Batavia Academy of Dance

Studio director Gugliuzza's passion for dance is lifelong

After I stumbled through a class in line dancing at the Dallas Bull in Tampa, I watched with great admiration a young woman gracefully doing the West Coast Swing. Oh my, it was pretty. My dance partner said, "Yeah, she's great. You can tell she's had a lot of ballet. "

Anne Gugliuzza, artistic director and owner of Batavia Academy of Dance said, "Ballet is the foundation of all dance and other movements, too" she said. "Even football players can benefit from ballet."

After 16 years teaching dance in Chicago area schools and performing professionally, Gugliuzza opened her own dance studio in April. "It's been my dream as long as I can remember. It was time to take the plunge."

Gugliuzza and her two dance instructors teach in a ballroom that was a dance hall during WWII and an American Legion Hall after. The maple dance floor has been restored.

"It's got good bounce. It's what I trained on," said Gugliuzza, who began dancing at age 3 to correct her flat feet. "My parents couldn't afford orthotics. The doctor told my mother to get me into ballet to strengthen my ankles."

Gugliuzza choreographed her first dance when she was ten. "That's when 'it' came. When I dreamed in choreography. I taught the neighborhood kids and we formed a dance crew and performed all around."

One of her career highlights as a professional dancer was choreographing a dance sequence with her troupe for Dance Chicago. "It was better than money. Oh my. Thank you.

"I'd like to make dance possible for everybody. It's my life, my passion. I wish I could give it away."

The studio does offer a work/study scholarship for some lucky aspiring dancer, who will receive one hour of instruction for every hour spent assisting the instructors.

"The business part is hard. I'm an artist," said Gugliuzza. "The more time I spend in the office the less time I spend dancing or teaching."

On one wall of the dance studio are hand prints and signatures of dance students who made them. "We want to remember every student. It makes us better teachers. I hope someone who made that (print) when they were eight will come back when they're 20."

Gugliuzza, who also holds a degree in psychology from Dominican University, opened her first summer session with 15 students. She increased that number to 38 the second session.

Fall classes of 36 weeks for young dancers are forming now. Their lessons are curriculum based and designed to be progressive. Instruction is $15/hour. Classes for adults are eight weeks long.

For class schedules, see the Web site bataviaacademyofdance.com .