About Us
Mommy & Me Dance of Durango was created in February 2009. It is a creative dance & yoga program for children. Classes & programs are for boys & girls ages 15 months to 5 years. The dance classes introduce dance movements & concepts, using age appropriate themes & techniques, while focusing on the fundamental movement skills. We focus on body awareness, balance, bending & stretching, walking & running, hopping & jumping along with other age appropriate dance movement skills.
Children will get a chance to express themselves creatively and discover the joy of dance in their own way, while physically developing a strong kinesthetic awareness of themselves, gaining valuable skills and creating a strong foundation for life-long learning.
Yoga classes combine unique toddler friendly poses with songs, stories and games to create an enriching parent/child activity. Children learn how to relieve frustration, improve motor skills, increase attention span & build a fit, healthy lifestyle.
Kids & the Arts
Our new creative arts enrichment school year program for children ages 3 to 5 years old will begin September 7th, 2010. For program information please see our Kids & the Arts program page.
Art Classesf or children ages 2 to 10 years will begin September 2010 in our brand new studio at The Smiley Building.
All experience levels are welcome!
Michele Rothberg, Program Director & TeacherMichele grew up in Santa Monica, CA. and was introduced to tap at the age of 5, she began studying ballet at 6. She started training in musical theatre at the age of 9 and quickly became a member of the Young Professionals Company where she was able to perform throughout the years in numerous theatrical productions. When she was 13 Michele went on to study ballet, jazz & modern dance at Dance Studies International in Los Angeles under the direction of Syni Patterson. She was thrilled to perform with her team members in various venues in the greater Los Angeles area. She received a drama & dance scholarship to attend the University of the Pacific, where she continued her studies in theater & dance performing on the stage at the university level. She then went on to study art at The Academy of Art in San Francisco. She trained in voice acting and enjoyed acting in films, television & commercials both on camera and voice over.
Beginning in 1996 she began teaching pre-ballet to 2-4 year old children as well as private dance instruction for 5 year olds and up in Seattle, WA. Most recently she taught Dance with Me! Classes at The Dance Center here in Durango.
In February of 2009, combining her joy for dance & the arts and her love for children she decided to create a program that would be an educational, fun & magical experience for Durango’s youngest dancers and their parents.
Michele currently studies tap & yoga.
Emma Holt, Teacher She grew up in Pennsylvania in a family of four kids. Throughout her younger years, she studied Ballet, Tap, and Hip Hop. During high school her physical activities switched over to other things such as soccer, softball, and swimming. She has been working with kids of all ages (Infant to about 10 years of age) continuously since she was 11 years old, including a two week trip to Nicaragua where she assisted in a classroom setting with three and four year olds. She is currently nannying and teaching for Mommy & Me Dance of Durango.
