Was having competition rehearsals today - they hadn't rehearsed their routine since Christmas break and I was honestly kind of expecting a mess.

I told them we were going to run it straight through once with out stopping to warm up and then would go through what needed work.

I've been proud of my students before - But I was in tears by the time they finished their first run through. It was gorgeous, came together perfect and I was seriously brought to tears by the beauty they had given me, I just can't explain the emotion I had. I'm still thinking about how blown away I was. Its a lyrical piece, our first year doing competitions, all the students are new to the concept of lyrical as well... But they just knocked me right down today.

Share the love - What was the first time your students brought you to tears (In a good way)?

1989. Jupiter High School. The girls were so talented, and I was just so happy to have a job.

Kids (9-10 years old) came in with a selfmade frame, with their photo's in it, around a selfcut balletpicture, saying: "We like your balletclasses so much. Thank you."

After 38 years, it's hard to remember if it is the first one, but I had two moments.

My second year of teaching I was given a girl with cerebral palsy, to take a one hour private of jazz and tap. She could not dance alone, so I had to dance with her to hold her hand. She made the audience cry because of her courage to get up and not do much but do it with passion. After about 8 years, she was able to do her two dances on her own. As I stood in the wings, looking at this girl, who was now a teen, dance alone with no help, I cried my eyes out. I was so proud of her. Her name was Bonnie Lynn and she is now a doctor who works with people with disabilities.

The second was when I took over the ballet department for my NY job, I did a ballet with all of the ballet students, from ages 8 and up, all levels, to Malaguena.

I was the ONLY ballet teacher and these were all recreational kids. I felt that a short ballet piece (it's about 12 minutes long) as opposed to a full ballet for recital, would be better received.

They got a standing ovation and then I decided to throw it in a big competition (no levels back in those days), and they won gold (when gold was the highest) and a choreography award. I was so proud of them because they all worked so hard. It blew me away.

I had a problem with my Nutcracker CD during rehearsal, and another teacher loaned me his, assuring me it was exactly the same as mine. I used it live, and in the middle of the first act party scene, a band of music kept repeating for over 2 minutes.

I was in the back of the theater, directing the lighting guy, so I sat in horror as the dancers initially looked dumbfounded at each other. Then small groups of them spontaneously got up and took turns dancing impromptu, like it was part of the show! I laughed until I cried, watching their attempts at instant choreo. The audience never caught on, and I still find this DVD humorous.