Meet Niki Watrin of West Hills

Today we’d like to introduce you to Niki Watrin.

Hi Niki, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I met my husband on a movie set in Toronto- Long story short we fell in love and he brought me to Los Angeles. At the time I didn’t know anyone in LA but I did know dance. I was a professional dancer ( My claim to fame is the movie chicage where I play Veronica performing the spread Eagle) and a certified gymnastic coach , so I began looking for work at local dance studio’s and gymnastics clubs.

After teaching and coaching at several studios I realized I wanted something more. A friend of mine taught sports in preschools and suggested I explore teaching dance in that setting When I asked her how to get started, she laughed and said, “I don”t know…..you’re the dance teacher!.

So I did what I knew best- I knocked on doors. I visted preschools, asked if they had a dance program and offered free demo classes. A few schools loved the program and invited me to become part of their ciriculum. ……. that’s how Dancekidz was born.

Today we are a mobile company that travels to preschools and elementary schools teahcing dance & gymnastics. to childrern ages 2-12
We currently service 50 schools and continue to grow.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
As our company grew, so did our need for staff. Because our positions are part-time, recruiting and retaining instructors has been our biggest challenge. While the job is incredibly fun & rewarding, maintaining long term staff- beyond three years- can be difficult in a part-time enviroment.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
We specialize in teaching the 2-6years old. We are thier first dance class ever! which makes it fun and rewarding.
We are known for our high energy and teaching childrern to LOVE to dance in an engaging fun way.
Once a child loves to dance you can teach them anything.

I’m most proud of my curriculum. We have a syllabus that our instructors follow. Which entails music
( always hard to find approppriate kids music), props, structure ,teaching good technique and learning to find the fun factor in everything.
We also create some of our own music to fit our themes or any requests we may have from our schools.
We us alot of music from Ballet Preschool Party which I’m the creator, working along side with Kate Eckert collaborater/producer/vocalist.

Another proud moment is teaching a child a new step – having then master it, being so proud of themself when they achieve it & knowing YOU were the one that taught them.

I absolutely love my job! Walking into a school, being mobbed by a ton of preschoolers yelling your name and saying they love you. What’s better than that!

Dancekidz puts joy, confidence & age-appropriate learning ahead of tropies & pressure. Kids aren’t rushed, compared or pushed beyond what’s developmentally right for them.
Kids don’t just dance- they experience the class. I think this set us apart from others.

Changing lives one dance step at a time!

Can you talk to us about how you think about risk?
Starting a business from scatch is RISK taking . You never know if it’s going to last or If it will generate enough income to sustain you, and you invest significant time and energy long before you see the result.

Learning the in’s & out’s as you go can be imtimidating-. Exspecially navigating the legal & adminstrative side of running a business. As a small businessowner I quickly learned that I had to wear many hats
wner,marketer, adminstrator and accountant

I never imagined I would become a business owner, but after seeing what was missing in other young children dance programs I took the risk to create something different.
That desion has paid off- my business has now been thriving for over 20 years.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.dancekidz.info
• Instagram: @dancekidzla
• Facebook: Dancekidz Inc

Image Credits
Photo by Sasha Dymant photography