Mrs Thomas (36) bought the business recently from Rachel Erichsen, who earlier this year moved to Denmark.
Senior students have nurtured the school for several months and continued to hold ballet, hip-hop and jazz classes and shows.
"The loss of Rachel left a big hole for many families here. It is pretty exciting to take up the reins," Mrs Thomas said yesterday.
The studio will continue to operate from its Riverbank Rd premises, which Mrs Thomas has leased.
Dance pupil Rogue Ferguson said she was thrilled she could keep dancing with Mrs Thomas.
"I started dancing when I was 4 or 5. I was pretty young when I started. That was in Australia," said Rogue, who has now lived in Wanaka for several years.
Mrs Thomas grew up in the Waikato region. She was dedicated to dancing throughout her school years, had passed her advanced ballet examination by the time she was 16 and performed in many shows and national competitions.
She then gained a degree in sports and leisure studies at Waikato University and a postgraduate diploma in marketing at Victoria University.
However, she continued to study dancing with teachers in New Zealand, Australia and London, and performed in many cabarets, musical productions and shows in the Waikato and Wellington regions.
She also belonged to the Drury Lane Dance Group in Hamilton and taught dance there.
Mrs Thomas moved to Wanaka in 2004 with her police officer husband Mike Thomas. They have three daughters. She and was Treble Cone marketing manager for six years and now has a marketing and communications company, Aspiring Marketing.
Mrs Thomas was encouraged to return to dancing about a year ago by Mrs Erichsen and retired ballet examiner Jenny Kjelgaard, of Wanaka.
"It is nice linking my business skills with a past passion of mine. It is nice to reconnect with it," Mrs Thomas said yesterday.
Dance Wanaka's most recent show was Cirque Du Danse Wanaka at the end of September.
The school is a popular Wanakafest participant and will reprise the show's finale during the parade through town from from 5.30pm on Friday.
