Great idea Diva!! I have already learned things I didn't know about some people here...and where they are from.

My name is Renae and I live in Phoenix, AZ. I have been teaching for almost 15 years (including my 2 years of assistant teaching) and dancing since I was 4. I went to college for Dance Therapy, but found out I really loved teaching more than anything. I am a Cecchetti certified teacher, and turned down 2 major professional jobs in a company or show because I do not enjoy performing! I am 30 grrrr...(Robin, I know the dread of saying that number out loud, but you'll get through it!!) and I am a full-time dance teacher. I teach at several studios and teach at a senior citizen recreation center 12 hours during the week to people 55-82 year old. (They have more energy on any given day than I do!!!)

I teach ballet, tap, jazz, lyrical, and dabble in hip-hop when I have to. My passion is teaching tap because of the wonderful teacher I was first hired by in Phoenix. I had 4 job offers and took hers because it just felt right...and she didn't even offer the most money. Well, turns out it was the best decision I ever made, she knows a million people in the business, has a wonderful reputation, and her name alone got me half of my jobs that I have had. She is the person who taught me how to be a GREAT tap teacher, and to truly LOVE the art of tap dancing and experiment with my own style.

My teacher in South Dakota was monumental in developing my passion for dance. He too knew a lot of people and had 2 guest teachers come out every year for a week long study of jazz and tap master classes and flew in a professional dancer or teacher to set a ballet for us annually. Pretty neat for a town of 25,000 people and no big city to go and take summer intensives. I studied 3 summers in Chicago at various companies, and that is how I got to be where I am today.