Ms. Lara is a dance educator / choreographer/producer/ and competition adjudicator with over 30 years of experience as a teacher, dancer, choreographer, and producer. She started dancing at a young age when her mother signed her up for dance classes. Little did anyone know that dancing would become her passion. She grew up dancing in Florida, where she trained in everything from ballet, jazz, tap, modern, hip hop, baton, and musical theater. Early studies were under Gloria Jean’s School of Dance, who’s director was a former Vegas showgirl, emphasizing the importance of precision and stage presence, as well as costuming and stage make-up. At just 19 years old, Lara sat down with her parents to discuss her plan to open a dance studio, but they quickly talked her out of it saying she should go into business. Valuing her parents’ advice, Lara went into real estate, quickly becoming a top producer. A short time later, she opened her own brokerage, with more than thirty full-time Realtors. Lara has been married 35 years to her high school sweetheart. While they were working on the blueprints for their new real estate office, it was her husband’s idea to make the building a little bigger to include a dance studio. After all, he had known her dream of owning a dance studio since high school and this plan would give him back his garage, which had been converted to a home dance studio. They had a young daughter who had been learning to dance in their home studio and this plan would enable her to take classes while her parents worked in the realty office. It wasn’t long before Lara was teaching the majority of the classes at their new studio. The studio began winning top awards at competition, with Lara receiving many choreography awards throughout the years. The studio has grown tremendously, now in a 5,000 sq. ft. facility, with her now 30-year-old daughter working together as a team. Lara is still very active managing the studio, cleaning company dances, their annual production of The Nutcracker, and recent production of The Wizard of Oz. Lara has enjoyed working as a competition judge over the past several years. Among Lara’s most treasured memories, so many summers taking classes in NYC with my daughter and going to more Broadway shows than I can remember. Lara is excited for the arrival of her first grandchild, due in March, 2024, a baby girl who will undoubtedly grow-up at the studio. Yes, Lara still runs the real estate company