Hello friends! My name is Dinah Foddrill-Dahmen.  I am the owner/director of The Dance Project as well as one of the instructors. Here’s a lil bit about me…

I’m an Arizona native who has always, always, always loved to dance. I am so thankful that my beautiful mother introduced me to the art and that my family and teachers supported and encouraged my passion for it. My life has been and continues to be filled with colorful adventures because of dance. I started my professional career out as a Phoenix Suns Dancer, which was an absolute blast. I then followed my dreams to Los Angeles where I trained at the Edge and completed a year scholarship program at Tremaine Dance Center. In LA I got my feet wet auditioning and had a great time doing the MTV Movie Awards with Mike Myers, a Mad About You episode with Carol Burnett, a few music videos, and some industrial work. My career then took me to Germany, where I performed FAME the Musical, met fantastic people and had my first international work experience. Following that, I performed FAME in the USA on a national tour, where I met even more fantastic people and performed in dozens of cities across America. I then moved to New York City, ahhhhh New York, the city that has my heart. Out of New York I booked work with the legendary Liza Minelli. I performed with Ms. Liza in New York and in London…unforgettable to say the least. West Side Story was the next chapter in my life, and oh what a chapter it was. I loooove that show and I had a fantabulous time performing it in Italy, Switzerland, Lebanon, Japan and in the USA. Broadway was my next and final stop. I performed FAME on 42nd Street in New York before retiring from performing professionally. I then buckled down and finished my college education at Hunter College in New York City, earning my BA in Sociology and Economics ( I know….my academia side). Through all the years and places I lived I continued to teach dance and choreograph for all ages and levels. One of my favorite choreography projects was Seussical the Musical at AMDA in LA.

And now……drum roll….The Dance Project! Ever-evolving…always pushing to the next level…exploring creativity and ways to move…the newest journey in my lifelong relationship with dance and I couldn’t be more thrilled. A dream that was waiting for the right moment to be realized, The Dance Project was created the summer of 2010 with my dear friend Rhianna Adams.  What a blessing and honor it is to share the gift of dance with our community. I am incredibly grateful to be a part of our students lives. With each and every passing year my dream for The Dance Project grows bigger but none if it would be possible without my ridiculously talented staff- they truly are THE BEST!

Since The Dance Project’s creation I have married my best friend Mike, who is my number one fan and incredibly supportive of the studio and my dreams!  We have been blessed with 2 beautiful children, Nixon and Haven. It remains to be seen if either of our kiddos will get bitten by the dancing bug too :)  

Dance has come full circle for me. I get to take the wisdom that my teachers and mentors gave me, all of my colorful adventures and experiences and pass them along to my students. I love teaching, I love kids, and I love dance. Pretty simple, pretty perfect.