DANCE EXPRESS - Key Persons
"Many people think ballet classes are not fun. There is a discipline to ballet, but having fun and working hard go hand in hand. I invite everyone to come and give one of my classes a try. I've always felt you get stronger when you don't realize how hard you're working. I'm very proud of my dancers, we have a lot of laughs along the way. Come join us, so you can fall in love with dance." - Miss Lisa
Lisa Fristoe, artistic director of Dance Express, has over 30 years of experience teaching dance to both children and adults. She is a member of the Cecchetti Council of America and has passed both student and teacher examinations. She graduated Summa Cum Laude with a B.S. in Mathematics and worked at IBM for 10 years, always teaching dance at night. Lisa has four children, a son and three daughters. All three daughters have danced their way though Dance Express with their mom. Lisa loves attending her son's baseball games when she's not at the studio. Of course any day in the studio dancing is the best!
In addition to teaching dance technique, Lisa loves the challenge of choreographing full story ballets for her students. She has choreographed and directed Swan Lake, Cinderella, The Sleeping Beauty, Coppelia and The Nutcracker, Aladdin, The Little Mermaid, The Wizard of OZ, Beauty & the Beast and The Snow Queen a FROZEN Tale. Each of these original productions have been uniquely designed for her students and include full scenery, costumes and light design. They all have that special Dance Express flair that keeps audiences wanting more.
Lisa believes in a positive teaching style, challenging exercises & choreography with a strong focus on the artistry of dance. Her gentle discipline mixed with humor, positive feedback and genuine interest in her dancers has created numerous success stories. You never know what music Miss Lisa will be playing in ballet class - classical ballet, One Direction, Broadway Showtunes, Disney, disco....
The selection of the right dance school can start your child on the path to a lifetime of friendship, fitness, self-discovery and love of the arts. This journey requires a trained and experienced guide. Fortunately, Lisa Fristoe's Dance Express has been successfully leading Raleigh's young dancers on this journey since 1994.
Lisa creates a unique environment for her students by blending a positive teaching style, challenging exercises & choreography with a strong focus on the artistry of dance. She gives positive feedback and has a genuine interest in her dancers. Each year, Dance Express performs a full story production that gives each student the opportunity to utilize their artistry by performing a character rather than simply "doing a dance." It gives parents the opportunity to see the strong improvements in their child by watching a fabulously entertaining, high quality performance!
"My biggest concern was being the shy kid in the class and not being able to make friends or excel as a dancer because of lack of confidence. This concern however never came true. I was still quieter my first couple of years, but I made some very close friends and I grew to become a soloist at the studio. The Dance Express environment was always so welcoming and fun that I eventually broke out of my shell and now have lifelong dance sisters."