I must have always known, on some level, that a normal job was not to be my destiny. Coming from a musical family, I have always had a great appreciation for music and the arts. I played the violin from ages 6-17, and even took a year and a half of figure skating. Growing up, I was fascinated by sports and arts that involved body movement, and would watch gymnastics, diving and figure skating each time the Olympics came around. I moved back to Austin when I was 17 (my family moved to tiny Greenville, California when I was 6), and was working at a restaurant when a friend convinced me to take dance lessons with her. After calling several places, we found Go Dance. It took only a month of classes before I was so hooked that I joined the instructor training program. Much like the Olympic sports I enjoyed watching as a kid, I immediately fell in love with the visual interpretation of music that dance offers; the control you have over your body, and the opportunity to have a different persona for a few minutes when performing. To those around me, teaching dance seemed a natural choice for someone who, at the age of 7, was teaching other kids how to ski on the bunny hill and as a teen taught violin lessons. I tend to be fairly driven, too, so running the dance studio just made sense to me. I have been teaching as a professional for over ten years now, although recently I have less time to do so, as running the studio takes up the majority of my time. I miss the teaching aspect though, and still love to when I get the chance. Over the course of my career, I have won Top Female Instructor Awards, Division I Country Western Placements, the Open Professional Classic Division Championship at America’s Classic in 2005, and I am Bronze Certified by the NDCA in American Smooth, American Rhythm and International Standard. Dancers are often asked what their favorite style of dance is, and I sincerely hope that I never have to choose. I love West Coast Swing for the social creativity it allows, but I also love the movement created on the floor by Smooth dances, and the sassiness of Latin styles. As for social dance music, I’m drawn to the slow R&B and Soul inspired by West Coast Swing. When I’m not on the dance floor or in my office, I love to cook, read, and design and make dance costumes. Here are a few things you might not know about me: As kids, my sister and I placed third in the California State Fiddle Championship Twin Fiddle Division, and as a teen I sang back-up vocals for a rock and roll band. Oh, and when I was little I had a pet chicken named “flutterbuget”.