GOTTA DANCE PHILOSOPHY 

We love what we do and it shows!!!  As we embark on our 14th year in the Orlando area, we pride ourselves on offering our students the best quality dance instruction in a positive atmosphere.  Gotta Dance’s longevity speaks for itself, and we are proud to have positively influenced thousands of students though the years.   

We believe it is important to instill in each of our students a positive sense of self, responsibility and achievement through hard work, teamwork and dedication.  We have set-up a progressive syllabus taught by all of our instructors to maintain uniformity within the curriculum.  Additionally, we are proud to say all of our classes use age-appropriate music, moves and costuming. 

Our friendly staff is comprised of knowledgeable, experienced instructors specializing in teaching all dance styles, ages and levels.  In addition to our extensive dance  backgrounds, we continue our dance education by attending conventions and classes to stay current with the latest trends in all dance subjects. 

We take pride in giving back to the local community.  We are a county-wide Partner In Education with all of Orange County's schools, and we provide donations, supplies, breakfasts, etc. for many of our local schools.  We also offer free performances several times through the year at different community events.

We invite you to stop by our spacious dance studio to view a current schedule of classes, tour the facility, and meet the staff.  We hope you choose to become a part of our Gotta Dance family! 

JACKI KURTZ - Owner/Director

Jacki, the youngest of six children, began dancing at the age of 2 at her mother's dance studio.  Her three sisters are also dance teachers (two of them also own dance studios in Pittsburgh and New Jersey), and they all work closely together in every aspect of the studio. Their mother, Janet, lives on the same street as Jacki, and helps her daughters with studio advice.

Jacki has won numerous outstanding awards at regional and national competitions for both her dancing and her choreography.  At the age of 10, she was one of 10 chosen from 750 dancers to be an indoor football dance team member.  She was the lead in several school musicals, and even performed off-broadway when she was 12.  She won talent scholarships to Point Park University's Summer Dance Intensive, and in high school she had an apprenticeship with modern dance company Dance Alloy.  From ages 15-17, she attended college dance classes for credit, so when she graduated a semester early from high school, she had already completed a semester of college.  At the age of 17, she attended the prestigious University of North Carolina's School of the Arts as a contemporary dance major, then finished her education at Point Park University on a talent scholarship as a contemporary dance major and art history minor.  She also had an apprenticeship with the Martha Graham dance company in NYC at the age of 19.  In 1995, Jacki became of member of Dance Educators of America. 

Jacki and her husband Bill were married in 1997, moved to Florida, and opened Gotta Dance all in the same week!  They have two boys named Wilson (8) and Spencer (6), 3 cats and a dog.   She loves to teach and inspire dancers of all ages.