Sibling-run dance studio aims to expand ballroom presence in Salt Lake County

SANDY — Dancing isn't just a fun hobby for Alexis and Daniel Pollack — it's a family business.

Both started dancing around 2 years old. Alexis Pollack, 24, chose to focus on ballet for the first 10 years of her dancing career and her brother Daniel Pollack, 22, decided to play tennis.

"When I was around 13 years old, my mom brought me into a ballroom dance studio. I hated it. I hated my first class so much," Alexis Pollack recalled. "I was forced to stay for a month to try it and I ended up falling in love with it."

After tennis and ski lessons, Daniel Pollack was always at the studio with his parents to pick up his sister from ballroom class. Since he was there so often, his parents decided to make him join. Although he also didn't like it at first, he soon started enjoying it and began competing in ballroom as well.

Because of their height and age differences, the siblings didn't become dance partners until 2018. But ever since, the two have been waltzing their way through the dance world, winning national and international titles.

Most recently, the Pollacks won the 2024 World Dance Council amateur rhythm world championships in the Netherlands last month.

"We were there for eight days. It was really hard to take that much time away from our students because that's really where our heart and soul is — with our students," Alexis Pollack said.

Balancing their competitive careers with their studio has been both challenging and rewarding for the Pollacks. The siblings placed first in all five rhythm dances: cha cha, rumba, swing, bolero and mambo.

"We were really excited when we did that because that first place is not just for us. It's a first-place award that we are taking back to everyone who has been a part of our journey," Alexis Pollack said, adding that the win is for their coaches, students and studio.

The Pollacks were the first dancers from Utah to win the world championship, followed by another dancing couple from Utah who won in the Latin category later that week.

"To be crowned the first Utah champion was pretty exciting. It took a lot of work and our coaches helped us a lot. It was a lot of practice and time that was put into it," Daniel Pollack said.

A family endeavor

The Pollacks opened their first dance studio in a garage in 2019 while Daniel Pollack was still in high school. The siblings made it work and slowly built up a clientele even though the room they were dancing in wasn't climate controlled.

In 2021, the Pollacks were able to relocate to a bigger studio in Sandy near 10600 S. State .where they have expanded Ladu Dance Studio to two large dance spaces and more than 100 students.

"Everything that we do is family driven," Alexis Pollack said. The siblings run the studio and their mother, an esteemed costume maker for ice skaters and ballroom dancers, makes all of the studio's costumes.

The Pollacks try to make everyone at the studio feel like they are family. Alexis Pollack said they especially love having the opportunity to compete with students in the teacher/student category at competitions across the country.

Utah is increasingly being known for producing talented dancers, especially in the ballroom scene with many "Dancing With the Stars" pros hailing from the Beehive State.

"A big part of it is the culture of Utah being so family-oriented throughout the state. Everyone stays pretty tightly knit within their communities which builds trust so that builds trust with coaches and within partnerships," Daniel Pollack said.

That trust allows for better growth compared to areas that have a high saturation of coaches and partners which can lead to a lack of personal connections. "It ends up being less valuable as a sport. So it's mostly the culture here that ties it together," he said.

Many of the famous Utah ballroom dancers trained at studios in Utah County, but the Pollacks are hoping to grow the community in Salt Lake County.

"There's not a large ballroom presence in Salt Lake. I think we are the first studio to be inclusive of all ages and all levels," Daniel Pollack said. Many studios are either just for adults or just child-oriented.

"That's one thing we are pretty proud of is we have opened up opportunities starting from pre-school age all the way up to adults dancing with student and teacher," he said.

Ladu recently opened up ballet, hip-hop and jazz programs to expand training to other styles. The studio also provides competitive and recreational performance opportunities.

This weekend, the studio is making Utah history by putting on a production of "The Nutcracker," which is "the first time a ballroom studio has done anything like that," Daniel Pollack said. The studio has plans to do a "Beauty and the Beast" production in the spring that will incorporate all styles of dance.

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