By Don Urquhart, Times Chronicle
When Osoyoos-based Gift of Dance Canada opened its doors three seasons ago, owner and instructor Amanda Klotz surely could not have imagined how fast the small start-up dance studio would grow.
Three seasons later, the studio boasts an enrollment of 100 kids, with about 20 of them competing on regional stages — and the studio is even preparing to send one of its own – Keira Jones – to the Provincials (Junior stage dance – Stage I) representing Penticton this month.
“That’s a big achievement . . . it’s quite exciting,” Klotz says. “This is our first year where I’d say we really had a competitive group of kids and where we’ve had like a full circuit . . . like a competition seat where some of the kids did three competitions.
Competitive dancers (l-r); Back middle – Amanda Klotz (studio owner). Third row – Yustyna Sharanevych, Lexis Launier, Olivia Kunz, Makenzie Lockerby, Kenzie Redekopp, Dallan Dempsey, Nalani Paisley, Reeanne Miller, Estelle Nichol, Hannah Pires, Maya Hannah. Second row – Chloe Quail, Andi Pawluk, Natalie Campbell, Catelea Dewar, Keira Jones, Amira Brar, Emma Parker, Ellie Mader, Sophie Quail. Front row – Savannah Klotz, Kai Paisley.
Gustav Klotz of Klotz Productions photo
In previous years, only a handful of students entered, often with just a single routine. This year, students travelled to multiple events, some dancing in up to three competitions.
The studio’s young competitors took to stages in Kelowna for the Central Okanagan Performing Arts Festival (COPAF); Oliver for the Euphoria Dance Competition and; Penticton for the Kiwanis Music Festival.
Across these events, Gift of Dance students earned various awards including a raft of top place finishes in various groups, solos and duos. “We would like to congratulate them on their amazing achievements and thank them for their dedication to the arts,” Klotz said.
Like most studios around the province, Gift of Dance runs both a recreational stream and a more intense competitive stream, allowing kids and parents to choose the level of commitment that fits them best.
Dancers range in age from two-year-old toddlers – who are just learning to move to music in starter classes – up to 15-year-old competitors who are already comfortable under the glare of stage lights. The youngest competitor is actually Klotz’s daughter who is seven.
Gustav Klotz of Klotz Productions photo
While most of the students are girls, a tiny contingent of boys has begun to carve out space on the studio’s floors with one emerging as a standout. Klotz says they’ve had one from the beginning and a couple more joined but “come and go” because they tend to gravitate toward traditional team sports.
She laughs when it’s suggested that it may take a couple more generations to get greater representation from the boys.
“The one boy that is consistent, he just won a special award in Oliver at the Euphoria competition,” Klotz says. “He got to do what’s called the Emerald Cup, which is kind of like the big final presentation, because he got the highest scoring solo in his division… and he won a couple of special judges’ awards for a hip hop solo, which was pretty fun.”
Klotz’s own path to running a studio in Osoyoos has been anything but ordinary and is very nearly a story unto itself.
Klotz actually grew up in Osoyoos and first discovered dance at a local studio near the elementary school, then known as Crystal Dance Studios. Later, she started going to Penticton, training, competing and eventually teaching at Okanagan Dance Studios.
From there, dance took her much farther afield, literally an ocean away.
She performed on cruise ships as a dancer, then joined The Source Dance Company in Vancouver, where she continued performing and teaching. After returning to cruise ship work, she met her future husband and eventually moved to South Africa, where she ran a large dance studio with nearly 350 students.
“There was lots of performing as well,” she recalls, including appearances in music videos, a few movies, and commercials. The lure of family eventually brought her back to the Okanagan some 20 years after originally leaving.
“I had a child and decided to move back, because my parents and her cousins and auntie are here,” she says.
Shortly after returning, she opened Gift of Dance in Osoyoos — stepping into a gap after a previous local studio closed a few years earlier.
Gift of Dance is located along Highway 97, between the Sun Bowl Arena/skate park and the Baptist Church, in what used to be a Jehovah’s Witness Hall.
“Studio space is always a challenge,” Klotz says, noting the challenges she had in securing the right spot.
Gustav Klotz of Klotz Productions photo
The studio’s main season runs from September to June, effectively mirroring the school year. Alongside the regular programming, Gift of Dance usually offers two summer camps, one in July and one in August, for children who want “a little bit extra” during the holidays.
For kids and families curious about the studio, Klotz suggests the upcoming year-end recital is the best way to see what Gift of Dance is all about. The recital is scheduled for June 12 and 13, with two evening shows currently planned and a possible matinee on the 13th under consideration. Tickets are $10 for seniors and children and $15 for regular admission.
Tickets will be sold through the studio, with dates and times posted on the Gift of Dance website and Facebook page.
For those interested in registering their children, Klotz typically opens enrollment for the fall season right after the recital in July. She encourages prospective families to watch the show first, then sign up once they’ve seen the range of styles and levels on display.
Contact Klotz through the website for information on classes that currently have open registration, as well as summer camps, and classes for the next season which will run from September 2026 through June 2027. Adult classes will also be available again starting with a fall session in September.
