Business: GV Dance & Fitness
Address: 631 E. Ogden Ave., Naperville
Phone/website: 331-226-6905, www.gvdancefit.com
Owner: Genevieve Garcia, 35, of Downers Grove
Years in business: Three months
What does your business do? “We offer youth and adult dance and fitness classes. We’re more like a traditional dance studio. We have ballet, jazz, hip-hop. We’re going to offer Irish dance soon. … The goal is to get great teachers and keep kids moving. Our focus is definitely youth. The adult side of it is going to be growing,” Garcia said.
Where does the fitness come in? “On the adult side, fitness and wellness is a big passion of mine. I ran the fitness program and the dance program concurrently at the Park District of Oak Park previously. There’s so much overlap. It’s about moving your body and taking care of your mental, emotional wellness around music, for the most part. With that at the center, I wanted to offer fitness classes for adults. I have an adult hip-hop class running. Adult ballet. We’ll have Pilates, yoga.”
How many teachers work here? “Right now, it’s just me. I’m talking with Irish dance teachers and a ballet teacher about when they’re going to start.”
What’s your background? “I grew up dancing. I worked in studios. I grew up with a single mom, not a lot of money. I love dancing, obviously. The only way to get into dance classes was to work in the studio. So, I did that as a kid. Went to college for dance at Northwestern (University). I graduated in 2009, a degree in dance and a minor in global health. … After college I performed with a student group called Boomshaka. … I had three jobs. I put myself through college. Northwestern is not cheap.”
What did you do after college? “I had my own dance company. Performed in Mexico City, New York, Chicago, San Francisco. I knew I liked organizing things. I would run shows.”
Does dancing pay well? “Dancing professionally? Not typically, no. It’s rare to fund your whole life on that. You go in thinking, ‘What else am I going to do?’ For me, it wasn’t teaching at the time. So, I did other stuff. Discovered I liked running businesses and learned a lot from them. As soon as I had a daughter, I wanted to do something more. I want to give more to the world. That’s when I started working at the park district in Oak Park. … I was running the programs there and thought, ‘Wait, I’m good at this. Why don’t I try doing it for myself?'”
Why are you in Naperville? “I wanted to be in a community that has a spectrum of socio-economic families so I can serve a wide array. … They support local businesses. That’s important to me.”
What’s so special about dancing? “I love moving. I think that all humans need physical activity to balance their lives, to live happily. And, I love music. When I get to share that with others, especially kids, it’s the best possible thing I can give them.”
What about pricing? “The more you buy, the less it is. It’s usually around $16 per class. I want it to be reasonable.”
What’s your goal? “Creating artists and athletes because I think you can really have both. Within that, create a community of connections, kids and families can connect and grow together. The ‘dance mom atmosphere’ is not necessary. We want. ‘Hey, your kid did awesome.'”
When kids come in, what happens? “They’re usually running around all the time, so they’re pretty athletic by being a kid. My 5-year-old can outrun me. … It’s about teaching them technique, how to use their body, letting them be creative and having teachers who show them things about posture, alignment and coordination. This can serve you forever.”
What do you like best? “Having a positive presence in the community, especially for youth.”
Any negatives? “We’re at the start, the toughest chapter.”
What misconceptions do people have? “They think it’s all ballet or it’s only for girls, which is not the case.”
Any challenges? “Getting the word out.”
Any favorite stories? “A mom reached out and said, ‘(My daughter) literally loves your class so much she talks about it all week long.’ It feels like I’m covered in gold.”
What’s your advice for someone starting a business? “Know deeply why you want to start the business. It can’t be just for money. The money will come if the value is there.”
If you know of a business you’d like to see to profiled in Down to Business, contact Steve Metsch at metschmsfl@yahoo.com.
Steve Metsch is a freelance reporter for the Naperville Sun.
