Studio Owner Says You've Gotta Dance

Though Pete Santorelli grew up in a family of dancers and rarely missed an episode of "Soul Train," it took about 30 years for him to realize his hobby's business potential.

A vicious finger injury ended his days as both a construction worker and pianist in 2000. His father suggested becoming a dance instructor, but Santorelli was unsure about its prospects. He gave it a try, and that decision effectively birthed Gotta Dance Ohio, a ballroom instruction studio that opened in late December on .

"The very first time I took a student on the floor and started working with them, I realized I should have been doing this all these years," Santorelli, the sole owner, said of his early instruction days at Fred Astaire Dance Studio in Willoughby.

"Did I ever look back? No."

Gotta Dance specializes in adult ballroom dancing, but offers services to all ages and hosts classes on hip-hop, salsa, the waltz and more. Santorelli handles one-on-one instruction, while Odin Greene and Rachel Arnold spend more time teaching a calendar full of group courses.

The studio also contains space for dance parties and fundraisers, like a Relay for Life Zumbathon on April 21. Santorelli said having space for more than just lessons became a priority the second he explored what his studio would be.

"We came in, looked and part of the cement floor was missing," he said. "All kinds of things were hanging from the ceiling, but I stood (at the front) and could envision carpeting and tables running up and down the wall. It didn't really matter what I looked at after that, I just fell in love with this spot right here."

After his stint at Fred Astaire, Santorelli became one of three partners at Beachwood-based La Danse Cleveland. His hours are longer now, but he doesn't miss having to run vital decisions by others before enacting them. Arnold worked with Santorelli in Beachwood and isn't surprised that area residents are embracing his venture.

"He pretty much taught me everything I know about teaching dance," Arnold said. "It's been a wonderful journey, and I've gained some confidence from it, as well."

The ability to instruct comes being around a family full of dancers, Santorelli said. He believes his parents, at 76-years-old, are still the couple nobody wants to be on the floor with at a wedding.

"To me, (dancing) was something we always did," he said. "I just didn't realize there were so many people out there that literally have two left feet.

"So, I started going to garage sales and collecting right feet and figured I could help somebody."

Santorelli, also a member of a rock band, Mid Life Crisis, says most clients are surprised at how easily they learn new moves.

"Everybody sees it, but they don't realize how easy it is," he said. "Dancing is really nothing more than educated walking to music.

"If you can walk and you can breathe, you can dance."