February 6, 2017

Meet Alina Sachs of Dancify in South Bay – Redondo Beach

Local Stories

Today we’d like to introduce you to Alina Sachs.

Alina, the founder of Dancify – Premier Latin and Ballroom dance studio, started dancing and competing in her hometown Saratov, Russia, at the age of 6. She relocated to the United States at 20, pursuing her career in DanceSport, teaching and competing. It all started in Boston, and eventually, the dance journey brought Alina to Los Angeles, where she created Dancify.

Dancify opened its doors 3 years ago to serve those who are passionate about partner dancing.

Salsa, Argentine Tango, Swing, Cha-Cha, Waltz – you name it, and the instructors at Dancify can teach it all to you!

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It definitely has been an exciting journey so far, with its smooth stretches and great momentum as well as the kind of bumps any small business experiences along the way.

For example, the first time it ever rained water came through the roof, the windows, and the walls! Good thing the students joked about it being the rain forest and kept on dancing.

One of the most rewarding aspects has been the continuous growth of seasonal studio parties with increasingly elaborate dance performances by students. This year’s Holiday Party (“From Russia With Love”) featured 10 fantastic routines!

Dancify – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Dancify teaches the locals of South Bay how to lead and follow on the dance floor.

Students have an opportunity to learn in private as well as group lessons, significantly improve their health, socialize and make new friends. Some take it all the way to the competitive dance floor, compete in Pro/Am around LA or even travel to other states for National competitions. Some take their newly learned or perfected dance skills to the clubs all around the area.

Dancify has taught hundreds of wedding couples their first dance and prides themselves in immaculate choreographies and customized approach.

Kids, from the early age of 5-6, learn their first dance steps at our studio and quite often take their dancing to the local DanceSport events to show off in front of the judges.

It’s been 3 productive years in business that has attracted long-term committed students as well as a growing community of drop-ins.
Alina, Camille, and AJ cover all styles and types of dance; we are a highly complimentary team!

What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
It makes us, dance teachers, incredibly proud to see our students achieve their goal.

One of the proudest moments was seeing our amateur couple (a husband and wife) winning their trophy at the most prestigious dance competition in the country – Emerald Ball, a year ago. They worked hard (3-4 private lessons/week, and numerous group classes and practice parties) for 4 months, and were able to do their best in front of a lot of spectators and judges! Why did they do it? They wanted to challenge themselves for their 50th wedding anniversary!!

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