Gilbert studio helps people dance the night away

Sep. 4—Husband and wife Anton Silantev and Olga Akopova are looking to bring more than foot-tapping sequences and scintillating ballroom dancing to Gilbert with their Fred Astaire Dance Studios franchise.

The couple took over the Gilbert location at 1435 E. Warner Road two years ago, serving as its primary dance instructors and studio directors, while also fulfilling the owners' duties.

At 5 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 5, they will hold its grand re-opening and celebrate its fifth anniversary — complete with a dance party welcoming the town's residents and a ribbon cutting ceremony by Mayor Brigette Peterson.

But for Silantev and Akopova, their journey with dance and each other began much earlier. Akopova began dancing at age 7, eventually competing professionally, representing her home country Russia.

"Then I started to dance with Anton ...and we became professional champions in Russia," Akopova mused fondly.

They count many accomplishments to their name, including a bronze medal win for their country at the 2014 World DanceSport Federation World Championship.

Five years ago, on the advice of their friends in the United States, the couple moved to Arizona, working with the Fred Astaire Studio in Paradise Valley as professional instructors.

They also won the 2022 Champions Title in the Professional American Smooth category at the USA Dance Nationals.

The Fred Astaire chain has 14 studios spread across Arizona and when the Gilbert location was looking for franchise owners — both Silantev and Akopova decided to take the next step in their professional journey.

"I feel this is a very family-friendly area and it feels very safe. I think in the whole of Arizona, the people are very friendly and calm, you know, compared to big cities. So it's a very nice place to live," Akopova said.

The Gilbert location, like other Fred Astaire studios, offers instruction in different styles of ballroom dancing, including salsa, rumba, bachata, tango and waltz, to name a few. The studio also has lessons tailored to different proficiency levels and event-based tutorials as well.

"Our goal is to take anyone, let's say, from the street with two left feet, who doesn't know how to dance and make them the best dancer they possibly can be in the shortest period of time," Akopova said.

On handling a newcomer's jitters, Silantev said that the nervousness is accompanied with any activity you try for the first time — be it a sport or even something as mundane as starting at the gym.

"That's okay. Most people come like that. And our job as instructors is to deliver the people information — that it's okay when you learn something new, what you never have done before, to feel that way," he said.

Akopova recalled a story narrated by Tony Dovolani, their national dance director and 20-season veteran of the TV reality show "Dancing with the Stars."

One of Dovolani's students was so shy that she refused to step into the studio for the lessons she had booked.

"The most scary part for a lot of people is just coming to the studio and doing this first step," Akopova said.

Besides trying something new, both Silantev and Akopova recommended dance as an excellent form of exercise — helping participants shed a few pounds, maintain good posture and overall stress relief.

"When they practice intensive dances, it is a good workout. It is the same as with running or swimming. They can have different benefits. It's a lot of mental and social benefits," Silantev said.

So what is the couple's ultimate goal when setting up shop in Gilbert?

"Our goal is to charge people's lives so they can feel energized and they can feel that everything is possible, even dancing. Yes, you can work out in fun and this way, you also can meet new people, even if you are shy," Silantev said.

The couple also said people coming to their studio have found their sense of community and built a dance family of sorts through their classes.

"We have people who have lunches together, like to celebrate holidays together, they just became friends," Silantev said. "People like to come here to dance and to spend time together.

"We have dance parties and other dance events. They know each other from different locations and so that's a big group of people."

As for their plans for the grand re-opening and fifth anniversary party — the pair invite Gilbert residents to drop by, even if it was to see the environment, enjoy the music and the professional performances and maybe, start a new hobby of dancing.

Information: fredastaire.com/gilbert or 480-993-0977.