MORGAN HILL
– The studio is neatly tucked away next to a Super Taqueria and
the recently vacated location of the Morgan Hill Gavilan campus,
but Dance Unlimited has been successful and is now celebrating a
huge milestone.
MORGAN HILL – The studio is neatly tucked away next to a Super Taqueria and the recently vacated location of the Morgan Hill Gavilan campus, but Dance Unlimited has been successful and is now celebrating a huge milestone.
It has been 10 years since the studio first opened its doors, and it has grown each year since. According to Dance Unlimited’s owner, Jackie Butkivich, the studio is a place with good teachers that teaches students a bigger lesson than how to dance.
“We’re the best kept secret in South County,” Butkivich said. “We’ve had several students go to college who used dance to give them confidence and a way to organize their time.”
The studio teaches students that they can do what they want, and it gives them the confidence to do so. Butkivich says that many students who may not be able to handle getting up in front of crowds soon build confidence and learn to enjoy speaking in class.
“We’ve had children come in who are really shy,” said Butkivich. “Now they are able to give speeches and talk at school. They are going out to life knowing they can do what they want.”
One girl who has been dancing since age two says that her confidence has been built in the six years that she has been dancing.
“I saw all the older people dancing, and I wanted to be like them,” said Danielle Gnibus, 8, who attends Carden Academy. “I wanted to be inspired. I used to be shy. Now I can dance 12 hours a day if my parents would let me.”
The school will take anyone with any skill level and work with them. That was the experience of Caitlin Beasley, 13, who is an eighth-grader at Britton Middle School. She says that, with the help of Dance Unlimited, she now wants to be a singer/actress like Britney Spears.
“When I first started, I was not very good,” Beasley said. “I received some constructive criticism. They work you more than some studios. It was fun and I became a lot better.”
Over the years, the students were able to travel on the competition team, taking them to places like Los Angeles, Las Vegas and Lake Tahoe. At Tahoe the students performed on a stage that Elvis helped to build. They were among the last groups who performed on the stage before it was taken down.
The competition teaches the students how to perform in a competitive setting. According to Beasley, the different competitions have helped her confidence and allowed her to grow closer to her fellow dancers.
“I get to learn how to perform; how to dance for judges,” she said. “Even if you’re not the best, you can still be on the team. We’re one big family. There is always some one who will help you. If I could dance everyday, all day, I would.”
The studio is continually expanding the classes it offers. Currently ballet, modern, jazz, Pilates, kickboxing and zoofari are offered. Pilates works certain muscle groups to make sure that one group is not stronger than another. Zoofari is for younger students. The class allows the students to explore dance on the stage and act like animals.
“It’s a take on Gymboree with a dance edge,” said Butkivich. “It allows kids to explore on their own.”
Dance Unlimited also brings together different choreographers from around the state, and beyond. The studio organizes camps and brings people from Los Angeles to teach the students different dance moves. Butkivich says that everyone who attends the camps enjoys them, including the guest instructors.
“This is the third year that they have come,” Butkivich said. “They love it here, and they keep coming back.”
The students also enjoy the experience they gain at Dance Unlimited.
“I love everything there,” Gnibus said. “My friends are there and the teachers are wonderful. I love being with my friends on stage and talking with them on stage.”
Aside from the new classes, Butkivich says that she would like to get more involvement from parents. She says that the more parents are involved, the more excited the children feel about performing.
“We’re working for family involvement,” said Butkivich. “It makes the kids feel more important when their parents are there with them. It helps families understand what the kids are doing.”
