How did you get into dance?   
I saw my first ballet at age seven at the War Memorial Opera House in San Francisco. The Opera House was like an enormous palace to me, and the ballet was just as magical. I decided then and there that I wanted to be a ballerina.

 

How did you develop your skills?  
Soon after seeing the ballet, I began taking lessons in my hometown of Walnut Creek. As a teen, I would take the bus to San Francisco to train at the San Francisco Ballet School. In college, I was a company member of the Shawl Anderson Modern Dance Company in Berkeley, then graduated with a master’s degree in education, dance specialization at Stanford University.

What is your favorite part of teaching dance?  
It brings me so much joy to see a child’s face light up when dancing. And seeing young students grow and blossom into beautiful dancers makes my life’s work so fulfilling.

What is your favorite type of dance?   
Ballet was my first love, so one never gets tired of that, of course. But I am truly moved by contemporary dance, as it often seeks to question and answer many of life’s conditions.

 

What advice would you give to someone just starting out?  
I’d share the quote by the late Margot Fonteyn, a famous ballet dancer: “Love the dance in yourself, rather than yourself in the dance.”  Enjoy the beauty of movement, joyfully. Then see where it takes you.

How did you get into dance?   
Kate: While I was in college studying theatre and dance, an Arthur Murray instructor who I was classmates with invited me to a dance class and it all started there.
Roberto: My grandfather was a student at Arthur Murray for many years and he invited me to come to the studio with him and once I did, I loved it. I was 17 years old.

 

How did you develop your skills?  
K: I studied all types of dance throughout my college years and most of my ballroom dance training was through Arthur Murray coaches.
R: Back when I was first learning there was no YouTube to watch like many people do today, so I took lots of lessons and trained with some great teachers. I also chose to dance whenever I had an opportunity to; lots of salsa dancing, country, and west coast swing.

What is your favorite part of teaching dance?  
K: Meeting all types of people from all walks of life. Dance is truly a universal language!
R: I believe that everyone has a dancer inside of them and it’s my job to help bring that out and show them anyone can learn to be a good dancer. My absolute favorite part is when someone makes a breakthrough on a lesson—that fuels my motivation to teach.

What is your favorite type of dance and why?
K: Social partner dancing is my favorite type—something I enjoy on and off the stage and especially with my husband.
R: I love salsa and bachata, because it’s very social, but I would have to pick mambo, as it’s a dance I’ve worked hard at and feel like I finally got a grip on how to dance it.

 

What advice would you give to someone just starting out?
K: Be patient with your progress and find songs that you love. It will help motivate you.
R: Don’t be afraid to make mistakes because everyone does. When I teach I often say, “Okay, let’s do a couple bad ones and get it out of the way,” and that tends to disarm learners and they will try and end up doing a great job.

How did you get into dance?   
When I was three or four years old I sang in a talent show, and since singing lessons were not common for four-year-olds, I started dancing lessons. I would watch the advanced classes, and teach myself their harder steps, and my dance teachers would move me up into their classes.

 

How did you develop your skills?
During my Bay Area days, my dance teacher was the secretary of Dance Masters of America (DMA) and offered me lessons in exchange for my mom’s typing skills. After seven years of lessons in the Bay Area, we moved to Lake Tahoe, where I learned more about performing and connecting with the audience. Fast forward, and after many years of teaching, I discovered how fortunate I was to have had DMA training. I was requested to join DMA, which requires all instructors to pass their tests to be certified, and I have been a certified member for almost 30 years. When rap music became popular, the rhythm of it caught my attention and I felt a strong tap connection to it. There was a new style of dance called street jazz and I thought I could modernize my tap style by doing it with street jazz. Nobody was doing this, and it took Sacramento by surprise when we took it to competition! And yes, we won! Beside tap dancing, I also teach a lot of Zumba classes, which are fitness dance. What I have learned is that people love to dance, so I choreograph Zumba routines with steps which are great for social dancing as well.

What is your favorite part of teaching dance?
Seeing results! I always expect 110% from myself as a dance teacher. Even after teaching several decades, I still can’t get over how many people want to be in my classes. What I love is hearing how much better they feel after class, or how great they feel after we finish a dance that we have been working hard at.

 

What is your favorite type of dance and why?
Tap dancing. What I remember as a kid was, ballet and jazz were boring, hula was fun, acrobatics was fun, and tap was hard and fast! That was what I wanted to do; the hardest and fastest. I teach Broadway-style tap, so I usually mix it up with old tunes and newer tunes with strong beats.

What advice would you give to someone just starting out?
Don’t expect to immediately have lots of students. It takes time to build up new classes and requires a lot of patience. Make sure your class is a class your students love. When your class is over, you want your students to leave feeling really happy they came to class—it may be the highlight of their week!

How did you get into dance?   
My mom put me in my first dance class at the age of two, and I never stopped!

How did you develop your skills?
Dance is muscle memory: the more you practice the better you get. I found a dance studio to be my second home and took as many classes as I could.

 

What is your favorite part of teaching dance?
I love the look on a dancer’s face when something challenging finally clicks; the pure joy and pride they experience. Teaching dance is oftentimes less about the steps and more about developing a love for the art form, being brave, expressing yourself, and the sense of belonging to something bigger than yourself. As a teacher, dance provides a unique experience of watching a dancer grow up right before your eyes, from two years old to graduating from high school, we help them through so many important firsts in their lives. The famous saying, “It takes a village to raise a child,” [rings true and] we want to be that village for parents.

What is your favorite type of dance and why?
I trained in all styles and truly love all styles of dance, but my absolute favorite is contemporary. Contemporary fuses so many different styles, so you get to explore many styles at once. Contemporary opens up opportunities for dancers to really express themselves through movement and find their own unique artistic voice.

 

What advice would you give to someone just starting out?
Just start! It doesn’t matter how old you are, or what time of year it is, just start! Find a place to take a class that not only provides a well-developed curriculum and pathway for every type of dancer (whether you’re taking a class just for fun or looking for career path in dance), but most importantly a studio that has a safe and welcoming environment. A dance studio should be your home away from home!