Dreams Do Come True

Maureen Gibson has been living her dream for years. She caught the dance bug when she was just a little girl. Now, as an adult she’s sharing the love of dance with her young students. In addition to dancing though, Maureen also tries to be a good example for her little ones. We had the chance to chat with Maureen about how she stays motivated and her advice to others who want to make their dreams come true like she did.

Name: Maureen Gibson

Business: STEPS School of Dance and Performing Arts (www.stepsschoolofdance.com)

Where are you from: Wilkes-Barre, PA but moved to Dunedin, FL in 1986 with my sister

HappyCrawlers (aka kids): hundreds of little dancer children at STEPS

HC: Tell us about your lifelong dream?

Maureen: I always wanted to be a ballerina. My husband giggles because when he would ask me what I did in school, I would tell him that I just went to ballet. That’s it. When I was 12, I went away for the summers to train with professional ballet schools. My senior year, I was with the Pennsylvania Ballet. I audition and was accepted to dance with the Joffrey Ballet in NYC. I went there right after high school.

HC: Most difficult obstacle you had to overcome to do what you love?

Maureen: I would say body shape issues because your body is your art. It’s your instrument, your canvas. And so many directors have so many opinions about your body. I would think that sometimes you are too tall or too short, you hair is wrong. That is probably the toughest obstacle and being firm in your belief to continue with your dreams is important. You don’t want to be negated by the directors.

HC: That is definitely a challenge, especially one that young girls can relate to.  

HC: Advice to others who might find themselves in similar situations?

Maureen: I would say to have a good support group and not be afraid to talk about it with your peers, director or teacher. Sometimes it is just as simple as a director looking for a girl who is 5 feet 2 inches because the male (counterpart) is 5 feet 4 inches. As long as you talk about it, then you can deal with it and understand it better.

HC: What’s the most rewarding aspect of your business?

Maureen: I think seeing the children and how they grow not only through dance, but accomplishing other things in life. Even the little girl who isn’t musical and stumbles and just has the love of dance and gets on the beat. They are so proud of themselves. That’s what makes it worthwhile. Seeing all that.

HC: How do you balance family and work?

Maureen: I’ve been with my husband since 1987. My husband is very involved in the business and actually drives the van (STEPS offers free after school pick up). It’s a partnership. We enjoy working together. Sometimes he’s the unemotional businessman and I think like a dreamy, pink ballerina. For the most part we work well together though.

HC: What motivates you to work harder?

Maureen: It’s funny because I guess it is what I’ve always wanted to do so those hard days are rare. The hardest part is when I don’t want to go to work and do the business end of number crunching and paperwork. I love the dancing part and seeing the happy kids. I think that the girls who have been with me for so long think of me like their mom and it’s so nice that they have the confidence to share with me. We are really like a family. I try to mentor them.

HC: Tell us about a role model in your life?

Maureen: My role model would probably be my husband because he’s so steady. He’s a rock. He’s very black and white. It’s good or bad with him. There’s no wishy-washy. He’s dependable. That’s what you need.

HC: Tell me about a role model who you have yet to meet?

Maureen: I would say probably in the dance world that my role model is Suzanne Farrell. She was one of Mr. George Balanchine’s ballerinas. I’d love to sit down and talk to her and see what life was like under Mr. Balanchine. I want to see if she has the same emotional issues as all of us ballerinas.

HC: Favorite story of your little happy crawlers?

Maureen: I probably have hundreds of stories about silly things my ballerinas have done. I know yesterday was funny because I walked into the studio wearing a sundress and the kids said they thought I looked dressed up so they wanted to know why. They said, “It’s only Tuesday so why are you wearing a dress?” They only ever see me in workout gear. They thought something was up because I was dressed in a sundress. It was cute.

Is there someone who motivates and inspires you? Who would you like to see profiled on the HappyCrawlers’ blog? Email us at: hello@HappyCrawlers.com with your recommendations. Happy travels!