I began my journey into dance when my daughter Amanda was 4 years old and a bit pigeon-toed and very clumsy. Her pediatrician told me to enroll her in ballet classes to help develop her muscles and coordination. I put her in classes at a great studio in Arizona and soon she had a little sister, Katie, to join her in her new passion. A few years later, we moved to Pahrump, NV- a small town near Las Vegas. There was only one dance studio in town, but unfortunately my girls weren’t progressing there. They loved dancing and didn’t want to give it up, so in 1998, I decided to open up my own performing arts school, the Artistic Centre. Luckily we had access to some of the most amazing dancers in the world in Las Vegas, and we were able to get great, experienced teachers for our new studio. My strong background in administration was put to good use as I oversaw all of our programs in dance, gymnastics, voice and theater. In 2010, my daughter Katie was accepted into the Los Angeles Ballet trainee program. After 12 years of running the studio and learning so much about the industry, we decided to move with her to create new opportunities for ourselves. However, after being out of the dance scene for 2 years, I began to miss the joys of owning a dance school. My daughters and I worked very hard to open ABC’s of Dance in 2012 and bring our passion to the great community of West Hollywood. I have loved being involved with the dance industry for the past 23 years.  I believe that learning the art of movement is magical and fun, and creating performers is a uniquely rewarding career path. Striving for excellence, I want each of our students to be taught the highest level of technique and to be able to transfer their dance skills to any studio with knowledge and confidence.  At ABC’s of Dance we are privileged to celebrate each dancer’s accomplishments. The annual showcase holds a special place in my heart- watching as students evolve from beginners to advanced dancers who demonstrate their talent in an outstanding year end performance. It is pure joy to be able to own a studio and work every day with my daughters.

I loved growing up in my mom’s dance studio where my passion for dance and the arts began! I studied jazz, tap, hip hop, voice, acting, and my favorites- ballet and pointe. I began training at the Academy of Nevada Ballet Theatre when I was 13 years old in their pre-professional program under the tutelage of Ella Gourkova. In my 5 years there, I not only studied ballet, pointe, and repertoire from some of the world’s greatest ballets, but also learned new styles of dance such as modern and character. I was so honored to receive the Liberace Scholarship and the Talent and Dedication Award from ANBT. My love for choreography was showcased when I was chosen to be a student choreographer in ANBT’s year end Spring Concert. Performing in Peter Anastos’ Nutcracker and being a part of the Wynn family’s New Years Eve Gala at the Wynn Hotel and Casino with Nevada Ballet Theatre were wonderful experiences! Some of my favorite performances were when I choreographed and performed a ballet solo for a special event at the Bellagio Hotel and Casino and danced in the Ribbon of Life show for Golden Rainbow at the Hilton in Las Vegas. In my graduating year from ANBT, I was chosen to dance the part of Prayer in the Spring Concert performance of the ballet Coppelia. I was given the amazing opportunity to travel to New York on scholarship to attend Beginnings Workshop where I trained in all things Broadway! Then at age 18, I moved to Los Angeles after being accepted into the Los Angeles Ballet. I cherish the experiences I had dancing with the company and being a part of amazing ballets such as Giselle, Swan Lake, and Western Symphony. My passion for teaching started when I was about 16 and in that time, I have taught the smallest of dancers up through adults! After an injury kept me from continuing to pursue performing, my family and I opened ABC’s of Dance in 2012. I was thrilled to get back to having our very own dance studio and getting to work with fantastic students of all ages!  I am proud to say that I am an ABT® Certified Teacher, and I have successfully completed the ABT® Teacher Training Intensive in Pre-Primary through Level 5 of the ABT® National Training Curriculum. I believe teaching is one of the most rewarding and fulfilling jobs a person can have and I am so lucky I get to do it with my family!

I was introduced to dance at the age of 4 to help me develop some grace and strengthen my muscles so I would no longer be pigeon-toed. I took ballet and tap classes in Arizona until we moved to Nevada and my mom opened her studio, The Artistic Centre. I was so fortunate to get to grow up in the dance studio! I was always there taking tons of classes with amazing teachers. When I was about 11 years old, I began assisting teachers with the little ones, the 3-7 year olds. I absolutely loved it! It felt so amazing to be part of a small child’s development and to get to share what I loved. Plus they’re so cute! I assisted for several years, learning from the teachers the best methods of engaging and instructing children, and observed some things I would do differently. I loved the process of guiding a child through the magic of learning and took it in like a sponge. As a teenager, I began my own classes. I had found my niche! I kept teaching all of the 3-7s at our studio for several years and specialized in teaching the little ones. After moving to LA in 2010, I was fortunate enough to be able to continue teaching at schools and a dance studio. After working for someone else for 2 ½ years, I wanted to have more control over the curriculum I was teaching and to have the opportunity to actually put into practice some of the issues I was hearing from parents. I thought, “We have so much experience and knowledge about running a studio, and Katie and I can teach all of the classes- why don’t we open a studio here in LA?” In November 2012, that dream came to fruition and we opened ABC’s of Dance! I couldn’t be happier with what we have created and I’m so proud and honored to have the opportunity to share my passion and knowledge with my little munchkins!