About In The Spotlight: Raising Leaders in the Performing Arts
We’re diving deep into the transformative world of performing arts education. Twice a month, we chat with industry experts — from seasoned educators to acclaimed artists — who are passionate about nurturing responsible young leaders through the power of performing arts training.
Twice a month we share a ‘What’s Happening At EMC’ segment so that you can hear all the amazingness going on as well as stay in the loop..
Whether you’re a parent, teacher, or aspiring artist, you’ll discover actionable insights and inspiring stories that highlight how the arts can shape character, boost confidence, and cultivate leadership skills.
Together, we’ll explore innovative techniques, share valuable resources, and celebrate the incredible impact of the arts in developing the leaders of tomorrow.
Get ready to shine a light on the incredible journey of raising leaders in the performing arts!
Ep 80: Molly Beichler on Guest Teachers, Self-Advocacy, and Raising Confident Dancers
Why does the teacher a dancer clicks with the least sometimes turn into the one who pushes their training the furthest? And what does it actually take to build a teenager who can speak up for herself in a room full of adults?
This week, Robin sits down with Molly Beichler, a teacher and choreographer at EMC Performing Arts Studio, for a conversation that goes well past technique, the kind you'd expect from two people who've spent years thinking hard about what a good dance teacher actually owes a kid.
Molly trained at Ballet Chesapeake and Harford Dance Theater before earning her BFA in Dance Performance and Choreography from Towson University in 2019. She now teaches at EMC and Forest Hill Dance and co-directs Pirouette Productions alongside Alexa Hewitt, and she brings all of it, the training, the choreography, the directing, straight into how she runs a classroom.
Molly and Robin get into what actually happened inside EMC's Nutcracker Camp this year: a full week of pointe work, a partnering workshop led by guest artist Mr. Tim, and dancers auditioning in real time for elevated roles. Molly makes the case for bringing in guest teachers, not because the regular teacher isn't enough, but because of what a student gains the moment they're pulled out of a routine they've gotten too comfortable in.
They also get into where the line should sit on parent involvement, and why the hardest part of teaching teenagers isn't the choreography, it's teaching them to advocate for themselves. Molly shares a real story from a Pirouette Productions cast member who earned her first soloist role, and talks honestly about the moments no teacher wants: telling a family the right call is also the harder one to hear.
If you've ever wondered what actually separates a dance teacher from someone building the next generation of dancers, this one's for you.
Plus: enrollment for SYB is open, details on Pirouette Productions' 2026 production of Snow White, and what's ahead for EMC's Nutcracker season, including the Hotshots and Showstoppers company dancers.
Let’s Connect on Socials:
EMC Performing Arts Studio on Facebook
EMC Performing Arts Studio on Instagram
In The Spotlight: Raising Leaders in the Performing Arts on Facebook
In The Spotlight: Raising Leaders in the Performing Arts on Instagram
Interested in Classes at EMC? Learn More About Us Here
Work With Robin:
Rising Leaders Training Course
Dance Mentorship & Consulting
6 Oct 2026
Ep 79: Inside EMC: A Real Story of Student Advocacy in Action
Robin and Santina follow up on their earlier conversation about parents and studio owners being on the same team, this time with two stories fresh from the week at EMC.
A group of students wrote and delivered a respectful, well thought out email to their teachers about a combined class situation, exactly the kind of self advocacy the show has encouraged all along.
Robin walks through how the studio is responding, including a planned listening session and the search for a third teacher.
Then a parent who held back from reaching out reconsiders, and Robin clarifies what "don't email me at 11pm in a heated moment" actually means, and what it doesn't.
A real example of what staying on the same team looks like when it counts.
Get Your Resources:
Dance Parents, purchase the Parent Playbook HERE
Studio Owners, purchase Teaching the Playbook HERE
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Let’s Connect on Socials:
EMC Performing Arts Studio on Facebook
EMC Performing Arts Studio on Instagram
In The Spotlight: Raising Leaders in the Performing Arts on Facebook
In The Spotlight: Raising Leaders in the Performing Arts on Instagram
30 Sept 2026
Ep 78: From Miss Wyoming to Studio Owner Raising Five Kids in the Business with Tamara Howe
Robin sits down with Tamara Howe, owner of Tamara Howe School of Dance and founder of Ballet Salina in Salina, Kansas, for a conversation that covers her full path into studio ownership.
Tamara talks about growing up a self-described klutzy dancer who quit twice and came back both times, double-majoring in dance and kinesiology at the University of Wyoming, competing in the Miss America program for scholarship money, and an internship near the White House before landing in Kansas and opening her studio from two empty rooms.
She and Robin get into raising five kids inside a family business, what their sons picked up from being in the studio even when they didn't stick with dance, and how Tamara builds community through low-competition programming: one competition a year, travel experiences to places like Branson and Disney, and local trips built around professional theater.
The conversation closes on the friendships and lifelong bonds that come out of growing up in a dance studio, including Robin's own story of counting eleven EMC graduates at her son's wedding.
Let’s Connect on Socials:
EMC Performing Arts Studio on Facebook
EMC Performing Arts Studio on Instagram
In The Spotlight: Raising Leaders in the Performing Arts on Facebook
In The Spotlight: Raising Leaders in the Performing Arts on Instagram
Interested in Classes at EMC? Learn More About Us Here
Work With Robin:
Rising Leaders Training Course
Dance Mentorship & Consulting
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
Apple Podcasts (US)
1.5 / 5
8 ratings
Spotify
3.0 / 5
8 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 23 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
15
Social presence
94
YouTube
0
Engagement
31
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