I grew up doing ballet, but in my teenage years, I began to realize that my future wasn’t in that style of dance. After years of spending every hour that I wasn’t at school in the studio, I decided to take a break from dance to see what else the world might have in store for me. 

Within just a few months, I was missing my oldest loves– dance and movement. As a hopeless romantic and lifelong fan of Dancing With the Stars, I’ve always been so fascinated by partner dancing. By happenstance, one afternoon I happened to be near a local ballroom dance studio, and wandered inside. 

After four lessons, I was in love.

I was asked to be an instructor, and spent the next two years at the studio learning everything there was to know about the beauty of ballroom dancing. I found that social dancing is the most inclusive form of dance – you can start it at any age and develop real skill by taking a lesson or two a week and practicing some at home. 

It was so special to see people of all ages, shapes, and sizes come in to learn how to dance, and even more special to learn their reasons for dancing, like finding a community, developing a new hobby, leaving their comfort zone, and more.

In my time as a ballroom instructor, I found my true passion for a special niche in the big, wide, beautiful world of partner dancing: wedding couples!

That passion came about instantly, because there’s something so special about watching a couple experience pure joy and a deeper connection in real time.

Because many ballroom instructors want to focus on long-term clients who are building towards more professional goals, I realized that I had an opportunity to create a space in the industry for couples who are often overlooked, so I asked for all wedding couples at the studio to come straight to me.

After working with dozens of couples and honing my passion for connecting love with movement, I knew I had something special that I wanted to grow. At that point, nobody had created a choreography method exclusively designed for the wedding context. With the help of a start-up incubator at Georgia Tech, I founded Danse L’Amour in 2021.

Danse L’Amour has since worked with thousands of couples to showcase their memories in rhythm on their wedding day, and we have instructors located around the United States. As the company continues to grow, so does my love for working with couples– beyond just their big day.

Through Bella Marie Ballroom, I help couples ditch the hug and waddle and discover an uncomplicated approach to partner dancing. I teach foxy– an underground social dance, and, in my opinion, the perfect slow dance– through self-paced courses and personalized lessons.

My goal through both Danse L’Amour and Bella Marie Ballroom is to help couples experience the joy and connection that come with slow dance, and to create forever dance partners and unique date nights for years to come.