I have taken dance since I was 4 years old. Throughout the years I have studied jazz, tap, clogging, ballet, gymnastics, partnering, musical stage dance, and ballroom dancing. I started dancing like any other little girl with an older sister who dances - by following her every move and pestering my parents to let me start taking lessons until they finally gave in. Thus began my passion for dancing. I consider myself lucky because, at an early age, I had found something that would give me pleasure, release, exercise, discipline, a sense of
accomplishment, and many good memories for my whole life. From the day I first saw my sister dance and saw movies such as 'Flashdance', 'Electric Boogaloo', and 'Dirty Dancing' I have only wanted to dance. I always dreamed that I would grow up to be a dancer and thought, "how cool would it be if I could one day be an instructor like Patrick Swayze or even my first instructor, Mary Alice Smith." Dance is very close to my heart and I would even say it is a part of my soul, it defines me.
Over the years my love of studying dance developed into a passion for teaching and choreographing. I started assisting my teacher at the age of 8 with teaching tap and ballet to younger students. I have also taught and choreographed the dance numbers of many school plays, cheerleading routines, and various other performances from sixth grade until college. While in college at Kansas State University, I focused mainly on studying ballet under Joyce Yagerline and was in the Humanities degree track with an emphasis in dance and theater. While in Manhattan, I gained more experience in teaching as a gymnastics
instructor at the Manhattan Gymnastics Center.
Upon graduation I moved to Wichita to start working and also to be close to my Mom & Dad, who live in Pratt, Kansas, and my sister Julie, her husband Kelvin, my nephew Austin, and niece Tori. I went out with some friends one evening to watch a band at a local club and saw Steven, some of the other instructors, and some of their students out on the dance floor. They looked like they were having the time of their lives dancing up a storm! Since I had recently moved here, I had not found a place to study dance yet, so I was very eager to get out there and dance with them. Next thing I knew, Allen Schwaub had came up and asked me to dance, and told me all about the studio and the dances they do. I had been a fan of ballroom and latin dances since I was little and had gotten to do a few of them in various musicals I have been in, so I jumped on the opportunity. I called Steven a week later, began taking lessons, and the rest is history. I was able to use all of the prior dance training I have had to help me start learning all of the dances as quickly as I could. Looking back on it, it may have been smarter to start with two or three dances, but I loved them all. It is hard for me now to say which is my favorite, but I do love the Bolero. Recently I got to revisit my passion for choreography because Care to Dance did a local Dancing with the Stars competition. I had a week per dance to choreograph and teach my partner Bruce Haertl not only the routines, but the basics of the dances themselves as well as how to lead. We ended up getting second place! I could not have asked for a better partner or for a more wonderful experience with my beloved co-workers at Care to Dance:)
