On Sunday, the SKIP Entertainment Company is holding a gala to celebrate 40 years!  KUAM has been shining the spotlight on the history, successes, and recalling special moments with former SKIP members. 

"Some of my fondest memories I had when I joined SKIP and we had an instructor, Lady Bird Castillo, and she's from the Philippines, she would fly out and she would train us," detailed Tammy Torres Dooley. She joined SKIP when she was in 11th grade and when she graduated from the Academy of Our Lady of Guam in 1989, she remained in SKIP until she left for college and she said Lady Bird was a big highlight for her.

"You look back in life and now being in my 50's, I realize SKIP really offered me a lot," she said.

Dooley, who is a dancer for the WNBA's High Rollers dance team in Las Vegas, said she had aspirations and big dreams of being a dancer and SKIP brought her closer to those goals. She recalls the time she, Dominic San Gil and Michael Lomeka were selected to perform on Star Search.

"We were the first group from Guam to represent and that was a major turning point for my life," she recalls.

For Danica Benavente, she joined SKIP when she was 10 years old and there she remained until her early 20's. She says being  a mom of three, she reflects on her time in SKIP, noting, "We had really depended on each other...it was very grassroots."

She says some of her favorite memories, weren't necessarily dancing but rather the time with one another. "Things like being completely bored in the hotel room, and realtionships that we built," she said.

But she says dance and SKIP allowed for a deep connection with herself, and to energy. "It gave me the gift of true awareness," she beamed.

And here 40 years later, skip continues to thrive, saying, "It's a testimony to the strength, the love, the ethics, the dance community and especially worldwide. SKIP is a beast!"

Forever grateful for the experience and all that came with being a part of SKIP. "[It's been] a blessing to the community....I traveled the world because of SKIP. What Mrs. [Teri] Knapp and SKIP have given birth to," she said. "I think for all of us who have had the privilege to dance with SKIP, and be a part of the SKIP family, I think we will be family forever."

And if you are an aspiring artist looking for something to try, she enthusiastically encouraged, "If you are looking to expand your horizons, try out SKIP. You will really be surpriseed by the beast it draws out from you."

Happy 40th anniversary, SKIP! Biba!