We had the good fortune of connecting with Kayla Gentry and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Kayla, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
I wanted to create space for dancers in Fort Collins, CO to come and not only take dance classes but in an environment where they feel truly supported and that they could actually grow as a dancer. I call it VYB Dance Classes as in “vibe” in which everyone knows they come into a positive and encouraging energy in every class. In addition, there are not very many places to take adult classes in the northern Colorado area and with that I decided to start my own classes for 16+.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I am most proud about how much VYB Dance Classes has grown in the past year. I started in April 2024 and since then I have had the opportunity to meet so many amazing dancers and have in knowledgeable and passionate teachers in that time period. I started off just teaching all the classes myself, then as we grew, I could bring in more and more teachers. I believe the success is because of the variety of dance styles, teachers and the overall atmosphere in the class. A lesson I have learned and have to continue to remind myself of is to trust the process. You are always going to have doubts when doing things like this, “is anyone going to come to this class” “did everyone like the class” but I learned to have faith in what I was doing, do what I know to make it successful and let everything unfold. Do not give power to anything you cannot control. I want the world to know that at VYB Dance Classes, we just love dance, it truly is as simple as that. We love dance here and we want to make sure that anyone who walks into one of our classes immediately feels and sense of belonging, support and positivity.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
1. Go up to horsetooth to hike and hang at the lake!
2. Go to old town, walking around is just part of the allure. Whether you window shop or actually shop, and get to see all of the little stores, restaurants, etc.
3. Brothers Bar and Grill to play pool and if there was a game on (love their patio too), I love DC Oaks and Krazy Karls Pizza as well.
4. Show at the Comedy Club
5. I haven’t been yet but am dying to go to a cat cafe that opened in Loveland
6. Eagles Game at Blue Arena and any concert Hip Hop, Pop and comedy show happening at Blue Arena!
7. I LOVE escape rooms around town and Loveland Laser Tag

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Brielle Dighero who is the owner of Contemporary Dance Academy has been nothing, but encouraging and supportive throughout this past year getting these dance classes off the ground. Brielle has given me a lot of advice throughout this endeavor on many different topics you have to make decisions on. She was/is always there, and the best part is she genuinely just wants to help me, and my business grow. She’s a one-of-a-kind mentor and I am very blessed to have her in my corner.

Another organization would be the Colorado Eagles Chicks, they gave me my start in the pro dance world, introduced me to amazing teammates, choreographers and other connections in the dance world. Not to mention the CEC coaches Hedy and Melissa who have been nothing but supportive when it comes to VYB and anything I do in my life. Extremely thankful for them!

Website: https://vybdanceclasses.com/

Instagram: @vybdanceclasses

Facebook: VYB Dance Classes

Other: vybdanceclasses@gmail.com

Image Credits
These are all my own pictures.

Also, I really don’t have a ton of in action pictures of classes, I focus heavily on video content, am I able to send you videos at all?

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutColorado is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.