49ers, the Oakland Warriors, the Dallas
Cowboys and the San Diego Chargers.
A Recipe for Success
As interested children come into the
studio, they are initially grouped by age,
but very quickly the teachers assess their
skills and readiness, and move them
into classes based on their skill level.
The kids are then given a wide
artistic exposure to multiple kinds of
dance ranging from ballet to hip-hop,
jazz, tap and contemporary. Lana partly
credits this wide range of dance styles to
their continued success in competitions.
“My kids do so well because they can
pick up any style,” she said. “You can’t
be a well-rounded dancer if you only
take from one teacher.”
There’s more to her formula of
success, however, she said. “Our theory
is that all of my teachers work together
and there’s no ego. All the teachers have
a piece of the pie.”
She raves about her teachers, of
whom she has about 11 on staff right
now. Most of them have other jobs,
as well, and some may only teach one
style, but she counts them as family.
Wright herself still teaches, as well,
something about which she said she
is often asked.
She is particularly excited about
what one of her teachers, named
Brooke, is bringing to the program.
Brooke was one of the youngest
professional ballerinas to dance with the
San Francisco Ballet and Boston Ballet
companies, at age 17. She went on to
open her own ballet school in Idaho,
and then moved back to Morgan Hill.
“She did a whole new syllabus for the
ballet program, bringing her knowledge.
It’s exciting because the kids are pro-
gressing nicely,” Wright shared.
She also emphasizes discipline and
organization. “If you’re not disciplined
in the classroom, you can’t get any-
thing accomplished. You have to
be organized, be on time, and bring
all your equipment.”
Many of the kids who end up on
the competitive teams, she said, are
“Type-A, and leaders” and her staff
works hard to help these kids learn to
take a step back when necessary, and
to shine when they can.
“We remind them that everyone is
going to get a turn.” Eventually, the
stronger personalities level out and the
shyer kids learn to step forward. “It’s so
great to see them all work together.”
For the Love of Dance
The competitive side of the program
takes dedication and work, and can be
intense at times, so Wright said they
try to lighten it up by having as much
fun with them as possible. Whether
that’s Wright herself dressing up as a
hip-hop version of Tigger from “Winnie
the Pooh” and dancing with the kids,
or skit nights, which bring levity and
teamwork together. She always tries to
emphasize to the kids, “It’s not about
placing [at a competition] but doing
better each time.”
“To survive in this industry is tough,
but we have our system.” She recounted
the praise of a woman who witnessed
her teams dancing at Nationals. “She
said ‘I don’t know what your formula
is, but just keep doing it, because it
works.’”
Wright reiterates that it’s not the
trophies that make her proud, but
the growth of the children who come
through her program. “It’s seeing these
kids grow and become these great
individuals,” she said. She still receives
texts and emails from many students
who have gone on to college
and beyond.
The studio runs full-time
programming from September to June,
for all ages, from two years old all the
way up to adults, concluding with
the annual show, and then drops into
a slightly slower summer program.
During the summer months they do
roll out two-week intensives, which are
a requirement for anyone wishing to
qualify for a competitive team.
Sometimes Wright is approached
for special lessons, such as a recent gig
choreographing a dance for a debutante
ball where the teenage boys admitted
dancing was a lot more work than they
realized.
When she’s not teaching, Wright
is busy doing all of the other admin-
istrative tasks that come with a
business, and not least of all, is person-
ally responsible for the ordering and
sizing of the hundreds of costumes
for the show. They are also consid-
ering expanding the Morgan Hill
location with an additional room to
accommodate additional students.
While she imagines she’ll retire and
travel someday, handing off the busi-
ness to her daughter to run, right now
she’s happy being in the thick of it.
Mainly, Wright is proud to have “put
a little stamp” on her students’ lives.
Power of Dance
While dance undoubtedly builds
physical strength and skills, Wright also
expounds upon the intangible benefits
and life skills it teaches: “It gives kids
confidence they can use in school. You
have to be able to stand up in front of
a class. You have to learn to wait your
turn. It teaches them to be kind
and thankful.”
GILROY • MORGAN HILL • SAN MARTIN
OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2018
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