OUR STORY

When dance 101 opened in April 2004, ‘Our Story’ was the story of its founder – a remarkable story about a woman who had a dream and the courage to make it happen.

From our humble beginnings in a small one room studio on Miami Circle in Atlanta, dance 101 began as a long shot, an experiment that would come to surprise everyone. There was no other dance studio like this anywhere. Would people understand the concept? Would they come? But before long, word of mouth traveled quickly. Classes began to fill to capacity and a year and a half later, in 2006, dance 101 busted out of that tiny studio!

Welcome to dance 101. Front desk of the dance studio.

Pioneering a concept is no small thing. The road at times has been scary and uncertain. We made many mistakes along the way, but also achieved many successes. A lot has happened in our 20 year history but throughout the journey, one thing has remained constant… And that is the experience of those who come and dance here.

No one can better explain what dance 101 is than those who spend a good amount of time here.

What follows are a few of their stories.

COLE H.

Age started dancing: 38

After quite a bit of research I decided Dance 101 would be the place for me to start. The first six months were so difficult I often tried to find reasons not to continue, but with people like Erin, Grace, Ofelia, Paulina and Khalil and the support they provide with just who they are as people made it where I am able to see this thing through

CARRIE W.

Age started dancing: 34

From a young age, I have always responded to music. My sister used to joke that I could be a Ricky Martin backup dancer (mind you, she was clearly exaggerating, and this was back in third grade when I was still at public school). Most of my education after that point took place in conservative Christian schools where dancing was not encouraged. I went to a few of my cousin’s recitals and she tried to teach me some of their choreo, but the “5-6-7-8” stuff always confused me. So I just went on dancing in my room by myself for a couple decades.

Fast forward to the end of 2022. I was trying out a new therapist (depression had been kicking my butt for 10 years at that point), and she said it sounded like I just needed to start doing something I wanted to do for a change. At the very top of my list was dance, so I said goodbye to my therapist and hello to dance 101. It’s been the best thing I’ve ever done for my health journey.

First of all, dance has provided a real-life battlefield on which to confront the negative thoughts that pervaded much of my life, but at the same time, dance also supplied the very motivation for me to overcome those thoughts. Because I wanted to learn dance so badly, I finally had a reason to shut up the voice in my head telling me I wasn’t good enough. I started challenging those thoughts: who cares if I’m not good enough? There’s absolutely nothing to lose by trying.

I was 34 when I first walked through the doors of your studio eleven months ago. In my first Fundamentals class (taught by Ofelia), I connected with her vision and her story. It gave me hope that she was the same age I was when she started dancing. Do I wish I had found dance 101 earlier? Yes, I do. But at the same time, I know I wasn’t ready for it before this year. I had to reach a point in my life where I was desperate enough to stick it out, and to stretch myself beyond that threshold of comfort to reach the growth waiting for me beyond. Ofelia’s words in that first class made a lasting impact on me.

When I learned about the Performance Series, I decided to attack the opportunity. If I could repeat choreo enough times, I could build confidence, gain strength, and develop muscle memory, so I signed up in April for the summer show. It changed my life.

I now know beyond a shadow of a doubt that I have always been a dancer. To me, being a dancer is more about who I am inwardly than what I can do outwardly. We all just need a chance to let what is inside out, and the Performance Series at dance 101 has allowed me to do that.

I don’t need to have prior dance experience to know that dance 101 is a special place. I can feel it. The people are kind, friendly, encouraging, and non-judgmental. For newcomers terrified to test out their childhood dreams in an adult world, it is a safe place. You created that, Ofelia, and I thank you. I can only imagine the courage it required for you to take that leap, and I am personally glad you did.

There’s something magical about learning dance as an adult. My favorite part of the Performance Series is watching the excited faces exit the stage after their piece; without exception, every face glows. But what I want to be the one to tell you is: you did that, Ofelia. You and the wonderful choreographers and staff that you’ve surrounded yourself with put those infectiously beautiful smiles on the faces of each of the dancers and their loved ones in the audience. I thank you again for that. Because you built it, we could come.=)

At this point, what I’m going to say next may feel like a downer. After an incredible year at dance 101, I will be moving out of state this coming February. My husband has applied to a PhD program, so we’ve decided to travel around the world for 6 months before his semester starts next fall. HOWEVER, I’ll be taking dance 101 with me forever in my heart. My hope is that in the places we’ll travel, dance will open up a whole new aspect and language of the local cultures that I never would have been able to enjoy before. And when we return to the states, I will find another studio and continue this journey because dance MUST be a part of my life from this point forward.

I’m not leaving the studio lightly. In fact, the only thing I’ll miss about Atlanta apart from friends and family is Dance 101, because you all have become my friends and family.

All my love,

Carrie Wolf

DENNIS

Profession: Technology Solutions Architect
Age started dancing: 36

Dancing has been a magical journey of growth and self-discovery for me. For a long time I’d get teased about my attempts to dance. The words dance and Dennis often found their way into a punch line.

But I always believed dancing would uncover many hidden sides of me – and it turns out I was right! After a few years of occasional and random dance classes (mainly ballroom), I realized I was not finding what I was looking for. My interest was more on the creative and more expressive side of movement. I had a burning passion to experience this, I believed in myself and I knew if I could just find the right teachers and the right studio, I’d be able to accomplish great things (and no longer be a punchline).

When I found dance 101, I couldn’t believe it. They offered more classes and more variety of dance genres per week than any studio I’d ever researched or been to. My first class was beginner Hip Hop. I experienced a mix of feelings: it was fun, but I was struggling. After two classes, a wave of self-defeating emotions played out in my head. But the advice and support I received from my teachers put things into perspective. Their advice guided me on the right path and into the classes that were appropriate for my level – instead of me just picking classes that sounded good. This made me realize how much the teachers at dance 101 champion their students. I felt like everyone I spoke to at this studio was in my corner and wanted me to succeed… and five years later, I am succeeding beyond what I thought was possible for me. In fact, I have now branched out from Hip Hop into Jazz, Ballet, Contemporary and the Dancers’ Stretch classes.

There is so much more I want to explore and learn and I feel lucky to have found a place where there is so much artistic diversity among the teachers. Some classes represent cultures and countries where I’ve never been (but now hope to go). But most of all, dance 101 teachers know how to teach to the adult mind. This creates so much opportunity and possibility. I realize dance is a journey without a destination – because as long as you’re dancing, you’re growing, learning, improving and breaking through limitations (real or perceived). This journey has been transforming and therapeutic. I’ve also learned to replace fear with curiosity. Dance101 is a safe place where I keep seeing a new me because I am growing. This studio has become such an important part of my life. I’m there every day they are open and take about 32 classes a month! There’s no stopping me now!

TARA

dance 101 Instructor since 2016
Classes: Ballet Fundamentals, Pure Ballet and Pointe

I think my background makes me particularly suited to teaching adults. Because I was not a naturally gifted, specially molded dancer, I grew up spending a lot of time figuring out how to move functionally with what I do have.

And my return to dance after such a long break means I know firsthand what it’s like to find yourself in a body that doesn’t work as you remember or with muscles that need some time to learn how to fire. I understand what it means to have to set your ego aside, put your blinders on, and give yourself grace on those days when nothing seems to work. And I have such a deep appreciation for the freedom that dancing as an adult allows. At this stage in my dancers’ lives, there is no need for conformity or competition. We can focus purely on movement quality and personal artistry alone. My dancers are all ages and skill levels—some have danced all their lives, some have no dance background at all, and most are returning to dance after years away—but for all of us, ballet is about connecting to our bodies, escaping the ordinary, and pushing ourselves to do more than we ever thought possible.

I started ballet, baton, and tumbling at age 3, not without significant protesting on my part. My stay-at-home mom babysat for several neighborhood kids, and she needed to take one of them to her weekly ballet lessons. My mom decided that if she were going to truck me along with her, she might as well enroll me too and get herself an hour and a half of alone time. It was a rough start, though—lots of tears and begging to quit.

But then I learned what I thought were amazing things, like how to skip across the floor and do a cartwheel and dance Miss Holly’s special Halloween routine. I quickly became obsessed. I spent all of my childhood free time either in dance classes, choreographing in my rec room to my parents’ classical records, or play-teaching to imaginary students out in my yard (which may explain some of the ridiculous imagery I still use when teaching today). I was a shy, anxious kid, and ballet gave me the space to quiet my mind and build confidence through each new achievement.

I never once thought, however, that I could be a professional dancer. I took classes at a small local school with a teacher who herself had only ever studied at a small local school. No one I knew danced professionally, and outside of my studio, the only glimpse of ballet I ever saw was a TV news segment on preternaturally gifted children in Russia, rooted out and then plucked from their homes at the young age of 5 or 6 for a life of intense, controlled training. It gave me the impression that this was the only way ballerinas were made, tended and shaped like very special seedlings in a precious garden. It wasn’t until I was 14, when a guest teacher, Cherie Noble, pulled my mother aside and told her to send me to New York, that I ever even thought a career in dance was an option for me. An audition was set up for me at the School of American Ballet for its summer program, and when my mom asked me why I even wanted to go to SAB, I answered, “What’s that?” I knew absolutely nothing about the professional ballet world or the big names in it. But I went to the audition and got in, and my whole life changed. After two summers at SAB, I moved to New York full-time at 16, became an apprentice with the New York City Ballet the following year, and left NYCB to dance under Edward Villella at the Miami City Ballet when I was 20.

I retired from professional dancing after 5 seasons with MCB, burnt out from the constant battle with my body to conform to ballet’s idealized standards. I was never thin enough. My odd proportions and naturally bent knees wouldn’t allow me the gorgeous lines that others seemed to have. That I even had a professional career is still a marvel to me and, I hope, a testament to just how strong a dancer I was both technically and musically. I moved back to New York after leaving Miami and took classes at Steps on Broadway with no idea of what I wanted to do. SAB, which has always been so good to me, welcomed me back and allowed me to take classes at no charge while I figured out my next move. Suzy Pilarre, the surrogate mom to so many of us SAB alumni, even began mentoring me for a career as a pre-professional ballet teacher, but in the end I decided to do something totally different and go to college. I just needed to see what else was out there.

That move was the start of my decade-long break from ballet. I took only 1 class my entire 4 years of college, and then did not dance again until I got up the nerve to try Ballet Barre Fit at Dance 101 in October 2012, after 3 years of driving past the studio daily and wondering “what if?” I cried after that first class—it was like coming home. I was recently divorced and very, very lost. Since retiring from ballet, I had been haunted nightly with dreams that I was dancing, and just to stand in 5th position at the barre brought an overwhelming flood of emotion. I was so grateful to find myself in a studio that allowed me to once again take classes for the simple love of movement, and I became obsessed with dance just like before, taking 9 – 10 classes a week. When I was asked to join the faculty of Dance 101 a couple years later, I jumped at the opportunity. For me, nothing compares to ballet’s mix of athleticism, artistry, and meditative practice, and I love helping others discover just how good dancing feels, both physically and mentally.

I think my background makes me particularly suited to teaching adults. Because I was not a naturally gifted, specially molded dancer, I grew up spending a lot of time figuring out how to move functionally with what I do have. And my return to dance after such a long break means I know firsthand what it’s like to find yourself in a body that doesn’t work as you remember or with muscles that need some time to learn how to fire. I understand what it means to have to set your ego aside, put your blinders on, and give yourself grace on those days when nothing seems to work. And I have such a deep appreciation for the freedom that dancing as an adult allows. At this stage in my dancers’ lives, there is no need for conformity or competition. We can focus purely on movement quality and personal artistry alone. My dancers are all ages and skill levels—some have danced all their lives, some have no dance background at all, and most are returning to dance after years away—but for all of us, ballet is about connecting to our bodies, escaping the ordinary, and pushing ourselves to do more than we ever thought possible. It’s about community and finding collective effervescence as we all try and sometimes fail (and laugh) and try again together, cheering on each other’s successes. And it’s about celebrating the unique gifts we all bring to the room. I firmly believe ballet is for everybody, and I am as enamored by the determined, adventurous beginner as I am the seasoned pro, happy to dance alongside anyone who finds the joy in movement that I do.

This is why I love teaching at Dance 101. It provides a welcoming, inclusive home for dancers of all interests and stages and a supportive space to either reconnect with or discover your own personal dance love story, whatever that might look like for you alone.

ANN

I had long since put dance behind me (something I did quite a lot in my younger years). In fact, I put so much of “Ann” on the backburner that I felt I lost my identity. For the majority of my adult life, I was attempting to live up to someone else’s expectations and ‘exist’ in another’s dreams – which ultimately led to a long and unhappy marriage. Feeling inadequate, desperate, empty, and not me, I ended up in therapy.

SETH

My name is Seth and I am a 42-year-old straight, white male from the South who makes money writing software. Am I even allowed to learn dance? I’ve always thought of myself as clumsy and uncoordinated. I was the kid in P.E. thinking: ‘Okay, you want me to run AND catch the ball? Can I pick one or the other?’ I was the smart kid in school, not the cool kid. I was the adult at a wedding reception sporting the same three dance moves I’ve used since high school…after a few drinks.

My pandemic baby was a determination to learn to dance.

Like many, I reviewed every facet of my life during quarantine while watching Netflix. I imagined laying on my deathbed one day, however distant it might be, and asking myself, “am I proud of my life?” I imagined, if asked now, I would answer: ‘not yet.’ Then, I asked myself, what would make me proud even if I failed?

My name is Seth and I am a 42-year-old straight, white male from the South who makes money writing software. Am I even allowed to learn dance? I’ve always thought of myself as clumsy and uncoordinated. I was the kid in P.E. thinking: ‘Okay, you want me to run AND catch the ball? Can I pick one or the other?’ I was the smart kid in school, not the cool kid. I was the adult at a wedding reception sporting the same three dance moves I’ve used since high school…after a few drinks.

I began making changes in my life, big and small, because the desperation to live proudly trumped my fear of it all. I am not sure where dance fits into that exactly, but I knew I wanted to learn. Also, I had tried and loved 5Rhythms, a method of dancing with little instruction or preset choreography: I would dance my three moves all night long. Could I learn more moves?

Dance 101 was the first result on Google; I emailed them about their Dance Fundamentals Workshop which is a series of introductory classes that teaches the basics of structured dance – things like the 9 universal steps, how to pick up choreography, how to turn, what a dance class is like, etc. I pressed send in a hurry using up the tiniest reservoir of fleeting courage. On that first day, Ofelia, the owner of the studio, taught a small group of us the basics and helped us choose which classes to try first. Since that first class almost two years ago, I have attended many classes of various styles, made incredible friends, and developed a new relationship with my body.

Here is what I learned during my time at Dance 101 (as a male):

Learning to dance is 20% practicing moving your body and 80% getting over yourself. The hardest part is walking through the door. If you’re even reading this, you’re 52% over yourself. Keep going and sign up.

If you have no background in dance, their Dance Fundamentals Workshop is a kindness you can give yourself. When someone is ready to start something new, one mistake often made is taking too big of a step or taking action with too little support. Dance 101 is a premier dance studio in the United States for adult beginners because their focus is your success. Someone told me outside the studio that Dance 101 has industry-level teachers for the general public, and I felt grateful and proud that I was learning there.

By and large, men are afraid to learn to dance. Men have very little social support to learn, so fear is common. According to the National Institute of Made-up Statistics, public speaking is the most common fear and dancing is a close second. Sometimes it seems that men lock themselves into a chosen identity by age 25 and ride that shit out. We risk dying on the vine as a corporate provider, good guy dad, or whatever-the-fuck. In that stagnancy, our marriages fail, our bodies age poorly, and our hearts….what…our hearts? Yeah. I am determined to avoid this fate, and Dance 101 has been a gift to me in this endeavor.

Our culture has changed over the past 50 years regarding what is acceptable for men to explore and develop. While male dancers are highly regarded and admired, there’s some disconnect in effect for the general male population to take up the exploration of learning the art.

Why are we afraid?

When speaking frankly and openly, we will say we are afraid of a few things (and I know some women will probably relate to these as well):

1. People will think I’m terrible in class.

You won’t believe me when I say this: No one will criticize you at Dance 101. In my first hip-hop class, I felt so lost. With every new move I was asked to try, it felt like my brain and body were having a back-and-forth conversation saying, “You want me to do what? Hips in a circle? huh?” I gave it my best, and two people came up to me after and genuinely told me, “You did great” and “I love your energy.” I was grateful to them, and it mattered. Also, after that class, I felt good, really good. It didn’t matter how well I danced. It mattered that for one hour, I was fully present, in my body, trying that shit. And the music was good.

In class, we are all learning. We all started somewhere. And, by all means, come dance next to me in the back of the class if it helps you. The person to your left is just as likely to have been dancing only a few days or weeks as it is likely that the person to your right has been dancing for 20 years.

If you’re nervous, find the nearest person and say, “Hi, I’m new here, and I’m a little bit nervous.” That’s all. They will go out of their way to welcome you and ensure you’re cared for (because they remember when it was their first day, too). If you’re strong enough to be humble and ask for help, you will receive a powerful gift: freedom. The Freedom not to be expected to know anything. I can practice being a beginner at Dance 101. We all deserve to learn anything we want, regardless of age or gender.

2. I will think I’m terrible in class, which is too hard for me.

This is the most substantial fear underneath it all. I would argue that fear of humiliation is stronger than fear of death because if you die, at least it’s over. You must feel those feelings for a long time if you’re humiliated. No one wants to relive what happened on the school bus.

You’re coming to learn is an act of self love, and that kid in school has a parent protecting them now. That parent is you.

I am learning respect, humility, and joy. Each teacher offers themselves fully for you to hear what they hear, move how they move, and love how they love. Dance 101 is run by staff and teachers who respect their students regardless of prior training and are magnanimous in the sharing of their talent, training and experience. The teachers and staff here are all about giving to others. It’s actually written into their mission statement and is their #1 strongest core value as a business. When you spend time around creatives who are givers, it has an impact on you. I am learning to relate to others from my body and heart instead of my mind and words. I am learning to experience feeling connected to people who don’t look like me in a way that, even if just the tiniest amount, bypasses the separation of my trained entitlement. I am not one to use the word ‘joy,’ but joy has been my experience.

By dancing through those fears, I lost nothing and gained so much. It affected every part of my life. There have been classes where I felt “okay, I have a lot to learn” and others were “okay!!!! I am making progress, that was awesome.” In every case, I felt better about my day and myself after coming to class.

I learned that I came to dance so I could come to life.

RENEE

Current Profession: Recovering Executive In the Process of Becoming… 🙂
Age: 55
Started dancing at 52

Every year during the holidays, I use some down time to ponder the year ahead, crafting goals, new habits, and experiences I want to have. Part of that process is to ask myself, “what would I do if I were unafraid?” The answer to that has led me in some interesting directions in the past. But what showed up for me on that day in 2019 would blow up most of everything about my life that had me feeling stuck and unfulfilled. It was a simple idea that packed a heck of a punch: I would learn to dance.

When I drove past Dance 101, the wheels of intention were still spinning and I immediately understood the concept of how Dance 101 might apply to any person wishing to learn. I was thrilled to discover that it was an adults only studio, which really appealed to me because I wanted a place to just let go and enjoy music without being self-conscious or having annoyingly great young dancers making me feel even more foolish!

Walking into that first class, an All Levels dance fitness format, was exciting. I had done aerobics in the 80’s and 90’s – I would be able to figure it out, right? Wrong, I was immediately overwhelmed, off balance, uncomfortable in my sluggish and overweight body, horrified by the image looking back at me from the mirror. I managed to hang on until the end of the class, and might not have come back were it not for the amazing Dance 101 instructor who made an immediate impression on me that gave me courage to consider coming back. And come back I have, completing hundreds of classes to date, with tremendous enthusiasm and the knowledge that I am a dancer and will be pursuing this for the rest of my life. I am transformed.

Simply put, Dance 101 and its instructors have changed the arc of my life, my passions, my friendships, and how I see myself. I am empowered now in a way that I was not before. I am more confident, more emotionally available, have created better boundaries and see myself as a work in progress who will always be striving to nail that turn, move powerfully and gracefully as a result of all that I have learned and will continue to learn. The studio is my happy place. Something about the sweat, and the joy, and the emotive power of the music makes this place very special, and the benefits extend far beyond its walls.

There’s something here for EVERYONE. No previous dance experience? No problem. Former dancer? Come share your skill. Struggling in some area of your life (as we all are)? Come dance it out, lose yourself, and then find yourself over time. The best version of you is waiting for you at the 101.

RON

Profession: Physician Consultant and Advisor
Age: 64
Started dancing at 55

I hate gyms. Honestly, I hate to exercise. It’s boring – for me at least. I’ve never been an athlete, never did sports when I was in school. After graduating college, I went to Med school and got a medical degree. There is no question that agility, balance, strength, and movement are the key to a longer and healthier life. As a physician, I’ve known this for years, but for most of my life I just couldn’t find any kind of anything – sport, fitness, yoga class that held my interest for very long. Never would I have imagined regularly attending a dance studio starting at age 55 and enjoying every class.

But then I discovered Dance 101.

I started in 2013 because their Saturday morning Dancers Stretch & Conditioning class caught my interest. I felt a bit out of my element at first, but I loved the music and the experience of being in a class where everyone moves in unison (to music) from stretch to stretch (even doing push ups). I was immediately hooked and fascinated all at once and set about on a journey of exploration. I added another class called Hip Hop Fit. Next thing I know I’m taking a Broadway Jazz class! In the last two years I’ve added Latin Fiesta and Fuego (Salsa!).

When I first set foot in dance 101, I was there looking for an exercise class; a workout that sounded interesting and different. Much to my surprise (and delight) I discovered that dance offers a whole lot more than that. I made a bunch of new friends (I would never have met otherwise). If I’m having a bad day, I can grab my dance shoes, head to class knowing it will turn my day around. That’s priceless. Dance stimulates our cognitive processes which has a positive effect on memory. I have to focus on what I’m doing in class – which helps me concentrate. I feel transported to another “place” in every class I take, and that’s therapeutic: I get to take a little break from my life when I’m in a dance class. I keep calling them classes, but truthfully, the “classes” at Dance 101 are better described as “curated dance experiences” that jolt you out of your reality and into a better place for an hour. We already know about the physical benefits of dance (and exercise in general), it’s what dance training does for the mind that is especially remarkable.

Dance 101 truly is an extraordinary place. It is a true community for women and men of all ages and all levels of dance proficiency in a beautiful setting (come and see the place!). Dance 101 is an important part of my weekly routine (for me, 6 days a week!). I truly believe Atlanta is lucky to have this gem of a place at Emory Point. The writers of Ted Lasso coined the popular “Football is life!” They almost got it right. “DANCING is life.”

JEN

Profession: Pediatric Occupational Therapist
Started dancing at 42

No matter what was on my mind, I had to completely be present each time in class and give it my all. The result was endorphins to the sky, a huge smile so wide I can’t believe I fit through the door on my way out. Next I know, I become the one recommending dance 101 to all my friends.

I used to take a wide range of classes at the gym down the street, but when they eliminated almost all of the more intense morning (mom time) classes I was taking, I started to look for another gym. I asked around for recommendations and funny enough, what I was getting recommended wasn’t a gym at all. 9 out of 10 friends recommended Dance 101. I thought they were crazy, I mean, I love to dance – but for fun. I never studied dance before and the really amazing dancers go to Dance 101 – not someone like me. My friends clearly understood me better than I did. I needed to open my mind, embrace the unknown, and take a chance.

I started with the dance fitness types of classes figuring they’d be like the Zumba classes I would take at the gym and I was pretty intimidated. I stuck with it, trying different classes, until I landed in a class called Reb3l Groove where the music had my heart pounding. It was so much fun that I NEEDED to come back even though I was probably tripping over my own feet. The people were so nice, it felt like I found a new home. My body had literally never done half of those moves, but I was determined to improve, loving the journey. My class was only offered twice per week at the time and I longed to come back each time! No matter what was on my mind, I had to completely be present each time in class and give it my all. The result was endorphins to the sky, a huge smile so wide I can’t believe I fit through the door on my way out. Next I know, I become the one recommending dance 101 to all my friends.

Dance 101 has made me stronger and more physically fit in my 40’s than I have ever been in my life! I lost a ton of weight and toned parts of me that I didn’t know had the potential to be toned. I’m in better shape now than before I had 3 kids and I’ve gotten this way so easily because I am doing something that I love. No matter how I feel when I arrive at dance 101, I thrive on hugs from my friends, feeling completely badass dancing, and resilient for the rest of the day. Dance 101 is my therapy.

I LOVE Dance 101!

NICK

Profession Store Manager
Age: 34
Started Dancing at 27

A few years ago, I had a desire to book gigs with Corporate Party Bands. I had great interest in becoming a performer and wanted to further my education. It was suggested I take dance classes because it could increase performance opportunities for me. When I found Dance 101, I immediately began taking classes. I had never studied dance prior to 101 and never really thought I would be interested in dancing. I occasionally had picked up a book here and there on ballroom, but never really gave it much thought. Which, looking back now, seems really remarkable to me.

PETER

dance 101 instructor since 2005
Classes: Video Pop, Pop Jazz, Turns & Leaps

While my career as a professional dancer is behind me, I approach teaching with the same passion and dedication. Building something special feeds me. Creating choreography, teaching steps, and watching the entire process from beginning to end is thrilling to me. The community at 101 has given me so much.

I remember walking into a cozy dance studio on Miami Circle with nervous anticipation. My first class was with someone named Aris teaching a class called EuroJazz. Meeting a group of dancers there, I walked into Dance 101, excited for class in a new space. Turns out, not to sound dramatic, that would change my life forever. I was quickly attracted to their boutique classes, which are unique, one of a kind, studio specific classes that would challenge me both technically and stylistically. Almost immediately I knew I wanted to be a part of that studio and in 2005 I began teaching there- a year after it had opened..

My signature Video POP class was created then and I still teach that class to this day, some 17 years later. While my class has evolved in terms of style, I believe I have always operated with the mission of Dance 101- dance is for everyone. There is no other studio that merges multiple dance formats and levels under one roof like Dance 101. This is something they have done, with much effort, since day 1. Whether you are brand new to dance, getting back into the studio, or prepping for an audition, Dance 101 has it all. There’s both inspiration and aspiration here – and that truly sets this studio apart from any other.

While my career as a professional dancer is behind me, I approach teaching with the same passion and dedication. Building something special feeds me. Creating choreography, teaching steps, and watching the entire process from beginning to end is thrilling to me. The community at 101 has given me so much.

At the risk of sounding dramatic again, I feel blessed to still do what I love so much, especially at the level I do it. I teach four classes a week, with fresh choreography in constant rotation, while maintaining a strenuously demanding full time job. To be honest, I do not know what I would do without Dance 101 on my calendar and in my life. Looking back on everything 101 has given me, from performances to friendships, to unforgettable experiences to amazing opportunities, I feel so very honored to have been a part of Dance 101 from the beginning.