Hometown: Mill Valley, California

Current city: Mill Valley, California

Age: 45

When you started to dance: 9 years old

When you first took a modern dance class: College Freshman

College and degree: BFA in Dance, NYU Tisch School of Arts

Website: www.rocodance.com

How you pay the bills: I own two dance
studios in Marin County

All of the dance hats you wear: dancer, choreographer,
teacher, studio owner, student and teacher mentor 

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Talk about your life as a performer and
choreographer over the years.          

When I was younger, being a performer was the only thing
that interested me as a profession. I never dreamed nor wanted to have my own
company or dance studio. When I decided to have a baby, I was faced with the
reality of being financially depended upon and I had to reconsider my career as
a performer. The opportunity arose to take over a bankrupt fitness studio where
I founded RoCo Dance. Being a business owner and teacher was not satisfying my
identity as a performer and I had no time to dance for anyone else. I had to
start choreographing my own work in order to continue performing. I found that
by inventing my own material, I was able to authenticate my style and develop
my own technique and approach to movement. Choreographing has developed the
stylist in me, making me a more mature dancer and performer.

When was RoCo founded? What was the inspiration
for starting your own business? How did you learn business skills, finance,
marketing, etc? Talk about the choice to run a for-profit, versus a non-profit,
dance center.                            

I founded RoCo in 1993 (20 years ago this June 2013). I
was dancing with Margaret Jenkins at the time I discovered I was 4 weeks pregnant
and my mother had just been tragically killed in a car accident. I decided to
make a radical life change and have a baby. Like I said above, I started RoCo
because I needed to earn a living to support my child.  Dance is where all of my energy had
gone my entire life and I had no other moneymaking skills aside from restaurant
work.  Two weeks before giving
birth, I opened the doors to my own dance studio. I didn’t have any capital to
hire consultants or employees so I had to teach myself how to do EVERYTHING (accounting, computer skills, graphic design, marketing, scheduling, teaching, managing, and clean the toilets). I paid close attention to other people with successful
businesses. I stayed true to my vision of what I thought a great dance studio should
be and…I might have good business instincts.  I didn’t start making money for 2 years but this is when I
started hiring people to help me. Being a for-profit business at the time
seemed like the easiest to set up and I don’t regret it.

What is the most satisfying aspect of your
business?

Making a difference and lifelong impact
on people by bringing dance into their lives. Also having an organization that
financially and artistically supports dance professionals.

Talk about balancing “fitness” and “dance” in
your business and life in general.

The fitness
portion of RoCo is maybe 10% of the overall business. We bring fitness into
dance classes to encourage adults to be fit through dance movement. This seems
to be a good business model for beginner adults. I have always been an athletic
person outside of dance. For years I taught fitness classes to earn money and
stay fit but my personal interest in indoor fitness has really dissolved. I get
outside now. I run, bike, ski, and hike in my spare time to clear my head and get
my sweat on.

Who have been your major influences in dance
over the years?

Some dance artists that have
influenced me as a dancer and choreographer include: Susan Marshall, Pina
Bausch, Ohad Naharin, Netherlands Dance Theater, Shen Wei…dance and dancers
that are without affectation inspire me. David Dorfman has been like a mentor
to me since I was in college. Not only has he inspired a physicality that I
identify with, but he has personable attributes that draw good and talented
people to him. David makes you feel noticed and cared about. His classes and
company facilitate a sense of community. This is a skill to learn from in all
areas of what I do.

Talk a little bit about teaching. How did you
learn to teach? What are your strengths as a teacher? How are you continuing to
grow as a teacher?               

I taught myself how to teach, which I do not
recommend. It takes years and years to become good at it and you shouldn’t
waste your time wondering what’s wrong with your class when someone who knows
can train you. My strengths as a teacher are that I am able to improvise
exercises successfully to keep the class alive. I also really get into problem
solving and giving specific feedback about how to take movement in and express
it out.  I take class a few times a
year and see lots of shows to freshen up. I hunt for good music that inspires
me to move different ways. I continually re-invent my approach to movement and
teaching. I get bored with myself otherwise and hate repeating myself.

Advice for young dancers:

Go see lots and lots of performance. Find your aesthetic.
Ask yourself what you like and don’t like about what you are seeing. Watch
others dance to inspire you. Try different dance styles and teachers. This prevents
you from being flat or one-dimensional. Professional dancers these days need to
be able to move in every possible way. Dance because you love it and for no
other reason.