Dance a smart move

Vicki Langford owns and operates the Purple Lotus Dance School. Photo / Supplied

Vicki Langford is a former travel consultant who now spends her time teaching belly dancing and Bollywood fusion from her new Kensington dance school.

1: Describe your business.

It's the Purple Lotus Dance School in Kensington in Whangarei, providing dance lessons and performance coaching to girls and women of all ages. Various dance styles include Bollywood Indian hip hop, Chinese traditional double silk fan veils, Egyptian Isis wings dance, Gypsy skirt dancing. I own and operate this social dance club myself.

2: When did you open and what motivated you to start this business?

I opened in November 2007 on the Hibiscus Coast, and what motivated me was the desire to create a dance troupe for performances using my own choreography, to provide opportunities for my students, myself, and enhance my students' self confidence. I decided to move to be with family, to have a change from the bustling city of Auckland, and to explore the surrounding coastline and countryside and opened the school in Northland in early February 2015.

3: What were you working at before this business venture?

I worked as an international travel consultant in Auckland for 10 years.

4: What trends do you see in your industry?

There is a desire for dancers to train overseas in countries of origin such as Egypt, to learn the authentic styles directly from the source.

5: What's your philosophy on surviving business challenges?

My personal philosophy on surviving business challenges is to keep an open mind, be adaptable to changes, be prepared to work really hard, and always keep moving forward with learning everything there is to know relative to what you are doing, and more. Most of all, enjoy the journey, experiences, growth, and meeting extraordinary and amazing people along the way. The closest friends I have today are through dance.