Meet Emily Behtz | Dance Instructor & Choreographer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Emily Behtz and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Emily, why did you decide to pursue a creative path?
I’ve always been a right-brain person. As a kid, I wanted to read & draw. My sister and I would come up with plays to show my family, and we would host Wii bowling nights in the basement, complete with a snack counter and prizes. And of course, the love of dance started early as well, dancing through the house and any wide open aisle at the grocery store. Creativity has just always been a part of who I am, so pursuing anything other than that felt so opposite of myself. I felt relief when my parents supported my desire to go to college for dance, and as I’ve gotten older the jobs that I take up throughout the day have also been creative in nature, even if they were a more traditional “desk” job. In short, I don’t think there was a world in which I wouldn’t pursue an artistic and creative career. Emily and “creative” just go hand and hand.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I think what sets me apart in the dance world is my goal to help shape the whole student, not just the dancer. The dancers I teach are in a stage of life where having another voice of reason outside of their families is huge! So as I have gotten older I have paused to decide how I want to stand out, and how I want to leave my mark on the dance world. I could come to the studio, drive home good technique, shape little powerhouse dancers, and then shoo them out the doors into the big wide world at 18, in hopes of seeing them on Broadway or in the media as the “next big thing”. And that would be amazing. But what I want more is to say I know I set an example of how to love and care for those around you well while still pushing yourself toward big goals. I want the dancers that I get the pleasure of teaching to know they hold value outside of their skills, and that the way they speak to me and others is just as important as if they can nail one more rotation in their pirouettes. I want my dancers to aim for better each day but also be kind to themselves when they fall a little short of the goal. To be able to say that the dancers who have left my classes (and hopefully one day my studio) are known as gentle, kind, loving AND powerhouse dancers is the dream!

It hasn’t always been this way though. When I first started teaching, I linked my worth as an instructor to how well my students were performing. And don’t get me wrong – if I consistently had dancers that weren’t growing that would be an issue. But what I was struggling with is what so many people do… linking our worth as a person to our achievements professionally. And I think that’s why it’s such a big deal to me to help my dancers learn to battle that struggle early. As I have learned to hold a looser grip on my perfectionist-have-to-achieve-all-the-time energy, I have seen my teaching evolve and I have seen my impact on my dancers change. I think admitting that you struggle with the same things your dancers do, creates a string of empathy from person to person that allows a deeper connection. Honestly, if I have just one dancer who can look back and say they learned to show themselves a little more grace because of me, I’ll count it as a win!

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Spending some time in Atlanta for sure! Catching something new from The Atlanta Ballet would be ideal, then a nice dinner somewhere with a good steak (too many good places to just choose one!). Stop by the Avalon to do some shopping, pop into Lululemon to stock up on all my favorites, and then 100% a stop at Superica – have to get a nice margarita with my tacos al carbon! The Halcyon is another great stop. My friends and I frequent Cherry Street there on nice nights. My last suggestion would be NoFo Brewing – great beer, fun food trucks, and trivia on Thursday nights are my favorite!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Oh, this one is so easy. To start, my parents. I grew up with a businessman-big boss-VP of a father who gave me my drive and an absolute queen of a mother who nurtured my creativity. A powerhouse combination really. Without them, there would have been so many times in my life I would have just flat-out walked away from dance and the dream of opening a studio. They are the reason that dream is still alive, they have pushed me forward at times when I felt like the biggest failure, and they have celebrated me well in seasons when I see the most growth. It might sound cliche, but they are the reason little 10-year-old Emily’s dream of having her own dance studio is still alive! Second, my friends. Various people throughout my life have come into play right when I needed them most, and there are just too many to name individually though I am grateful for each in their own way. But I can think of two specifically who over the past 4 or so years have not let me put the idea of having a studio on the back burner. While neither of them are dancers but are business owners themselves, they know my passion for the dream and they want to see me run for it. Specifically, I remember a beach trip with the two of them where we spent an entire dinner chatting through what it practically would look like to open a studio in the next 5ish years. To this day it’s one of my most cherished moments with them!
Lastly, but for sure not least, my Heavenly Father. The passion I have for teaching dance, and the dancers I get the chance to teach, comes from Him. Anytime I feel stuck, like I am not getting closer to the dream, I am reminded it’s in His perfect timing. There’s no way He gave me this much love for dance with no grand plan for me!

Instagram: emilyabehtz

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emily-behtz-976250101/

Image Credit: 
Robert Pack widescreenvideoproductions.com