About working together.

Learning to dance is not a one-size-fits-all process; each learning experience is as unique as your personality. That said, I have had the opportunity to develop and adapt my teaching style while working with various students over the years. I would like to share some values shaping my approach to partner dancing.

There is no “wrong” in dance.

Ballroom dancing is inherently very structured and there are prescribed patterns and techniques for each dance, all the way down to exactly how, when, and where your foot strikes the ground with each step. I love to dive into these details and find that learning patterns can be a great place to start. But sometimes, being too focused on the patterns themselves prevents us from being able to respond “in the moment” when it goes off script. It can also make us feel like something is “wrong” if it is outside of what we expect or when we find ourselves dancing with someone who does it a little bit differently. In addition, some of my favorite dance styles prioritize improvisation and conversation between partners, which means each dance is completely unique! These unplanned or unique moments can actually be some of the most exhilarating moments; when you and your partner are truly communicating and not just rehearsing a practiced pattern. I like to focus on the concepts that make each pattern work so that you can think “outside the box”…or, better yet, “outside the pattern.”

I am responsible for my own dance.

When I first began learning to follow, I loved dancing with advanced leaders that would spin me around the room and make me feel great; their abundance of skill and experience would cover up my lack of skill and experience. While there was nothing wrong with this (and I still love it!) I hadn’t yet learned enough about my role as a follower to realize that my dancing shouldn’t depend on my partner’s ability. I now know that I can elevate my experience, as well as my partners’, with ANY level of dancing by being responsible for my own posture, movement, connection, and knowledge of dance. I encourage anyone I am working with, leader or follower, to practice in a way that allows them to be an excellent dancer no matter the level or partner they are dancing with.

Learning is a process.

Since day one of becoming an instructor, my training has not stopped, and I continually seek out experiences to work on my dance and explore my teaching methods. The learning process never ends. While the number of dances we know and amount of patterns we can execute are excellent ways of measuring progress, the more I learn the more I realize that my true aim (for my students and myself) is to enjoy the process of learning and gaining experience. I do this by relishing each small change and detail that make us better dancers over time. I know from my own experience that one small idea applied throughout all of my dances can end up having a big overall impact. While the more tangible goals are helpful, it is so rewarding to approach dance as an art form with endless possibilities. In art you are never “done” creating and expressing.

About me.

My love for movement began at an early age as I grew up dancing ballet, tap, and jazz in my hometown of New Castle, Virginia. I discovered partner dancing just after completing my BS in Psychology at Virginia Tech. I was invited to join some friends in a group dance class, not knowing that I was getting ready to stumble into one of my life’s greatest passions. Stepping onto the floor and being given structured moves to use with a partner, yet with no set order, had this wonderful blend of predictability and spontaneity that drew me in. It allowed me to move to the music without feeling like I was in the spotlight. I had the structure of the dance and my partner’s input to give my movements purpose. From then on, I joined every chance I could, no matter the style or whether I was leading or following.

When I was approached by Linda Stancill, owner of Sapphire Ballroom & Dance Center, in 2006 to train as an instructor, I was completely blown away, excited, and nervous at the same time. I was trained up, began instructing, and have continued to train and teach ever since. In my 13 years at Sapphire I got to teach individuals and groups as well as plan and host events. I held the position of Operations Manager for 7 years and then Co-Director for 5 and a half years. In these rolls I got to experience the day to day of running a studio and training other staff in addition to maintaining a full teaching schedule.

When not dancing, I am with my other great passion, my family. I am either helping my husband, Cole, with his livestock grazing operation, Good Ground Grazing, or with our kids Mary and Owen. Both include lots of chasing.

Some training I have completed includes…

~Sapphire Teacher Training, 2006-2018

~Move Like A Champion, Diane Jarmolow, Richmond VA, January 2011

~Tango Learning, Tomas Howlin, Asheville NC, August 2014

~Gokhale Method Posture Workshop, Esther Gokahle, Indianapolis IN, November 2014

Some coaches that have influenced me…

Sam & Denise Miller, Summerville, SC

Karen Jaffe, Asheville, NC

Tate DiChiazza, San Luis, Argentina

Eddie + Adela, Charlottesville, VA