Today we’d like to introduce you to Laura Ninneman.
Hi Laura, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My love of dance began at the age of 4 in Excelsior Springs, Missouri when my parents enrolled me in my first dance class and continued with ongoing classes until my high school graduation. At the age of 12 I wanted to run my own dance studio and that summer I began giving lessons to a few of my friends on the back porch of my parents’ home. This resulted in a small dance recital a couple of months later so that my friends and I could perform for our families. Moving into high school, I was asked to help choreograph for the schools’ Pop Choir and musicals. I applied and auditioned for the Missouri Fine Arts Academy and was granted acceptance my senior year of high school. Entering into adulthood, I began a dance director internship at Christian Youth Theater (CYT) North. Following shortly after, I was hired as a choreographer for a musical at The Academy of Christian Theatre (ACT One). I remained on staff at ACT One for over 5 years teaching dance classes, directing camps, choreographing musicals, and working as an Administrative Assistant. After reading the book “You’re Made for a God-Sized Dream” by Holley Gerth I knew that God had a calling on my life to open a dance studio that didn’t really look like any others I had seen – a Christian-based dance studio that focused more on worshipping God through the art of dance, incorporated devotionals and prayer time in class with the students, was non-competitive, clean and wholesome music, and appropriate/modest costumes and dance moves. However, my husband ended up being diagnosed with Stage 4 Brain Cancer and after an almost 3 year battle he passed away and I became a widowed mother at the age of 31. Consumed with grief over the loss, anger at God, and confusion of why my life had turned out this way, I discarded the dream that I thought God had laid on my heart, convinced that I had misunderstood Him. But a little over a year after my loss I felt God pulling at my heart again. After much counseling, grieving, and personal and spiritual growth, I began pursuing the idea of opening the dance studio again. I found new love, re-married, have a blended family, helped start a church, began working on children’s musicals as a choreographer again for SHINE of Kansas City, and so much more – all while waiting and praying for God to give me the green light and open the right door for His timing on the dance studio. That time finally came 9 years after I first felt God lay this on my heart and with the help of family and friends I opened the doors of Spirit Dance Studio in July of 2025.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Definitely not smooth. Between putting the dream on hold while caring for my first husband through his Brain Cancer battle, grieving his loss, and then running into additional obstacles when I began pursing the dream again with COVID putting things on hold once more, saving money and learning how to put together a business plan, build a website, etc., I faced many struggles.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am a choreographer and dance teacher that teaches jazz, tap, ballet, pointe, modern, worship, line dancing, musical theatre choreography, and more! What I would say sets me apart from other dance studios in the area is my studio is a Christian-focused dance studio – we do not participate in competitions, all of the costumes are modest, the music is mostly all Christian artists, the dance moves are all appropriate, and we have short devotionals/bible studies and prayer at the end of class time.
What quality or characteristic do you feel is most important to your success?
I feel like integrity is the biggest quality for my character that is the most important to achieve success. I strive to improve myself constantly and my goal is to pursue Christ-like character so I can be an example to my students. My success may not look like the worlds’ success – numbers, financially, etc. But my success is based on my “yes” to whatever God has called me to do.
Pricing:
- Single Specialty Classes are usually $10-$20 for a one-time class
- Monthly Tuition for one class is $50
- Wedding Dance Lessons are $35 per lesson
- Private Lessons are $30 per hour
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.spiritdancestudio.com/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100067237336211
