I began dancing at age 3. It was the typical tap-ballet combo class. By age 9 I added in Jazz. Then in my teens came Lyrical and this *new* thing called hip-hop.  I competed with a group called "The Dreams" and dreamed of being a Fly Girl on "Living Color" when I grew up.  By the end of high school I was also heavily involved in drama club, and was able to perform and be dance captain/assistant choreographer for our school musicals. 

After graduating high school, I was aged out of my dance studio.  It drove me stir-crazy not having anywhere to dance. I didn't intend to be a college dance major, though I took folk and modern dance classes for electives.  That's when I discovered Irish dance.  This was before the days of Riverdance and the blindered focus on competition.  I threw all my energy into learning Irish ceili, set dance and solo step dancing.  It combined many of the skills I had from both ballet and tap.

I moved to Wisconsin in 1998 hoping to find a place to learn more Irish dance. No one wanted to take adult students. But, word got out that I already knew a lot and maybe I could teach the other adults in town who wanted to learn.  And that is how my teaching career got started.

Meanwhile, I continue to learn new dance styles whenever I can.  I took Bellydance lessons for a while.  And then I discovered a new love - Indian Bharatnatyam dance.  I studied and practiced rigorously, culminating in a performance at a Hindu temple.  An ankle injury sidelined my studies, but it is still a love of mine.

I have had the great privilege to teach Bollywood, ballet, tap, Irish social folk dances, Irish step dancing, and musical theater style jazz classes.  I only teach adults.  They have more aches and pains than kids, sure.  But adults often show up in my classes because it's something they always wanted to try, and it's a big deal they got the courage to show up.  Or it's something they did as a kid, but haven't attempted in a decade or more.  The thrill on their faces when they master a step or piece of choreography is what I love most about teaching.