Studio Instructor

Renée Weaver

My Dance Story - My personal dance journey began when I was around 3 or 4 years of age and it started with Ballet. When I was growing up I can't ever remember a time that I didn't dance and when I stepped into the studio & then onto the stage I knew that I found home. Ballet gave me a sense of belonging to myself and a refuge from the angst of growing up. Upon moving from Colorado to California my dancing stepped up several notches. I was accepted into Ballet Petit's scholarship program and was thusly exposed to some of the most renown instructors in So. California & around the world. This was the time of Baryshnikov & balletomania where I danced all the classics, from the corps de Ballet on up to principle roles such as Cinderella & Gaîté Parisienne. I was seen by all the major US companies & in 1997 was accepted into the Joffrey Ballet School in New York where I studied for a season. I later came back to So. CA, received a scholarship from Inner City Cultural Center and joined several smaller dance companies. Soon after my professional career ended but ballet remained my first love and gave me a strong foundation for all the other dance styles I explored.

My teaching career began at the age of 16 with ballet. I started out as a student instructor and then given classes of my own. I taught everything thing from Ballet & Jazz to Hawaiian & even Tap to 3-4 year olds ! When my dance career ended in the mid-eighties I went on to become a personal trainer & aerobics instructor, then onto a massage therapist & massage instructor. Now I'm back to my roots in dancing and sharing my love of dance as an Instructor. With this eclectic background of teaching experiences I'm able to offer my students a diverse viewpoint of dance and body awareness. Coming from a massage therapy background I'm able to provide a deeper understanding of where the movement comes from while maintaining correct body alignment. It is important to me to not only give my students the opportunity to experience the joy of dancing but also give them a deeper understanding of their bodies.

Teaching allows me to connect with people & share my experiences as a dancer with others. It brings me joy to see the transformation that dance can bring to someone's life.

Guest Instructor

Lela O'Bryant

I began dancing before I was born. At the age of 2, my mom put me in Ballet classes at Evergreen School of Dance in Everett, Washington. That training was briefly interrupted by a move to Montana where, at the age of 6, I restarted my Ballet training at Allegro School of Dance in Helena. Favorite roles include Mary in Mary Poppins, Captain Hook in Peter Pan and Baloo in The Jungle Book. In 2004, I received a scholarship through the Montana Dance and Arts Association to study at the Montana Ballet Company’s Summer Intensive.

I received a Minor in Dance from the University of Montana in Missoula in 2010. This degree exposed me to various styles of Modern Dance and Choreography including Cunningham and Graham Technique, Bartenieff, Limon, and many other 20th century dancers. While at university, I studied a variety of dance forms including Tribal Belly Dance, Hula, East Coast Swing, Ballroom and Contact Improvisation in addition to continuing my Ballet training. Ballet has always been my first love and it’s my firm belief that the technique learned in Ballet is beneficial not only in learning other dance forms, but also in maintaining the body’s structural integrity in everyday life.

In 2013, I was introduced to Argentine Tango and have taken classes with instructors from all over the world. The technicality and improvisational nature of Tango appealed to me as well as the opportunity to dance with a partner and be part of the amazing Montana Tango community.

In 2019, I began teaching at 5,6,7,8 Dance Studio in Butte where I teach beginning Ballet and Modern. I also have an ongoing series of beginner Tango classes. I am thrilled to share my deep love of ballet and all things dance.

When I’m not dancing, I can be found playing with my horse and my dog as well as running my own business, Lela Rae Designs. I create engaging web and graphic designs, photography, and creative content for small businesses.