Category Archives: Taos, New Mexico

You could ask any of my students from the past and they would all say that they knew when they performed well because they would come off stage and find Ms. Stacey crying! What can I say, I’m a bit of a crier. When I watch someone perform to the best of their ability and from a place deep within, I will get tears in my eyes, goosebumps on my arms and chills down my spine. It doesn’t have to be a flawless performance to dance with passion. It’s a special gift to feel free enough to dance from your soul.
A dancer/choreographer that inspires me like this is Mia Michaels. She has this passionate personality that is infectious. The way she uses quirky sounds and made up words to describe movements, makes sense to me! Not only is she an amazing artist but she is a role model for all of those dancers that believe they can never make it in this industry without the typical dancer body type. She has proven her worth by creating outside the box and finding a way to take her students to a place they have never been before. My daughter was fortunate enough to attend a workshop with Mia and left feeling so positive and inspired though she was totally intimidated and out of her comfort zone. Someday I hope to just watch Mia in action and hopefully catch a piece of her passion. What an amazing icon for the dance world!

This was my cousin and I trying to use party hats as costumes for one of our many family performances!

Being chosen as a captain for the "Goldenettes" was one of my claims to fame in high school.

Getting ready for my first dance production "Shadowland" where I played a tree!

Dancing for me was something I enjoyed from the time I was probably 3 years old!  My cousin and I were always making up dances during our family gatherings and holidays.  We would spend all night in my room making up moves and tricks and then beg our parents to let us perform for everyone.  I was the younger one so I was always the one to be picked up and flipped. 

That led to me doing gymnastics for  5 years.  Even when I did gymnastics, my favorite event was floor because it involved some kind of dance.  I started dancing at a studio when I was 11 and loved it so much.  I always felt free when I was dancing.  In high school I was on the dance team and dedicated every spare moment to it.  My fondest memory was competing for Camp Allstar when I was 16!   

I have been fortunate to share my passion for dance with my family.  My daughters and I all danced together in several productions throughout the years while my husband and son worked back stage working lights, props, and curtains.  These events are some of our favorite family memories.

I am so excited to share my love for dance with ADTC this summer!