SAN ANTONIO – Danielle Campbell Steans learned to love dance and arts at a very young age; she was four when she took her first class, and that passion has followed her whole life.
“I think when I saw my first professional ballet dancer, I just was entranced with with her and everything I saw. And I knew in that moment, in that rehearsal that I wanted to do that one day,” she said.
Her passion took her to prestigious dance schools nationwide, where she also joined dance companies. She eventually settled in San Antonio.
In 2016, she started her dance studio, San Antonio Ballet School.
“I started to get involved in teaching, you know, while I was still dancing. And I really just enjoyed seeing the progress of my students and like knowing that I taught them that step,” she said.
Her passion for teaching has taken her beyond the walls of her studio; she’s partnered with Essence Public School on the East Side to teach kids ballet classes. It’s more than just dance or arts, it’s also a door to other cultures she said.
“I think the exposure also helps for us to understand different people, different communities and different cultures and can be and make for a good conversation point,” Steans said.
“My mom and my grandmother said you should be able to interact in any circle, you know, whether you’re having dinner at the queen or the king’s house or in the community,” she said. “And so that’s what I hope for them, is that you know, this is something that maybe they want to go on and dance professionally. Maybe they’re going to be an arts patron, you know, and contribute to the community in that way.”
By teaching with classrooms she also works with families who’s child might have a potential to be really good in ballet, she offers scholarships so that those students can train full time or in a professional setting.
“I was always really welcomed and encouraged by my teachers to be myself and not apologize for who I was. And so, in some ways, the dance and ballet community is like home for me,” she said.
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