I am always bragging about my Dancers Shape family, and it is time to let one of my first chickies fly. I first interviewed Toussaint in the coffee shop which once stood next door to the studio. My walls were still in the process of being built so I toured her around the framework and dust pointing out where the front studio would be. After chatting about her Pilates and dance background, she told me her grandmother had been a “Roxyette.” With those words I knew I had to hire her. (The Roxyettes were the original Rockettes before they were brought to NYC and re-named the Rockettes).

I began training her in a temporary location and occasionally in my parents TV room. The stress levels were quite high starting a new business, and I knew she was terrified since it was her first teaching job and with a brand new technique. She sailed through her first class and never looked back. From housekeeping Fridays to Assistant Director of Training, I have watched Toussaint grow into a strong and confident woman who is about to pursue the next chapter in her life – attending physical therapy school.