Lana’s Dance Studio prides itself on the clean and polished appearance of its dancers.

Some of Lana’s alumni students pose for a photo on the dance recital stage. Lana Wright stands at the center. Kaylee Arca is second from the right on the back row. Photo courtesy Lana’s Dance Studio.

By Kaylee Arca

Kaylee Arca

Ben Franklin said there are only two certainties in life: death and taxes. But I have a third. I was certainly born to dance.

My parents enrolled me in recreational classes at Lana’s Dance Studio at three years old. Six years later, I tried out for the competition team. In the summer of 2008 at nine years old, I joined the “Gems,” the youngest and newest competition team. I was a “Gem” for nine years until I graduated high school in 2017 and aged out of the competition teams.

Growing up, dance was my everything and consumed my free time outside of school. As the years have flown by and I am now in my mid-20s, I miss the lively, joyous times in the studio and performing on stage. But this June, I temporarily re-entered that dancing world.

Lana Wright opened Lana’s Dance Studio in Morgan Hill in 1979. This summer, young dancers and alumni hit the stage for the 45th annual recital. It was Father’s Day weekend when friends and family filled the red velvet seats of the Center of Performing Arts in downtown San Jose to watch students perform tap, jazz, ballet, and hip hop routines in sparkly costumes.

Every five years, Wright welcomes back graduated competition team alumni to perform a reunion dance in the recital. This year, almost 60 alumni traveled from around the nation to participate in the reunion tradition. The diverse group included college students, moms, and professional dancers.

Photo courtesy Lana’s Dance Studio
Competition team alumni from Lana’s Dance Studio return every five years to dance together. Lana Wright is in the center of the front row.

 

I joined the cast of women for the second time in the alumni dance. Returning to the studio and stage was surreal. The reunion brought back mountains of familiar yet distant memories from Wright drilling choreography during practice, to the smell of hairspray in the dressing room, and even sweating beneath the blistering stage lights.

Lana’s Dance Studio prides itself on the clean and polished appearance of its dancers. This includes slicked-back hair and bright red lipstick. Reapplying the classic MAC Ruby Woo lipstick resurfaced years of expectations and best practices Wright continues to instill in her dancers. These lessons are more than how to kick, turn, and groove. Dancers learn camaraderie, teamwork, accountability, commitment, dedication, and more. These are lifelong skills I always take with me.

The joyous reunion also brought feelings of longing. Coming into my mid-20s, I find myself searching for a creative outlet and space to meet like-minded friends my age. For years, the dance studio was my sanctuary. Now outside of the competition team discipline, I am on my own to find casual adult dance classes to maintain my health and fill my free time.

I will always be thankful for Wright’s years of support. The skills and values I learned at Lana’s Dance Studio birthed healthy habits and passion that I continue to use today. I would encourage anyone to take a dance class. You’re never too old to start!

Kaylee Arca is a Morgan Hill-based freelance reporter. She wrote this column for Morgan Hill Life.