{"id":1040,"date":"2026-09-21T20:31:53","date_gmt":"2026-09-21T20:31:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.stjosephconnect.com\/?sjc_news=a-grandfathers-dream-lives-on-at-darcees-school-of-dance"},"modified":"2026-09-21T20:31:53","modified_gmt":"2026-09-21T20:31:53","slug":"a-grandfathers-dream-lives-on-at-darcees-school-of-dance","status":"publish","type":"sjc_news","link":"https:\/\/www.stjosephconnect.com\/?sjc_news=a-grandfathers-dream-lives-on-at-darcees-school-of-dance","title":{"rendered":"A grandfather\u2019s dream\u00a0lives on at Darcee\u2019s School of Dance"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\"DARCEE
Prajukta Ghosh | KQ2 <\/figcaption>
A photo of Darcee with her grandad at the Darcee school of Dance <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
\"\"<\/div>\n

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (KQTV)–\u00a0Darcee Blanchard, the owner and teacher at Darcee’s School of Dance, has been dancing since she was just three years old. <\/p>\n

Her love for dance started with her grandparents, who taught ballroom dancing.\u00a0<\/p>\n

After Blanchard went to college, she continued pursuing dance, and her grandfather had one big dream for her: that she would someday own her own dance studio. <\/p>\n

\u201cHe had open heart surgery so he would walk up and down King Hill (Avenue) and so he found this building and encouraged my parents to look into it,\u201d\u00a0Blanchard\u00a0said.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Her family eventually\u00a0purchased\u00a0the building, which is now home to Darcee’s School of Dance.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Blanchard and her grandfather came to look at the building on the day they were signing the papers. <\/p>\n

As soon as the papers were signed Blanchard left the dance studio, while her grandfather stayed to mow the grass.\u00a0<\/p>\n

That\u2019s when tragedy struck. <\/p>\n

Her grandfather suffered a heart attack on the side of the building and passed away that same day \u2014 the very day they had signed the papers.  <\/p>\n

\u201cWe decided that we would make it a positive thing that his work was\u00a0done\u00a0and that\u2019s why everything in the building says, ‘granddad\u2019s dream,’\u201d Blanchard said.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Since then, Blanchard and her family have dedicated many things at the studio to her grandfather. They say they\u2019ve also experienced moments they believe are signs that he is still around. <\/p>\n

Lights have flickered, and music has mysteriously turned on and off \u2014 sometimes in the presence of Blanchard\u2019s teachers and even young students who never knew her grandfather.  <\/p>\n

\u201cThe little kids would\u00a0say\u00a0\u2018grand dad\u00a0stop\u00a0turning the lights off’\u00a0or they talk to him because we have kept him alive through that,\u201d she said.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Some of Blanchard\u2019s favorite memories of her grandfather\u00a0go\u00a0back to when she was just six years old. On weekends, the two\u00a0would swing\u00a0dance together. Because she was so little, people would stop and stare as they watched the pair dance around.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Blanchard\u2019s mother, Paula Pierce, also remembers how much her father loved being around the dance studio when Blanchard first started teaching in college.  <\/p>\n

\u201cIn the middle of her class, he would open the door and throw candies to all the kids to interrupt her class and all the kids would run to him and called him grand dad,\u201d she said.  <\/p>\n

Pierce said what she misses most about her father is his smile and the way he loved everyone \u2014 especially children. <\/p>\n

\u201cEvery day, I still miss him dearly,\u201d she said.  <\/p>\n

The family said there have been many other moments at the studio that they feel point to her grandfather\u2019s presence and blessing. <\/p>\n

Blanchard recalled one recent experience involving someone who had been working on the studio\u2019s roof. After the contractor called to let her know payment was due, Blanchard agreed to bring a check to his house.  <\/p>\n

\u201cMy daughter and I started driving to pay him and I looked up and I hadn\u2019t even paid attention because it close to recital time but we were sitting in front of my grandparent’s house and he lived where they did,\u201d she said.  <\/p>\n

For Blanchard, moments like that continue to remind her of her grandfather and the role he played in making the dance studio possible. <\/p>\n

Today, all of her students and teachers know about Granddad and the story behind the studio. <\/p>\n

Pierce recently underwent open-heart surgery herself. She said that as she was being taken into surgery, she felt a sense of reassurance.  <\/p>\n

\u201cI saw him, I looked up and he was there so I knew I was going to be fine. I still see him, hear his voice when something reminds me of him,\u201d she added.  <\/p>\n

An interview with KQ2 ended with a little bit of humor as the family reflected on what her grandfather would think if he were alive today and watching the story on television\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

After all, she said, he loved being in front of people. <\/p>\n

And Blanchard believes he would be incredibly proud of everything Darcee’s School of Dance has\u00a0accomplished\u00a0\u2014 especially knowing that the studio he dreamed of helping her create is still carrying his name and his memory forward.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The post A grandfather\u2019s dream\u00a0lives on at Darcee’s School of Dance<\/a> appeared first on KQ2 | St. Joseph, Missouri News, Weather & Sports<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Prajukta Ghosh | KQ2 A photo of Darcee with her grandad at the Darcee school of Dance ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (KQTV)–\u00a0Darcee Blanchard, the owner and teacher at Darcee’s School of Dance, has been dancing since she…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":1041,"template":"","class_list":["post-1040","sjc_news","type-sjc_news","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.stjosephconnect.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/sjc_news\/1040","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.stjosephconnect.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/sjc_news"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.stjosephconnect.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/sjc_news"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.stjosephconnect.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1041"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.stjosephconnect.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1040"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}