New ballet school looks to expose students to dance professionals

When Emily Morrow started her dance studio in Whitefish just a few short months ago, she saw a dream from her 6-year-old self unfold.

Morrow says she is a born teacher with a desire to help kids, and after moving to Whitefish a series of realizations led her to finding space at the O'Shaughnessy Center to begin her own studio called The Whitefish School of Ballet. She danced professionally for many years in Las Vegas with the Cirque du Soleil among other performances and now will bring both her expertise and connections to benefit children in Whitefish.

“There was always this enginuity about me and this wanting people to have what they want and have a good life, enjoy life and spread whatever gifts I have,” Morrow said.

This summer Morrow is also bringing more to her dance school than just her own expertise. Playing into her connections and relationships built through her time in the professional dance world over the years, for two sessions in June and July three unique professional dancers and instructors will be in Whitefish to teach a variety of creative performance and dance techniques.

Those teachers and professional performers include Tyrell Rolle, Dan Gordon and Kalpana Subbarao.

Rolle and Morrow are close friends; he was her dance partner at Cirque du Soleil and choreographer for many other performances and the pair have stayed in close contact since she moved to Montana.

“There was chemistry right away — he’s enthusiastic, he’s overthetop, he’s fun, and he has a passion for giving back. And he happens to be uber talented,” she said.

Rolle has a long professional dance resume, but more notably known for performing with the Broadway production of Disney’s “The Lion King” and his appearance on FOX’s “So You Think You Can Dance” season seven. He’s been a choreographer for big name artists such as Mariah Carey and Jennifer Lopez, and Morrow says he’s a great teacher as well.

“Not every dancer is a teacher… but when you have two exceptional dancers who have the teaching gene, when they get together it’s dynamite for the kids,” Morrow said of Rolle and herself.

Morrow met Dan Gordon while both were attending Southern Methodist University. Gordon has had his own children’s theatre company in Houston since college. He created “Take the Stage” which produces interactive arts media for kids and has ties with Sesame Street producers and PBS Kids.

“He never grew up and that’s why he’s so good with kids,” Morrow expressed. “I thought, these kids need what I didn’t get — when I was dancing I was just dancing.”

“I want (the kids) to use their actual voice as well, make them even more well-rounded than I was,” she added. “I was a well-rounded dancer, I want them to be well-rounded performers.”

Gordon is currently producing a documentary on Silambam Houston, a premiere institution of Indian Classical Arts, and that is how Morrow got connected with Kalpana Subbarao who is an experienced teacher at Silambam Houston.

By inviting Subbarao to Whitefish this summer, Morrow plans to give her students a unique opportunity to learn Indian classical dance and be exposed to more diverse culture.

Bringing this kind of exposure to varying cultures and professional dance techniques comes full circle for Morrow as that’s what she grew up with in her own dance studio, the Tuzer Dance School in Richardson, Texas. Morrow says at Tuzer Dance, during the summers her dance instructor would bring in diverse teachers and famous dancers so the students would be exposed to different styles of dance and learn from professionals in the dance world.

“We’d have teachers from all over the world and the country come to teach us because of our teacher’s connections,” she said. “So I’m kind of passing down the line.”

Morrow herself is an elite dancer and offers her students anything from beginning lessons to instructing for the highest level of commitment and competition.

Her own dance background began when she was 5 years old at a small recital in a local mall, after which she realized she loved dancing. Morrow had formal ballet training at the Tuzer Dance School up until age 18. She was a finalist during auditions for Julliard, but ended up taking a dance scholarship to Southern Methodist University.

Following college Morrow had an intensive ballet training scholarship in Southern California and soon after moved to Los Angeles. She was working a corporate job and also danced and choreographed many shows in the area. She met well-known choreographer Alan McCormick while dancing in L.A. and he encouraged her to look for new opportunities in Las Vegas.

“(Alan) became my choreographer, teacher and best friend,” she explained. “And still is to this day; he will come here to teach the kids too.”

In Las Vegas, Morrow was selected to join dancers for the “Phantom of the Opera” show at the Venetian Hotel. Shortly after moving to Las Vegas for that part the show unfortunately closed, however many opportunities opened up for Morrow after earning that role. She danced with Cirque du Soleil and several other companies and shows during her time in Las Vegas while forming life-long relationships with dancers and choreographers.

During this time she also taught ballet at The Rock Center for Dance, furthering her connections while fueling a passion for teaching. After a career-ending injury, Morrow began teaching pilates as well.

She found Whitefish while on a ski trip in 2019, and didn’t waste time before moving her life to Northwest Montana.

“I thought everyone waves in the Flathead Valley, it reminds me of Texas, I was really homesick since 2007 and I felt really at home here,” she said.

After moving to Whitefish, Morrow worked some casual jobs and also began working as a counselor at Intermountain and Youth Dynamics; that’s when she realized she missed working with kids.

She met her boyfriend, a Flathead local and master electrician in the valley, and the two began taking swing and tango classes. Her dance teacher realized Morrow’s talent in ballet one evening and encouraged her to begin her own studio.

“All I needed was that family feel of a wonderful environment,” she said. “Because the environment at tango and swing is like a sports team — it's all inclusive and I like that.”

That’s the feel she strives for at her dance studio, which currently operates out of the O'Shaughnessy Center on Monday and Wednesday evenings. Morrow also grew up playing sports like softball and always enjoyed the camaraderie that accompanied team sports.

“I tried to recreate the team mentality and spirit of friendliness and solidarity inside the ballet world — which is not always there,” she said. “That’s what makes our studio unique now.”

In the spirit of inclusivity and also giving everyone access to the arts she loves, Marrow also vows to never turn any kid away that would like to come to her classes. She offers financial and merit based scholarships upon request.

She has plans for her studio to grow into a multilevel, diverse dance studio and is looking for a new location to expand the dance school.

The summer sessions will run from June 28 through July 2 and the second session is July 19-July 25. Early bird discounts are available and for more information contact Emily Morrow at 818-331-9288 or k2wellness@protonmail.com.