Ana Luisa Amaya (Mexico)
Estudio de Danza Franck has been the result of a dream that began when Enriqueta Franck decided to put on a pair of ballet shoes, stand on a stage and share her passion within a room full of mirrors.
For 12 years, she was part of the Ballet Folklórico de México de Amalia Hernández, and she performed in one of the most emblematic buildings in the country, Palacio de Bellas Artes.
In 1970 she decided to open her own studio, Estudio de Danza Franck. While she continued to perform, Miss Ana Castillo, who was a pioneer in bringing the Royal Academy of Dancing (its former name) to Mexico, invited Miss Queta to join the team of teachers who would teach this classical ballet system throughout the country.
In 1973, just three years later, Estudio de Danza Franck was hosting the first English examiner in Mexico, Jean Nuckey. It was from this moment on when the studio began a journey that continues to this day, examining students uninterruptedly and training certified dancers and teachers of the Royal Academy of Dance.
The studio success has led ‘Miss Queta’ to be awarded the status of Life Member of the Royal Academy of Dance in 2013.
As daughter and granddaughter of Enriqueta Franck, Ana Luisa Amaya Franck and Andrea Luna Amaya, respectively, were main and fundamental characters in this story. Both have led the dream of sharing dance as a natural extension of the human being, and contributing to making it a reality.
Ana Luisa followed the footsteps of her mother. From age five she studied classical ballet, Mexican folklore and jazz, and finished her exams with the Royal Academy of Dance. In 1986 she achieved her registration by obtaining her Elementary Teacher’s Certificate.
In order to maintain the family tradition, Ana Luisa also danced from 1981 to 1987 in the Ballet Folklorico de Mexico, stepping on the same stage that Enriqueta did years ago. She never imagined that her daughter, Andrea Luna, would also be part of this heritage and dance professionally with the same company from 2010 to 2015 at Palacio de Bellas Artes.
Naturally, Andrea, born into a family of artists, studied classical ballet and Mexican folklore since the age of three, bringing her studies to term in 2017 by presenting the Advanced 2 exam.
Today, she is part of the team of teachers at Estudio de Danza Franck, and as a Bachelor of Textile Design she is in charge of designing the students’ uniforms and costumes, as well as of different schools and companies.
Ana Luisa Amaya, Enriqueta Franck, Andrea Luna, Estudio de Danza Franck 46th Anniversary, Teatro Javier Barros Sierra.
The vision of dance as an artistic formation that Royal Academy of Dance fosters through different styles is fully integrated when this trio of generations decides to share Mexican folklore and jazz teaching in addition to classical ballet. This comes along with the desire to create, not only dancers, but artists who apply technical knowledge to any style of dance, different type of body strength and musical and choreographic values into the students artistic sensitivity.
It is a great honour for us in 2019 to make a pause to look back and realise that Franck tradition has formed approximately more than 2,000 students, of whom some have danced professionally.
We are also very proud to have prepared 19 teachers who have Royal Academy of Dance membership, among other independent students who work in different studios, as teachers or founders of their own school.
Among these, we can mention Ana Luisa Amaya, Graciela Lozoya, Rosa Aurora Sandoval, Ana Laura Galindo, Yolanda Padilla, Irma Becker, Delia Flores, Leonor Cantu, Marina Jiménez, Gloria Moya, Paula Moya, Andrea Vaca, Guadalupe Morales, Alejandra Toro, Martha Patricia Pérez, Lilia Guzmán, Alejandra Zavala, Tania Hidalgo and Ariadni Sibaja.
Ana Luisa directs the school with the same values and discipline stipulated at the beginning by Miss Queta, which is principally to teach ballet, but to teach our girls through dance to become full, happy and disciplined women, who are sure of their power, and find a way to express themselves through dance, and shine in any scenario that life gives them.
The anniversary of the first centenary of the Royal Academy of Dance in 2020 is a great opportunity not only to congratulate you, but to thank such a beautiful system that has led to our studio, Estudio de Danza Franck, into celebrating its 50th anniversary of existence.
Thank you for letting us be part of your story and taking us in to share the same dream: spreading the love of dance through so many generations.