My official ballet training began at the age of 8, but my dancing career really started at the age of 3 performing “Little Bunny Foo Foo” in my first recital.
When I was in high school, I dreamed of owning a dance studio. I wanted to create a space where students had opportunities to grow as dancers and people. It would be a safe place to make mistakes, a place where students had endless support to strive for their goals, and where the dancers always came first.
I graduated high school and could not imagine giving up dance and was fortunate enough to pursue a BFA in Dance at Ohio University. During that time, I debated whether to pursue a professional career or open a studio after graduation. I even contemplated becoming a high school English teacher.
Fast forward to the Summer before my Senior year in college. I was done working in the dinning hall and knew I wanted to teach dance classes during my summer break. I stumbled upon a studio that was for sale and the gears in my head started spinning. Seeing the studio space lit me up, but somehow I knew the space just wouldn’t be big enough for the vision I had in store. As I was driving downtown, I saw a for sale sign in a window. I’ve always had a love of old buildings and the history they hold. When I took a tour of the building I could imagine the space filled with studios, dancing, and lots of smiling students. As I walked up each flight of steps my certainty grew that this was where I was meant to be.
I was so eager to bring dance to the growing art community in the downtown area.
So in the short span of 3 days, with no time to doubt myself, I went from searching for a place to teach a summer session to purchasing the space of my dreams at 531 Main St.
During my senior year of college I drove back to Zanesville twice a week from Athens to teach classes and have not looked back since!
We’ve grown from 50 students to 400. From 1 studio to 6. From 1 instructor to 12 and we have had the pleasure of serving over 2,000 families here at Movement on Main.
We’ve seen our students grow from baby ballerinas to pursuing professional careers in the span of the last ten years.
Whether our students dance purely for enjoyment or aspire to have a career in dance, we hope dance helps them find the courage to pursue the things in life that they are passionate about. By combining technical training with compassionate instruction we help students discover and express who they are.
When students learn how to share their unique abilities, it inspires others to do the same, and that creates a strong community
Our mission is to make sure that every student who walks through our doors feels welcomed and excited for all the possibilities that lay ahead of them. I am fortunate to have a job I truly love and I want to share that by helping our students find the bravery to pursue the things they love.
