Action Dance Academy comes to town

Well-known dance family moves in on Kimball Drive

Susan Schell

of the Gateway

Harbor Conservatory of Dance in Gig Harbor was purchased by Action Dance Academy in June and is now in the reigns of 24-year-old Jacob Rodvelt-Gamlieli.

The young business owner comes from a strong dance background — his aunt and uncle own Elite School of Dance, which was founded by his grandparents, in Puyallup. His family once owned an Action Dance Academy in Sumner in 1984, but it closed when his grandparents moved away.

“A lot of people know my parents and grandparents,” he said. “I have people come up to me and say, ‘I danced with your mom and grandma and I held you in my arms as a baby,’ or ‘I danced 35 years ago with your grandparents.’ ”

Rodvelt-Gamlieli has been dancing since he since he was 2. He is trained in tap, jazz, ballet, hip-hop, creative movement, step dancing and lyrical style.

Tap is his favorite form.

“I don’t like to stretch out every day, which is necessary for ballet and jazz,” he said. “Tap is ‘dancical’ — you’re dancing, and you’re also making music. With other dance, the music is in the background. With tap, you’re also making your own music.

“Everyone in my family danced, and I was always at the dance studio as a kid, because we didn’t have babysitters,” he added. “I grew up in this business.”

Rodvelt-Gamlieli said he’s heard people make snide remarks about a business being “handed” to him at such a young age.

“Yes, I’m young, but I have worked for it,” he said. “You hear about these poor little rich kids who were given the same opportunities as I was and didn’t do anything with it. They walked away because they didn’t want to be constrained.”

Rodvelt-Gamlieli also owns an Action Dance Academy in Tacoma. He says is a plus, because it gives students more options and offers his dance instructors a shot at full-time work.

“It’s hard being a dance teacher — it’s hard to make a living,” he said. “One studio is not enough. But with one employer at multiple campuses, they can get a full week’s worth of work.”

Tacoma and Gig Harbor have a different “feel,” Rodvelt-Gamlieli said, but the two cities compliment each other very well.

“We have a lot of professionals in Tacoma that come down from Seattle,” he said. “And we have veteran teachers in Gig Harbor that had a different view.”

The studio in Gig Harbor was formerly Harbor Conservatory of Dance. Rodvelt-Gamlieli said other bids were put in to purchase the location, but the former owner chose him because his philosophy closely matched the former owner’s.

“The owner had built something she was really proud of, and she didn’t want to see what she built ruined,” he said. “We’ve made just a few changes, like bringing in stereo speakers and a new piano. The place is different, but still the same.”

Rodvelt-Gamlieli said he would like to some day build his own dance studio from the ground up, but right now he’s focusing on running the business and teaching tap classes.

“Every year I draw a sketch of a building I’d like to have,” he said. “I’ve always been interested in architecture. I think if I wasn’t raised in a dance family, I wouldn’t be a dancer. But I don’t know what life is like without dance.”

New students accepted

Action Dance Academy is accepting new students for its fall season. For information or class schedules, call 253-857-7063.

Action Dance Academy is located at 6820 Kimball Drive in Gig Harbor.

Reach reporter Susan Schell at 253-853-9240 or by e-mail at susan.schell@gateline.com.