Hi everyone. I'm Nicole and I'm 30 (I still hate saying it and its just gonna get worse). I own a studio in central NJ that I starting teaching at in college. I graduated from Mason Gross School of the Arts, Rutgers University with a BFA in dance almost 10 years ago. Now I'm the proud mommy of a 3 year old boy and a little ballerina in training who's 17 mos. My sister started dancing when I was 2 and I wanted to go so badly too. Back then they wouldn't let you start until you were 4. My first teacher was Ms. Cindy. I don't remember her much, but she was nice. One of my favorite teachers was Rocco Santafuro. I'm probably butchering his name, but he was so much fun and gave a great class. In a studio that played favorites, he was able to give me that extra boost of confidence. He didn't care about the drama and was just there to teach which was just what I needed at the time. My greatest joy is watching old videos and seeing the progress that my students and studio have made over the years. When I had one of my evaluations in college I was asked why I focused so much on my teaching. My professors felt that I should be working towards a performance career because I guess they saw some talent. I explained that I felt that too many students get cheated by unqualified instructors or well trained seasoned professionals that just don't have their heart in teaching. I'm sure many of you have experienced at least one of these teachers. Well I feel like I have something to share with my students that is very valuable, decent training and a great love of the art. Thats what teaching dance is all about.