Shirley Temple and Fred Astaire danced into the hearts of millions of Americans through their television sets, and dazzled a young, impressionable Lana Wright.
The San Martin native began taking dance lessons at the age of 2 and grew up frequenting her aunt’s studio.
A decades-long, storied saga of a woman who found her vocation early on in life and sashayed away with it followed.
After opening her first studio 35 years ago in Morgan Hill, followed by a second in Gilroy five years later, Wright has built a dance empire that attracts hundreds of students ranging in ages 2 through 18.
“This is just what I do. This is normal,” said Wright, 55, who still teaches 15 dance classes per week.
Lana’s Dance Studio on Tennant Avenue in Morgan Hill has been open since 1979, followed by a second, smaller studio located on First Street in Gilroy that’s been open for the last 30 years.
Ranked one of the top 50 dance studios in the nation by the Federation of Dance Competitions, Lana’s has produced dancers showcased around the world, including her daughter Leila Wright, who performed with the Radio City Music Hall Rockettes and also cheered for the San Jose Sabercats of the Arena Football League, in addition to the San Francisco 49ers.
Today, 32-year-old Leila Wright hasn’t fallen farther from the tree. She’s a full-time dance competition team instructor at her mother’s Morgan Hill studio.
“I grew up here,” said Live Oak High School and San Jose State alumna, keeping a close eye on her dozen or so teenage pupils warming up in one of the four rooms at Lana’s. “Right here is my first home. The house was my second.”
As the daughter of Morgan Hill’s Dancing Queen, Leila is not the only dancer who grew up in Lana’s Studio.
In fact, a majority of Lana’s students started dancing as soon as they could walk.
Such is the case for alumna Tori Evan, who started taking lessons from Lana at age 2. The 20-year-old is now performing in the Broadway production of “Barbie.” Another one of Lana’s former students, Pauline Locsin-Kanter, is currently a music and dance lecturer at Santa Clara University. Other alumni have been seen on the NFL sidelines of the 49ers, Oakland Raiders, Golden State Warriors, Dallas Cowboys and San Diego Chargers.
“We have girls who dance all over the world,” said Wright, whose six most recent graduates are attending four-year universities, including Dartmouth, Washington and Utah. “It’s a balance. They know they have to get their [school] work done if they want to dance here.”
And dancing is only the half of it.
“I’ve made all my best friends here. We all ended up growing up in the studio together,” said 17-year-old Ashley Robertson, in her 16th and final season at Lana’s, where she scored a role in the dance company’s annual “Nutcracker” production coming up this Christmas season and hopes to claim a second national title with the Lana’s competition team. “It hasn’t only taught me to dance. It’s taught me to be a more well-rounded person.”
Robertson, like so many at the studio, consider Lana a “second mom.” Dozens more alumni return regularly to catch up with their mentor as well as check out the latest aspiring dancers.
On Monday night, Rachel Gipson, 19, dropped in “because we love everybody here. It’s our family.” She was accompanied by Gianna Geraffo, 18, who spent six years dancing at Lana’s.
“Leaving wasn’t really a thought until I had to,” said the University of Southern California student. “Everyone is family here.”
From recreational classes to competition team practices in different styles such as tap, jazz, hip hop, lyrical and ballet, it truly is a dancer’s delight.
Today, more than 600 students are enrolled in at least one class – and, in most cases, multiple classes – throughout the week. The younger groups meet once a week for at least a half hour, while the older competition teams practice up to four times per week.
“There’s a misconception out there that we’re only a competition studio,” said Wright, wanting to set the record straight and welcome even the most casual of dancers. “We cater to everybody’s needs.”
Morgan Hill Parents Tammy and Travis Sluder – whose two daughters, Gabriella, 9, and Paige, 5, are enrolled at Lana’s – can’t say enough good things about the program.
“When you see the competition kids dance, it’s breathtaking,” shared Travis, while his wife interjected that, “it’s the instructors” that separate Lana’s from your run-of-the-mill studio. “The ballet instructor is a trained ballerina … it makes a big difference.”
So does Miss Lana, as she is known to her pupils.
“When I first started, it was because I loved to dance and just said to myself, ‘I’m going to teach kids,’” recalled the former Live Oak High School cheerleader and, later on, Acorn cheer coach who remains just as passionate today as her studio celebrates its 35th anniversary. “Then, we started producing kids that were auditioning and getting all these parts [for various productions].”
Over the years, Wright has escorted her students to regional and national competitions as well as on special studio trips, including a 10-day excursion in 2007 to Brent Street Academy, the leading performing arts school in Sydney, Australia.
“She’s a great person to work for, and I admire what she’s done and grown [her business] into,” said ballet instructor Alessandra Yrure, 25 of San Jose, who choreographs the studio’s annual “Nutcracker” production.
This year’s performance is scheduled for Dec. 20-21 with two shows daily at the Gavilan College Theater.
The staring role of Clara went to 11-year-old Carolyn Chadbourne, who started dancing at age 3, while 13-year-old Gilroyan Josh Escover, an 11th year student at Lana’s, was chosen to play the Prince.
“I was hoping I would get [the lead], but whatever part I got I’d be happy with it,” said Chadbourne, of Gilroy, who takes tap, jazz and lyrical classes at Lana’s. “I was really happy when I got the part.”
With three practices already in the bag, Escover is “comfortable” working alongside Chadbourne. The duo was in perfect sync on a recent Monday as they showed off some moves under Wright’s direction.
Escover was actually chosen for the lead role last year, but Wright made an executive decision to change the format after learning that her hip hop instructor, J.P. Murphy, was diagnosed with breast cancer in Sept. 2012. Instead of a full Nutcracker show, students performed in a winter showcase fundraiser for Murphy.
“She’s amazing,” said Murphy of her boss for the last nine years.
The 30-year-old Morgan Hill resident did not miss a single class, even when she felt weak from chemotherapy treatments.
“It’s what got me through it,” said Murphy, who has been in remission for six months.
For Wright, changing the “Nutcracker” production into a fundraiser for a staff member was the only thing to do. After all, it’s about the family.
