A Leap Of Faith Leads To The Dancers Shape Family

July 14, 2014 Crystal Zuzek

After moving home to Texas in 2009, Dancers Shape owner Jennifer McCamish experienced a career shock. She’d lived in New York City for 13 years and had successful careers as a Rockette and a makeup artist but was anxious to take the next step in her life. Moving to Austin to open her business meant leaving behind an extended creative family that was made up of dancers, dressers, stage managers, make-up artists, and stage hands. When she took a leap of faith and opened the doors to Dancers Shape in late October 2010, she had no idea of the familial bond she’d form with instructors, clients, and staff.

“I can honestly say this is the most rewarding thing I’ve ever done. I have such a connection to my business because the clients and the instructors and staff are like family,” she says. “I wanted to create a friendly environment where the instructors and I could get to know our clients, and I think I’ve achieved that.”

McCamish spent a year-and-a-half running ragged to get Dancers Shape off the ground. In those early days, it meant everything how the few instructors were there to help fill in the gaps from anything to teaching classes to cleaning the toilets. “I was so grateful to find people willing to get in the trenches with me to maintain my vision of Dancers Shape,” says McCamish. Today Dancers Shape has a staff of 13.

“I feel like a mother hen. I support my staff and watch them flourish in their roles. The instructors undergo strict training before they can work at Dancers Shape, and it’s exciting for me to watch them succeed and form friendships with one another while getting to know the clients,” McCamish says.

About the Author

Crystal Zuzek is an Austin-based writer with more than a decade of experience in the journalism industry. She graduated from the University of Missouri-Columbia School of Journalism in the magazine sequence. In her free time, she enjoys sewing, going to movies and concerts, and spending time with her husband, Patrick, and her dachshund mix, Saffron.