Because great teachers don’t just teach…
They Learn. They Refine. They Grow.
For for the Dance Educator who cares.
Who wants stronger systems without losing heart. Who wants better structure without losing creativity and who wants to feel inspired again.
Monday, July 20th from 9-4pm at 451 Stageline Rd. Hudson, WI 54016
You love to teach dance and care deeply about your students.
But lately, something feels heavier than it should.
Your littles feel chaotic.
The teens feel disengaged.
And you're planning week-to-week instead of with clarity.
You're leaving your class(es) exhausted instead of energized.
It’s not that you don’t love teaching.
It’s that no one is pouring into you.
Sometimes it isn’t teaching that needs to change.
It's how we teach, and the support around us.
A Thoughtfully Designed Day for Dance Educators
Above the Barre is a one-day professional development experience created to help dance educators teach with confidence, clarity, and purpose.
It's an intentional, in-person gathering of educators who care deeply about their craft and want to elevate it.
What the Day Holds...
The morning begins where most classrooms struggle, the foundations. Stephanie Campbell and Melissa Rose bring over fifty years (gulp) of combined experience teaching littles.
We’ll explore teaching littles with clarity and structure, building foundations that truly stick, and creating classes that feel calm, purposeful, and engaging. You’ll walk away with practical tools for managing energy, setting expectations early, and creating an environment where even your youngest dancers can thrive with confidence.
From there, we move into curriculum design and year-long planning with guest expert Greta Lewis. An educator in both the public school system and the dance classroom, she brings a rare blend of structure and creativity to her work. She’ll share practical strategies for keeping your classes on track while maintaining flexibility and flow throughout the season.
Greta will show us how to transform what often feels overwhelming into a streamlined, repeatable system, one that saves you hours of mental energy and creates clarity not just for you, but for your entire team.
Next, you’ll gain practical, in-class strength and injury prevention tools you can implement right away. In this session with Dr. Kaitlin Haider and Dr. Amy focuses on how to proactively support dancers through thoughtful, in-class conditioning. With an emphasis on the hips and low back, you’ll learn how to integrate age-appropriate strength work directly into your class structure, without adding time or complexity.
Together, they bring a unique blend of physical therapy, fitness, and movement expertise, offering practical strategies that help prevent injuries before they start while improving overall dancer performance and longevity.
Dr. Amy
Dr. Amy discovered her passion for physical therapy as a high school athlete recovering from an injury, where she was inspired by a fitness-forward approach that kept her active during recovery. Today, she brings that same philosophy into her clinical practice, focusing on treating pain while maximizing function and overall fitness. She works with a wide range of orthopedic and pelvic floor conditions, with a special interest in pregnancy, postpartum, and menopause. Outside of work, she enjoys spending time with her husband and toddler, often running, golfing, or cooking together as a family.
Dr. Kaitlin
Dr. Kaitlin is a licensed physical therapist and co-owner of Fit PT, with over a decade of clinical experience and more than 15 years as a fitness instructor. She combines clinical expertise with movement science to deliver a personalized, whole-body approach to care. With a background in sports medicine, fitness, and pelvic health, she is passionate about helping active women build strong, resilient, and pain-free bodies. Known for her energy and empowering style, Dr. Kaitlin partners with her patients to create sustainable plans that support recovery, performance, and long-term wellness.
Lunch will be provided for our guests in thanks to our sponsor.
After your delicious lunch ...
Evolution begins with education. But how do we continue to evolve how we teach dance while maintaining the necessary building blocks? How do we keep the spark alive in our students and inspire them to keep learning dance?
Zoé Henrot (She/Her) is the Artistic Director and Founder of Ballet Co.Laboratory. Shereceived her early dance training at Boulder Ballet in addition to Kansas City Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, and Joffrey Ballet.
Zoé graduated summa cum laude from Mount Holyoke College in 2012 with a double major in Dance and Biological Sciences. Her mission is to diversify ballet narratives and repertoire. Zoé has created over ten original works and nine full length narrative ballets.
Critics have said, “Henrot has already proved herself as a choreographer to watch, offering a contemporary and often feminist take on classic ballet” and the Company has been praised as being “founded on tenets of collaboration and exploration, while also pushing against tropes of what ballet is supposed to be”.
Next we have the lovely, Angela Manella-Hoffman will be sharing her wisdom about working with students of all abilities. She has extensive experience as a studio owner and dance educator and can speak confidently about engaging and teaching to students at every ability. You'll leave feeling empowered to teach everyone who dances into your class.
Because every dancer deserves to feel seen and supported.
Angela Mannella-Hoffman has been acting and dancing professionally since she was 8 years old. As an actor, Angela has appeared on stages across the country, including The Guthrie Theater, The Children's Theatre Company, Shakespeare & Company MN, Hennepin Stages, and many others. She has also appeared in more than 300 commercials.
Angela opened Moore Than Dance in 2010 as an alternative performing arts studio. Offering classes in acting, dancing, singing, and special needs programming, Moore Than Dance students are true "triple threats" and have appeared in various theater productions and on television.
Angela is a Community Leader in the DSOA Inner Circle and has helped studio owners around the world expand their curriculum by incorporating special needs programs. Recently, Angela graduated from Heroic Public Speaking and is excited to be back on stage sharing her keynote address.
We’ll close the day with clinical insight designed specifically for dance educators, giving you the clarity and confidence to better support the dancers in your care. The team from Twin Cities Orthopedics will walk us through common lower-body injuries, with a focus on the foot, ankle, and knee, while also addressing patterns in hip and low back pain.
You’ll learn what to watch for in the classroom, how to recognize early warning signs, and when it’s time to refer a dancer for additional support.
This session isn’t about turning teachers into clinicians, it’s about helping you teach more safely, confidently, and effectively, with a deeper understanding of the bodies you’re training.
Tori Notch, PT, DPT, OCS
Tori Notch is a dedicated Orthopedic Physical Therapist with a special passion for supporting the hypermobile population. With a lifelong love of movement — she began dancing at age three and spent 16 years competing — Tori developed a deep appreciation for body awareness, coordination, and the power of individualized training. Before graduate school, she spent four years as a color guard instructor, helping performers build strength, artistry, and confidence. She brings that same patient, encouraging, and creative energy into her PT practice, blending evidence-based care with a deeply personalized approach that helps patients understand their bodies, feel supported, and achieve meaningful progress.
Grace Nelson, PT, DPT
Grace Nelson is an Orthopedic Physical Therapist at Twin Cities Orthopedics with a lifelong passion for dance. She began dancing at the age of two and spent fifteen years training and competing in a variety of dance styles before continuing to dance at Marquette University. Her experiences as a dancer inspired her career in physical therapy, where she enjoys combining her love for movement with the science of rehabilitation. Grace has a special interest in treating dancers and helping them stay healthy, strong, and performing at their best.
The day ends not in exhaustion but in connection.
Because let's be real, the best ideas happen at the after party!
We'll continue the conversations over refreshments & charcuterie provided by our sponsor:
Your Investment
Your registration includes the full day of workshops, lunch, happy hour, and thoughtfully curated take-home resources. This experience is intentionally intimate and collaborative.
Not overwhelming. Not performative. Not surface-level.
Just real tools for real dance educators.
Join Us Above the Barre.
Come learn. Come move. Come connect.
Thank you to our Above the Barre Sponsors
