ALUMNI
Kansas
My name is Kansas McGraw and I am currently attending Sacred Heart University. I am a part of their D1 dance team and recently helped them secure their second national championship in the D1 spirit rally division at NDA. I also competed in the D1 Hip-hop division where we placed 5th. I am majoring in biochemistry on the pre-dental track and hope to be attending dental school in 2029. I aim to practice family dental and open my own practice. I was a dancer with South Jersey Dance Center my entire life and couldn’t be more grateful. This team helped prepare me in every possible way for what my future held. It taught me time management, persistence, discipline, and self love. Not only will the teachers push you to become the best dancer you can be but they are also amazing people who have helped me become a better person. They taught me what it meant to be a strong person and I will always carry that with me. I cannot say enough positive things about this studio. It is truly my home away from home and I couldn’t have done it without them.
Emma
Over the past two years, I’ve had the incredible opportunity to continue my dance career at West Chester University as a member of the West Chester University Dance Team. Being apart of this team allowed me to grow not only as a dancer but also as a teammate, performer, and teacher. I’ve had the chance to perform at football games, basketball games, student events, and to represent my school on a national level. In 2025, I competed in the Game Day category with my team and we made history for our school, placing 7th in the nation. This past year, I competed in the Jazz and Game Day categories, placing 11th place for Jazz and 6th place for Game Day, making history again. This coming year, I’m so excited to begin a new chapter by attending cosmetology school at Rizzieri Aveda School while also continuing my passion for dance by teaching at the studio that has had my heart since I was 2 years old. It’s such a full circle moment to now step into the role of a teacher at the place that helped shape me into who I am today. Dance has always been one of the biggest parts of my life, and being able to give back to the next generation of dancers at SJDC is truly a dream and means so much to me. I’m incredibly grateful for the opportunity to share the knowledge, passion, and lessons that my teachers poured into me throughout the years. As I continue pursuing both cosmetology and dance, I’m excited to keep growing creatively while inspiring young dancers in the same studio that inspired me growing up. I truly would not have been able to get to this point without SJDC. Growing up at SJDC shaped me into the dancer, teammate, and person I am today. From the time I was little, all the way to now, the studio gave me a strong technical foundation while teaching me the importance of discipline, hard work, dedication, and perseverance. The teachers at SJDC never gave up on me and continuously encouraged me to believe in myself both inside and outside of dance. More than anything, SJDC gave me a second home and a support system that helped me gain so much confidence. The opportunities, mentorship, and lifelong friendships I gained through SJDC prepared me for the fast-paced and competitive environment of collegiate dance, and I’m so beyond grateful for everything the studio has done to help me get to where I am today.
Tara
After graduating from SJDC, I attended Rowan University to earn my BA in Dance as well as my BS in Environmental Science. Whilst at Rowan, I performed in six of their Mainstage performances and had my choreography in two of them. In 2022 and 2024 I was honored with the Rita Hamilton Memorial Scholarship for Excellence in Tap Dance. I was the Vice President of Dance Extensions and helped start their own full student run and choreographed production. In addition, my freshman year I helped start the tap company, RU Hoofers, and becoming President my senior year. My senior capstone project, We Sustain was an hour length dance production focusing on educating and uniting both dancers and audience members as a community. After graduating from Rowan, I am now a first company dancer with The Lady Hoofers Tap Ensemble, where I held an apprenticeship and associate dancer positions from 2022-2024. I also am so grateful to be able to teach hip hop at SJDC. Along with this I am a full time tap teacher at ZZ Dance and Step By Step Center for Dance, and I have taught summer intensives at other studios in the South Jersey/Philadelphia area. South Jersey Dance Center inspired my love for dance, the community it provided me with both in the past and now has been such a huge part of me. Miss Shae as well as the rest of my teachers reminded me that dance doesn’t have to be a hobby, it can be a career, and they pushed me to pursue that further.
Jordan
Dancing at West Chester University Dance Team is something I once only dreamed about, and I carry so much gratitude knowing exactly where it all began. South Jersey Dance Center has always been more than just a studio to me, it has been my second home, the place where I grew up not just as a dancer, but as a person. Miss. Shae has shaped me in more ways than I could ever explain, always believing in me and pushing me to be better, even when I didn’t see it in myself. And she was never alone in that. Every teacher at SJDC has left a piece of their heart in me, encouraging me, supporting me, and helping me grow in ways I will carry forever. Everything I carry onto that college team was built inside those walls. It’s not just where I learned to dance, it’s where I found who I am. And more than anything, it’s where teammates became best friends and best friends became family — something I will carry with me for the rest of my life.