Meet Liv Gaugain | Dance Studio Owner & Artistic Director

We had the good fortune of connecting with Liv Gaugain and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Liv, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
I had been working as a dance teacher for almost 15 years. And I loved teaching. I absolutely adore building relationships with my students and their families.

For many years, I felt my desire to build a strong community amongst the students was pushed aside by my bosses or overlooked to prioritize profitable events. Dance can be such a powerful tool and I just wanted to be able to offer it to kids that didn’t have the financial support.

So it was time. I just knew.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
If we were located in a small town in the mid-west, we would have no problem being the talk of the town! But we are located in Los Angeles… more specifically in the San Fernando Valley… there are so many dance studios! So many!!!

Most dance studios have pretty intense competition teams. The students compete almost every weekends and spend a lot of money on conventions and competitions. For those studios, their recreational classes come second.
We are not a competition studio, I believe that teachers are able to train beautiful dancers without those extra activities. We still take some of our kids to one or two conventions/competitions a year but we do not create our program around it.

Also, we put as much love and energy into our recreational program.
Why would a child who is only able to come once a week not receive the same level of instruction as a child who comes four times a week?
Pre-covid, we were also able to provide scholarships to children who want to dance but they families aren’t able to support them financially. We’ve always kept their anonymity as we don’t want the scholarship recipients to feel any different.
Unfortunately, we have not been able to offer any scholarship since the beginning of the pandemic, but we are hoping to be able to in 2023.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Let’s see… We would drive up the PCH, stop by Malibu seafood for lunch; go to the beach, dip our toes in the cold Pacific Ocean!
We also could go see a sports event. LA has so many amazing teams.
We can also do Movie Studio Tours, that’s also a crowd pleaser for non-LA residents.
We can also go to my favorite restaurant, Angelini on Beverly before heading to a performance at the Music Center.

The good thing about LA is that everyone can find something to do they like!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?

I would definitely not be where I am without the love and support of my husband Mack and my daughter Kaya.
Long days and busy weekends could take a toll on the family life, but instead, we got tighter and we are much stronger together.

I also want to thank our amazing students and their families. We could not have survived the pandemic (or barely survived, I should say…) without their trust, loyalty, help and support. Gosh, I love them, and I am so grateful!

Lastly but not least, my staff!!! Teachers and administrators are an integral part of our well-oiled machine. They are my family, my friends and I am so thankful to have them on my team.

Website: http://www.livartdance.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/livartdance/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/livartdancestudio/