Dance Excellence has been a piece of my heart for over 18 years.
It’s hard to even put into words what this place has meant to me… because it’s never just been an “event.” It’s been a constant. A home. A pocket of magic that I was lucky enough to be a part of year after year. First as an assistant and performer, then as a teacher!
Doug brought this family into my life, and I will never stop being grateful for that. Truly. It changed everything for me.
And what Annie created… there just aren’t words big enough for it. The way she built this environment — with so much intention, love, and care — from the teachers, to the staff, to the directors, to every single student who walked through those doors… it’s something you feel instantly, and something that stays with you forever.
I didn’t just attend Dance Excellence… I grew up here. I went through so many chapters of my life with these people by my side. So much of who I am, how I lead, how I teach, how I love in this industry… it all traces back to this space.
The respect, the joy, the community — it was never by accident. It was a direct reflection of Annie and the way she shows up in the world. There is truly no one like her.
The Grand Finale— it doesn’t even feel real. I am so excited for Annie and this next chapter, because she deserves every bit of what’s ahead. But there is also a real ache knowing this chapter is closing. This has been such a steady, beautiful part of my life, and it leaves a space that can’t be filled.
But I also know this — something this special doesn’t just end. It lives on in all of us. In the way we walk into studios, the way we treat people, the way we create environments of our own. A little piece of Dance Excellence will always exist in everything we do.
Getting to bring Curt and Swayze into this world, to let them feel even a glimpse of what this has been for me… that’s something I will hold onto forever.
Thank you
@danceexcellence , thank you Annie, thank you dancers and teachers from all over the world… for being the place I grew up, the people who shaped me, and the magic I will spend the rest of my life trying to recreate.
Forever changed. Forever grateful. 💛
