The Briefing

Kathy Levyn has been dancing since childhood. She was a professional jazz dancer for many years, and even traveled with the Ringling Bros. Barnum & Bailey Circus. About four years ago, Levyn decided to seek advice from a small-business consultant. With the consultant’s help, the entrepreneur took a stab at various entrepreneurial approaches to dance before hitting upon a winning niche for her North Hollywood-based company, Dancing for Life With Kathy Levyn. Today, she prepares couples to step out on the dance floor on their wedding day. Shelly Garcia spoke with Levyn about how she found and developed her specialty. “I got into ballroom dancing in 1986. I actually taught for Arthur Murray for awhile, but that wasn’t the best situation for me, so I decided to branch out on my own. “About four years ago I went to a business consultant who has helped me to build my business. We tried different avenues to see what works and what doesn’t. Private school didn’t work. I don’t know why. They just didn’t bite. I’ve tried (to teach dancing at) Quinceaneras (15th birthday parties for Latinas). That doesn’t seem to work because the expense all falls on one person. “Then my sister kept telling me I should get into the bridal world, and finally I started to do that. I joined a wedding-and-party professionals group. “I do mailings every month to prospective brides. I also advertise in some bridal publications. A lot of it is word of mouth and referrals from people who have taken lessons from me. I go to people’s homes, which most people like because they don’t have to be around other people and feel uncomfortable. “Usually people want to learn to dance to whatever their first dance (as a married couple) might be, and it depends on their song. If their song is a fox trot, that’s the style of dance they will do. Then there’s times when they don’t know what their song is. I see what dance style suits them best, and they pick their song based on that. “Mostly the bride initiates the idea. A lot of the time it’s hard for some of these grooms to get motivated. So it depends on how willing the groom is. “I charge different prices, depending on the number of people involved. Sometimes it’s just the bride and groom. Sometimes it’s the whole wedding party. Business has increased through the years. I go to the business consultant weekly and we focus on different things. “I think there are phases where one dance style might be more popular and people might go for that, but I think ballroom and swing will always be there, and younger people are getting into it, especially swing.”