A dancer’s beginning
Madilyn starts dancing in Louisiana, with her aunt’s studio among her earliest places of instruction.
Our story
Built by a dancer.
Beloved by performers.
For more than four decades, Madilyn Clark Studios has given artists in Los Angeles room to practice, teach, experiment, and grow.
Madilyn ClarkFounder
The founder
A life in motion.
Madilyn Clark’s lifelong relationship with dance began at the age of two in Louisiana. One of her earliest teachers was her aunt, who operated a dance studio of her own. That first studio gave Madilyn more than steps and technique—it introduced her to the idea that a dedicated room could become a place of discipline, imagination, community, and possibility.
Her talent and determination led her from early training to a wide-ranging professional performing career. Madilyn became a Radio City Rockette and performed as one of the June Taylor dancers on The Jackie Gleason Show. Her stage credits also included the original company of How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying and a production of Sweet Charity, placing her in the heart of American musical theatre, dance, and television entertainment.
While appearing on The Ed Sullivan Show, Madilyn met television and film director Alex Grasshoff, who would become her husband. Grasshoff later received the 1968 Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature. After the couple relocated to Los Angeles in 1969, Madilyn entered a new chapter—bringing her professional experience into the classroom and sharing it directly with other performers.
She taught a variety of dance styles and developed a special focus on tap. Over the years, Madilyn became known not only for what she had accomplished onstage, but also for the care, rigor, and encouragement she brought to her students. Many of the artists who trained with her continued into professional careers throughout the entertainment industry.
In 1984, she founded Madilyn Clark Studios in North Hollywood. Her goal was to create the kind of dependable, welcoming creative home that performers need: professional enough for serious work, comfortable enough for experimentation, and open to artists at every stage of their journey. The studios remain an extension of Madilyn’s life in dance and her belief that every artist deserves room to practice, teach, grow, and pursue an ambitious dream.
Career highlights
From Louisiana to North Hollywood.
A professional career
She performs on Broadway, becomes a Radio City Rockette, and dances with the June Taylor dancers on national television.
A new life in Los Angeles
Madilyn and her husband, director Alex Grasshoff, relocate to Los Angeles, where she builds her teaching career.
The studio opens
Madilyn Clark Studios is founded as a creative home for dancers, actors, musicians, teachers, and performers.
1984 to today
A place for every stage of the journey.
Madilyn founded the studio in 1984 as a place where performers could do the real work of becoming. Over the years, her students and studio guests have ranged from emerging artists to celebrated entertainers.
The mission remains wonderfully simple: provide a welcoming, functional space where artists can rehearse, learn, teach, and pursue world-class work.
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