Maria has been a dancer all her life. She started dancing ballet at the age of three and tried to quit at the age of 15. Clearly it didn’t work.

When she went to Grove City College to study communication, she discovered partner dancing and was immediately hooked. She danced every moment she could, started choreographing, and became president/instructor of the school’s Swing dance club. she discovered a love of sharing her knowledge, realized she could make a career out of it, and moved to Social Graces.

She fell in love with the movement of classical ballet, but chose ballroom because of the social aspect. Her favorite dances are Tango, Waltz, Cha Cha, and West Coast Swing.