Kayla’s Dance Company is growing in Newton

Kayla’s Dance Company looks a little different these days as the business has expanded into a much bigger space.

Kayla Juni, owner of the dance company, has been involved with dance her entire life — from dancing at Grand View University and UNI to the Chicago suburbs as a dance teacher.

“(I’ve) been dancing since I was four years old,” Juni said. “I knew pretty early on that dance was going to have a special place in my heart.”

The move to Illinois after she graduated college brought new opportunities and sparked a different view of dancing for Juni. She was a dance teacher for preschoolers which gave her insight on a different side of dancing.

“(I) just kind of fell in love with teaching and I always knew that I wanted to work with kids,” Juni said.

While Juni was living in Chicago, she was approached by her former dance teacher who had an intriguing opportunity for her. Juni’s former teacher was the owner of two dance studios in Grinnell and Newton.

“She approached me and said, ‘Would you ever want a reason to move back to Iowa,’” Juni said.

The proposal was for Juni to purchase the second studio space in Newton. After some deliberation, Juni decided it would be a good decision for her as she has a passion for dancing and teaching.

“It was the best thing that I ever decided to do,” Juni said. “This has just been a dream come true.”

Originally when Kayla’s Dance Company first opened in 2016, the studio was located above The Floor Store at 128 N. Second Ave. E. Longtime owners of the flooring shop, Dan and Margaret Ellis, announced earlier this year they were retiring from the business they had owned and operated for more than 30 years. The couple approached Juni to see if she would be interested in taking over the entire building.

“When they approached me about buying the building, it was just another one of those feelings where I felt like I couldn’t say no,” Juni said.

Owning the rest of the building brings plenty of opportunity for Juni from having a building front instead of a small sign and being able to expand the services she can provide by simply having more space to do it.

“It has been amazing,” Juni said. “It has just been a huge asset to have a front desk space.”

Among other benefits of having more space, Juni is hopeful the added storefront will allow for the business to get more exposure and this may open of more residents to the fact there is a dance studio in town.

“Hopefully this will let people know, ‘hey there is a studio right downtown, a block off of the square,’” Juni said.

Kayla’s Dance Company offers dance classes for children of all ages and a competition team dancers can try out for. The company also hosts its annual spring recital where children can showcase what they have learned throughout the year.

“We are very welcoming to everyone that wants to dance and we think that everybody can dance. You are never going to get told no here, that you’re not welcome,” Juni said.

For more information about Kayla's Dance Company, visit its website at kaylasdanceco.weebly.com/.

Contact Dustin Teays at 641-792-3121 ext. 6533 or dteays@newtondailynews.com