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Wise Investments - More Companies are redefining themselves, and their futures, in Valparaiso. Valparaiso Magazine Vol. 13 Issue 2 Spring 2013
As Melina Yallourakis offers a tour of United Dance Arts, a dreamlike quality consumes her, as if awed by how her studio, which opened a little more than five years ago, has become Northwest Indiana's largest dance facility.
She stands, for instance, in "The Ballet Room", her hand gliding through the open space to highlight the pink walls and full-length mirrors. Shortly before taking her leave of the room, she steals one last look, smiling. She then arrives at the studios with names like "The Mango Room" and "The Teal Room." Each comes equipped with floors that provide dancers with cushion support for their feet and joints, along with smooth surfaces that are easy on dance shoes. Computer sound systems dot the walls.
Yallourakis nods her head as she takes in the sights. Everything is exactly how she envisioned it to be. Later, she relaxes in the "Fred Astaire Valparaiso Ballroom."
"It's like a dream," she says of the studio. "People are blown away by it. They can't believe how professional it is. We were so blessed to find this place, to have such amazing instructors and staff, all of it. Nothing ever happens by itself. Everyone come together to make it work.
ROOM TO GROW
United Dance Arts, 2759 Morthland Drive, is an example of how businesses are courting success by investing in Valparaiso. Whether it be purchasing an existing site, building a new facility or relocating here from elsewhere, executives at thriving companies say Valparaiso affords the option to create efficient, comfortable workplaces, and with plenty of room to grow.
Take Yallourakis.
When United Dance Arts opened in 2007, she was renting a 6,000 square-foot site on U.S. 30. It met her vision for the studio, but on a smaller scale. She'd had her eye on the 9,000-square-foot Morthland Drive location two miles west for some time. but the former flooring business was out of her price range. Over the next few years, opportunities would come and go for her to acquire the site, but in spring 2012, another deal fell through and the building was hers.
Yallourakis credits her husband, Dimitri, for being "the brains behind the business." By August of 2012, the studio was essentially completed- renovated and redesigned to fulfill her goal of, over time, becoming a full-blown performing arts center.
"He (Dimitri) had a vision laid out to use all the space as efficiently as possible," she says. "People come in and get a very warm feeling, that it's a family-friendly environment."
Indeed, United Dance Arts caters to people of all ages. Students range from 2 to 75 years. Snacks, drinks, and meals are available. Clean, comfortable dressing rooms are accessible. The five studios, joined by viewing areas so families can watch students and instructors interact, include one for martial-arts training. Instructors teach everything from ballet and ballroom to jazz, funk, and hip-hop. In the fall, a new preschool, complete with a certified instructor, will include an emphasis on dance and movement.
"It is so gratifying and rewarding to see people embrace this," Yallourakis says. "I always wanted a place like this. My husband supported it, everyone on the staff has supported it. It's wonderful."
She stands, for instance, in "The Ballet Room", her hand gliding through the open space to highlight the pink walls and full-length mirrors. Shortly before taking her leave of the room, she steals one last look, smiling. She then arrives at the studios with names like "The Mango Room" and "The Teal Room." Each comes equipped with floors that provide dancers with cushion support for their feet and joints, along with smooth surfaces that are easy on dance shoes. Computer sound systems dot the walls.
Yallourakis nods her head as she takes in the sights. Everything is exactly how she envisioned it to be. Later, she relaxes in the "Fred Astaire Valparaiso Ballroom."
"It's like a dream," she says of the studio. "People are blown away by it. They can't believe how professional it is. We were so blessed to find this place, to have such amazing instructors and staff, all of it. Nothing ever happens by itself. Everyone come together to make it work.
ROOM TO GROW
United Dance Arts, 2759 Morthland Drive, is an example of how businesses are courting success by investing in Valparaiso. Whether it be purchasing an existing site, building a new facility or relocating here from elsewhere, executives at thriving companies say Valparaiso affords the option to create efficient, comfortable workplaces, and with plenty of room to grow.
Take Yallourakis.
When United Dance Arts opened in 2007, she was renting a 6,000 square-foot site on U.S. 30. It met her vision for the studio, but on a smaller scale. She'd had her eye on the 9,000-square-foot Morthland Drive location two miles west for some time. but the former flooring business was out of her price range. Over the next few years, opportunities would come and go for her to acquire the site, but in spring 2012, another deal fell through and the building was hers.
Yallourakis credits her husband, Dimitri, for being "the brains behind the business." By August of 2012, the studio was essentially completed- renovated and redesigned to fulfill her goal of, over time, becoming a full-blown performing arts center.
"He (Dimitri) had a vision laid out to use all the space as efficiently as possible," she says. "People come in and get a very warm feeling, that it's a family-friendly environment."
Indeed, United Dance Arts caters to people of all ages. Students range from 2 to 75 years. Snacks, drinks, and meals are available. Clean, comfortable dressing rooms are accessible. The five studios, joined by viewing areas so families can watch students and instructors interact, include one for martial-arts training. Instructors teach everything from ballet and ballroom to jazz, funk, and hip-hop. In the fall, a new preschool, complete with a certified instructor, will include an emphasis on dance and movement.
"It is so gratifying and rewarding to see people embrace this," Yallourakis says. "I always wanted a place like this. My husband supported it, everyone on the staff has supported it. It's wonderful."
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