Students compete in national tournament in Anaheim this week

Published in the July 20 – Aug. 2, 2016 issue of Morgan Hill Life

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By Robert Airoldi

Lana-Dance-Studio-biz-profi

Photo by Marty Cheek
Lana’s Dance Studio students from left, Maricel Gomez, 17, Kira Villamar, 12, Mia Kanter, 13, Lana Wright, Sophie Gong, 10, Carolyn Chadbourne, 14, and Kylee Gibson, 12, in the Morgan Hill studio.

Lana’s Dance Studio began in 1979 at a small location in Morgan Hill’s Candy Park Shopping Center. After many moves and the expansion of a second location in Gilroy five years after opening, the business is now entering its 38th year of training South Valley children in the art of dance.

Born in Gilroy, raised in San Martin, the petite, energetic Lana Wright knows her roots run deep in the region. San Martin/Gwinn school is named after her grandfather, Raymond Gwinn, a local farmer who sat on the elementary school’s board of trustees for 20 years. Now, closer to age 60 than 50, Wright loves residing in the South Valley with her husband, Doug.
“Despite all the changes, we still have that home-town feeling here,” she said.

Her work teaching dance during the last four decades has transformed the lives of thousands of youngsters. The studio offers a variety of dance in styles ranging from tap, jazz, ballet, pointe, hip-hop, lyrical and cardio/funk. It has tot, recreational, adult, pre-competitive and competitive programs. Many students go on to careers in the performing arts. One just got off tour with singer Ricky Martin. Another, Kara Starkeweather, performed last year with the Flynn Creek Circus, which is returning to Morgan Hill this week.

“One day, I’m going to sit down and count how many students we’ve had who have danced professionally,” Wright said.

The studio’s recreation program is its biggest and suited for every age and gender from 2 through adults. Lana’s also has competitive teams who audition and come from recreational program. Students learn not just how to perform on a stage but how to behave well in daily life, Wright said.

“Number one, we teach our kids to be successful and learn not only at home but from their other mentors and teachers,” she said. “While they are in the classroom they are expected to raise their hands before speaking and use good manners at all times. We want them to put their phones down and be able to engage in a conversation. These rules help set them up for success now, later in school and in life. It teaches them how to get along and work together as a team. It’s very important to us.”

From July 18 to 22, about 110 of the studio’s dancers will be in Anaheim to compete in the Kids Artist Review Nationals.

“It’s one of the biggest competitions, but also one of the best,” Wright said.

Wright took her first steps in a career in dance when she was a 2-year-old. Her mother brought Lana and her older sister to a dance class in Morgan Hill at the Friendly Inn. “I toddled along and I guess I got up and danced,” she said. “It became my passion.”

During high school she participated in gymnastics. When she got to Gavilan Community College, she played softball. While at Gavilan, she worked at Alpha Beta Supermarket in Morgan Hill, but found that grocery job less than fulfilling.

“So I moved to Tahoe and worked at Harrah’s and after about six or seven months my mom and dad urged me to return home and they’d help me open a studio so that’s what I did.”

Now, after 38 years, Lana’s Dance Studio is going strong. Many of her students return year after year. One was just honored for participating for 20 years. And the dancers often entertain locals during festivals and music events.

“We’ve performed in the Fourth of July Parade, Mushroom Mardi Gras, the Christmas Parade and the Friday Night Music Series, to name just a few,” Wright said. “Our goal is to provide a positive and nurturing environment for our dancers to grow and expand their passion for the art. Our kids love to perform.”