one reason why students who compete are attracted to The Met," says Walsh. "Competition kids these days need to know a lot of different techniques that can improve their confidence."

Houston Metropolitan Dance Company is one of the few remaining repertory companies that bring in choreographers from outside of Houston. It functions like a choreography lab for up-and-coming choreographers like Pattie Obey (formerly of Gus Solomons' Company/Dance), Kate Skarpetowska (formerly of Parsons Dance Company), and Robert Battle. Company members range in age from 18 to 30, and most have come up through the studio and The Met Too (the junior company). In 2003 the company made the cover of The Houston Press as the "sexiest dance company," and in 2005 The Houston Press named them "Best Contemporary Jazz Company." In September, they landed a coveted spot on Weekend of Contemporary Dance, a Houston festival that attracts audiences of 3,000-plus.

Smith's efforts at fostering a strong partnership between the studio and its resident company has created a healthy synergy: Students are drawn to a faculty culled from one of Houston's leading professional dance companies, and company members thrive with steady teaching work at the studio. Though she likes to think of her teachers/dancers as genre-free, they all have strong ballet backgrounds and links to Luigi or Giordano style jazz. Several graduated from Houston's High School for the Performing and Visual Arts. Most of the faculty also dance with The Houston Metropolitan Dance Company, and each brings his or her unique style of moving to teaching.

Kiki Lucas, a charismatic dancer who cut her teeth in the Los Angeles dance scene brings that West Coast edge to her classes. "I teach at a pretty fast pace, not to frustrate the dancers, but for their benefit," says Lucas. "When you are out there in the dance world, the faster you can pick up a combination the better off you are." Lucas gives 110 percent and expects the same from her dancers. "I make it very clear that I expect performance quality in my class," she says. "One of my favorite parts of teaching is feeding off of the energy in the room."

"The studio can easily become a very intimate theater displaying what our company is about," says Dustin Crumbaugh, one of The Met's newest teachers. "I'm often teaching the people who come to our shows and support us. It's such an amazing way to reach out." But The Met also conducts more structured outreach as well with its "Danceology 101," a performance that covers a basic history of social dances from the 1920s through hip hop and invites audience participation.

After spending a few hours at The Met, one starts to understand that the vitality of dance nationwide is bolstered by centers like this that raise the bar in their own communities. Amidst Houston's geographic sprawl, The Met has found a solid center.

Nancy Wozny is the dance editor of Dance Source Houston and teaches Feldenkrais.