My name's Debbie from Massachusetts. Not only am I a teacher but also the studio owner and the mother of 4 daughters who i have all taught over the years! I'm still technically 39 (the big 4-0 comes in 20 days). I started dancing when I was 5 with my younger sister and haven't stopped since then. In high school and college i was a cheerleader as well. I really didn't know what I wanted to do with my life so I just studied dance in college for fun. I met my husband soon after I graduated and we got married a year later (he was already in law school and much more grounded than me). I began teaching dance at a studio near our home and fell in love with it - i finally knew what I wanted to do with my life! I wanted to open a studio, my husband told me I was crazy but when I stuck with the idea he started backing me up. Since he's a lawyer, he helped me a lot with the legal issues involved. My studio basically fell into my lap - an elderly studio owner became very ill and was forced to sell, no one in her family wanted it, nor did the other 2 women who taught with her since it was declining severely in numbers. I took over, gave the studio a makeover and recruited students (all with 2 small children of my own, mind you) and here i am 13 years later!

I love teaching dance and getting to know the girls. I couldn't imagine ever doing anything else. I mostly teach the younger kids now, but that's always been my favorite part anyway. What a great thread this is!