Meet Nadia Gewarges of Dance Dayz Studio in La Mesa

Today we’d like to introduce you to Nadia Gewarges.

Nadia, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
How I started:
I myself was never an excellent dancer. I was good, but never front and center. Practiced and took it seriously, but never competed or won titles. Dance, in all honesty, was not a huge part of my life and was simply something I enjoyed alongside all my other extracurricular activities. Senior year in high school, I got the chance to be a dance team captain, which meant I got to choreograph, choose music and costumes- this opportunity shifted my entire view of being a dancer and made me realize that I loved all of these background parts more than performing myself. I loved finding music, rummaging through costume boxes, choreographing, and most of all teaching (at this point just my peers). After graduating high school, I stayed local for college at SDSU and was taking a dance class for fun at a studio by my house. One of the teachers was leaving to go be a traveling performer and I was asked to teach a couple of dance classes a week in her place. I jumped at the opportunity! That first day of class I had written out exactly what I was going to say, the songs and steps across the floor, and minute by minute how I was going to conduct class. I have to say it went very well and the kids were great! I learned how to be a better teacher and those few hours became a major highlight of my week. I LOVED teaching dance.

After graduation, I took a number of different day jobs, but I kept my position as a dance teacher as a creative outlet in the evenings. I realized that although I hadn’t loved being a performer myself, I loved seeing the passion in my students and loved motivating them to do better: jump a little higher, turn a little faster, add a sound to that tap trick to make it harder. Perfection wasn’t going to be something they ever achieved. There was always going to be something greater to work towards, something to make them better! As much as I loved teaching, I never in a million years thought of opening my own dance studio. That is, until, I got married in 2016 to a wonderful young man named John Gewarges who motivated me that give me a taste of my own advice: there’s always a greater goal to achieve and always something God is preparing you for.

My husband was still a student and we were only married a few months when he was offered a full-time internship opportunity at Tesla… in Silicon Valley. This meant leaving everyone and everything I knew my entire life and moving away. I am a very social person and get energized by the people around me. I love spending time with family and friends, so knowing that we were going somewhere where I knew no one and my husband was going into a job he was made for with kind-of a built-in social life, I had to get a job ASAP. The night before we left, I responded to an ad for dance teaching near where we would be living.

The next morning we packed up our life into a U-Haul and made our way up the coast. On the drive up, I checked my email and had received job offers from two dance companies. The jobs were teaching dance classes at different recreation centers around San Jose County. My bosses worked remotely, had kids, families, managed contracts with multiple recreation center locations, and made looking like having their own profitable dance companies a totally doable thing. I had never seen anything like it. In general, I have to say all of Silicon Valley is very motivational. Everyone is starting companies, super techy, and as much as I hated it there, being there was what motivated me to take something like this one for myself when we moved back. I had had a number of jobs my whole life and working for someone no matter how much I loved what I did was always such a hindrance. There was always something I knew could be done better, and as an employee, there’s not a lot you can do.

I come from a family of entrepreneurs and so I wasn’t afraid to take a leap and just do it. My dad came to America when he was 18 years old, just over 40 years ago. He worked in fast food during the day and night shifts at a service station in South Central LA before opening his own service station, buying a house for his family that he brought from Jordan, meeting my mom, having me, and moving to San Diego where he opened more businesses, had two more sons, and made a good life for himself and his family. I knew that if he can do it starting with walking off a plane with only a few hundred dollars, knowing no English, and make the American Dream a reality, then I, with none of those obstacles have no excuse to not at least try to pursue entrepreneurship and make opening my new dance studio dream a reality.

My time as a dance teacher in Silicon Valley was a HUGE learning experience. I was asked to teach things I had never taught before, ages I had no experience with, and really had to dig up every ounce of creativity I could muster to make these classes be the best I could. It definitely was different. Being in a new place with parents that honestly could have cared less what my first name was was hard to swallow when all I had were memories of my experience here at home in San Diego, where the families were my friends and I had relationships with all of my students.
But I made the most of it and took it for what it was: a learning experience that I would eventually get to walk away from and come home.

My husband John had to finish school so we moved back to San Diego and I immediately got to work brainstorming… but where to start? I went to Starbucks, opened my laptop, and Googled “how to start a dance studio”. From there, I would say the rest is history. I just took off running! With this new dream brewing, I did not go back to any of my jobs upon moving back to San Diego, and so for 6 or more hours a day, I was on my laptop brainstorming, planning, learning, and making life-changing decisions with more money and more responsibilities than I had ever dealt with before, and it was all.on.me. Yes, my husband was totally there for me if I needed advice and supported the plans for me to pursue this dream that was coming together. It took an entire year, but exactly 1 year after coming home, I opened for Dance Dayz Studio’s first day of classes on September 4, 2018, in Grossmont Center, La Mesa.

How I got to where I am today:
I started in September with about 20 families, teaching all but one of the classes; and ended our first season in June with 114 families and bringing 3 staff members on board to teach while I managed. Reflecting on that first year, “a lot of work” is an understatement. With more students enrolling meant opening more classes, hiring more staff, managing more lessons, music, choreography, costumes, highs, lows, and people! Taking the time, of course, when I got the chance to look up and truly appreciate the little community that was forming at MY dance studio.

I couldn’t be where I am today without these families that love bringing their children to the studio every week for classes, with my staff that are talented and flexible, husband John who pushed me to pursue this, my family for being there for me, and God for opening the doors and making this studio more than I imagined in such a short amount of time. I am looking forward to another amazing year and making an impact on the community with positivity and promoting what I’ve kind of adapted as our slogan: fitness, friendship, and fun!

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Honestly, it has been a smooth ride for the most part. There were some bumps along the way: like people in my planning process not following through, a location change (which worked out VERY MUCH for the better, but was hard to accept at first- I thought my dream was over #dramatic), and just the unknown as the year progressed! I had no training in something like this and really just had to learn as I was going. Thankfully, the parents all saw this, knew I was new, and were super supportive! More than half of them are back and we are only five weeks into the new season.

What do you do, what do you specialize in, what are you known for, etc. What are you most proud of? What sets you apart from others?
The short answer to what we do: we teach (a variety of) dance classes.
We offer Parent Participation classes (Dance & Tumble Together, and Baby Ballet) weekdays and Saturday mornings, which is awesome for littles who have never been in a school-type setting with other children and a teacher. Even our 1-year-olds make friends with each other, and it’s just amazing to be the reason these people are meeting and kids are laughing and learning.

Then when they are ready to progress and do class by themselves, we have a number of classes to join that are combo classes like tap and ballet, or hip hop and tumbling. When they’re ready to choose what they want more training in we offer full classes in one type like tap, ballet, hip-hop, cheer, or our super fun musical theater class.

To me, though it’s so much more than teaching dance. Yes, I need to provide quality dance classes, build students’ skills, encourage them, challenge them, and be a positive role model for them. But I just as equally want to build a community of dancers and parents cultivating relationships.

After only one year together, a number of the girls now know each other from last year and I can’t explain how much joy I get seeing them talk and laugh as FRIENDS not just classmates that they see one or two hours a week. Watching the moms talk and laugh together as they let their children play on the grass outside in the courtyard after class just makes me smile ear to ear. I’m simply blown away by what has happened so far and so excited because the best is yet to come!

I would say we specialize in younger students. Being in early childhood education most of my young adult life, those are the kids I have learned how to talk to, connect with, engage, and I am teaching my staff to do the same. We have a “Princess Ballerinas” program geared towards that special preschool age of 3-5 that is very popular! Every two months there is a new theme, new songs, and a mini-performance. The way these girls come running to give me a hug before class, or how their eyes light up when they hear their favorite princess song start to play just motivates me even on the hard days and reminds me to keep doing what I am doing.

We also started offering classes for special needs teens and young adults: Musical Theater on Mondays and Jazz on Wednesdays. I have a heart for these students also because I have cousins that have disabilities and when I’m talking to some of these kids and adults, I just see my family and it warms my heart to be a positive outlet for them as well.

I think my goal(s) are what makes me different than other studios. My sole goal isn’t money, gaining self-recognition, or winning competitions. There is of course nothing wrong with those things! But for me, it’s about fitness, friendship, and fun. I think being straight-forward about these goals is attracting the “right” people for me and Dance Dayz Studio.

Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
I don’t believe in luck, but if I did I would say I have been pretty lucky. I believe that you reap what you sow; and faith and prayer play a huge role in my life. I made this quote the background on my phone to remember on the hard days when I feel like this (the business) is getting bigger than I can manage or I hit a road bump that I’m not sure how I’ll get over: “Don’t dig up in doubt what you have planted in faith”.

In my life, I have had my fair share of ups and downs. I would say the greatest tests in my life (downs) have come from things that really rocked my world. I got my newly acquired driver’s license taken away by the doctor. I dealt with that on and off through my early college years. It’s totally under control now, I drive, and it doesn’t affect me in a negative way anymore, but taking medicine every day does suck.

Pricing:

• Classes range from $38.00-$55.00 for one class a month
• We offer a generous discount for taking multiple hours per week, with a second class and more being only an extra $25-30 a month
• Multi-student discounts (per household) 10% off their total
• Rent the studio (host your own party or event) starting at $95.00 for two hours.
• Birthday Parties (dance teacher hosted) starting at $250.00
• Summer Camps starting at $99 for the week
• Private Lessons starting at $35/30 minutes

Contact Info:

• Address: 5500 Grossmont Center Drive #106
  La Mesa, Ca 91942
  We are located on the Target side in the courtyard between Sees Candy and Panera Bread.
• Website: dancedayzstudio.com
• Email: dancedayzstudio@gmail.com
• Instagram: @dancedayz
• Facebook: /dancedayzstudio

Suggest a story: SDVoyager is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.