Come and Take It Dance is a thriving arts and dance studio in Gonzales, Texas founded by partners Guy Lahav and Gary Franco. Prior to their journey to Gonzales, both of their lives and careers were established in Los Angeles, California. Guy has an MBA from Chapman University, and Gary has coached and choreographed world champions in theater arts and has danced with the Boston Ballet, American Folk Ballet, and Los Angeles Classical Ballet and as a guest artist with multiple ballet companies.

During the pandemic, they decided to give small-town living a try, so they moved to Gonzales. Guy wanted to own his own business, and Gary wanted to share his joy for dance. Six months after establishing their new home in Gonzales, they came across an opportunity to buy property in the downtown area that would be ideal for a dance studio.

The duo reached out to local bankers for commercial lending options but did not meet the requested criteria for the desired loan and were repeatedly rejected. A representative from the Gonzales Economic Development Corporation suggested they speak with BCL of Texas. And that’s when they met Rosa Rios Valdez, CEO of BCL of Texas. “Rosa took a major interest in our project even though BCL is located in Austin,” said Guy, “she saw the potential and worked with us to make the deal.” Guy noted that it was Rosa’s real understanding of the economy in Gonzales that impressed them and within a few months, they secured a loan and took ownership of 418 Saint Andrew Street in Gonzales, the new home of Come and Take It Dance.

With the building secured, now Guy and Gary had to tackle the challenge of creating a culture of arts and dance in Gonzales, Texas. They started by first developing a mission statement focused on engaging the community and sharing their love of the arts:

• Provide comprehensive training for proper dance technique and vocabulary.
• Enhance Community engagement - Bring the community together.
• Community outreach - Give the gift of dance to everyone who wants it.

It was important to them to have a safe and supportive place where the dancers could come after school or work and learn dance and have fun. Diversity is a key element at their studio - no matter one’s gender, age, or level of experience - ALL ARE WELCOME. They threw a successful Grand Opening event where free dance classes were provided. A few months later, they reached out to the local dog shelter and offered to host a Dog Adoption Day. A few months after that they offered to sponsor a winter ball for a local church. They continued to offer these community events in an effort to generate traffic to the studio so people would know that they existed. When they had a few students signed up for classes, they were able to produce a Halloween Showcase containing ballet and ballroom numbers. The showcase left their guests in awe with the amount of talent and progress the students were presenting in a very short amount of time. After the success of our Halloween Showcase, we decided to put on a full production of The Nutcracker at The Crystal Theatre, a local theater in town. Gary invited guest artists with whom he performed in the past to star in the production of The Nutcracker. The performance was received very well in the Gonzales community with two sold-out shows. Rosa actually attended one of the shows and still gives it rave reviews.

2022 certainly was a whirlwind of activity for Come and Take It Dance, and 2023 proved no different. The first half of this year they spent on training and teaching and extending their talents out to the community. They gave performances at elderly homes in the area and sponsored a Summer Workshop for a foster care organization in the community. They also produced a full-length production of The Sleeping Beauty that was received so well that they had to extend the production to three shows instead of the planned two. In the second half of the year, they introduced pre-ballet and pre-tap classes to a younger crowd (4-6 year olds). And they hosted the second annual Halloween Showcase which was an even greater success with many more dance numbers, participants, and patrons. Additionally, they’ve continued to extend the studio space to the community to use and donated the space to Gonzales Main Street’s “Prince and Princess Royal Ball,” a fundraiser for the local Main Street organization.

“BCL of Texas allowed us to own a historic building in downtown Gonzales which is serving as our main space of operations. It’s our backbone. Without it, we wouldn’t have lasted this long. Owning the property is what pushed us forward. And it allowed us to donate the space to community events.”

Guy and Gary also established Gonzales Youth Ballet, a non-profit 501c3 organization that will allow them to accept tax-exempt donations from local businesses and donors who support their mission. They have opened a second studio in the city of Seguin and are hoping to expand to more communities in the future to bring the arts to more small towns.

For any budding entrepreneurs, Guy and Gary offer this advice: be open to collaboration; when seeking funding, definitely have BCL of Texas on your list to contact; if you think you have a great product, be confident in that product and know how to sell it; and always push forward.

Come and Take It Dance is currently preparing for their upcoming performances for Winterfest and for The Nutcracker on January 6th and 7th. For more information and tickets, visit www.comeandtakeitdance.com.

To continue to follow their growth and community engagement, follow Come and Take It Dance on Facebook for videos and updates: https://www.facebook.com/ComeAndTakeItDance.