Our Mission
We are devoted to providing dancers of all ages an encouraging environment where they are given the opportunity to grow, excel and flourish. We strive to deliver the highest quality of dance training, while nourishing each student's unique gift of talent and creativity.
Whether a student is dancing for fun, exercise, or planning to enter the arts on a professional level... there is a place for them at Motion Works.
Meet The Team
Mallory White
Mallory started dance at the age of 2 at The Dance Company with Miss Kay L. Nelson. Around age 7, Mallory dove into ballet seriously, taking class multiple times a week at Omaha Ballet Theater, under the direction of Robin Welch. In high school, she assisted at Tremaine Dance Conventions and danced with their teen company in many performances, a very memorable one though, was at World Jazz Congress. She apprenticed with the local ballet company, Omaha Theater Ballet, during High School. She was also selected to train at Ballet West and Pittsburgh Ballet Theater’s summer programs. Upon graduation, she danced for Odyssey Dance Theater’s production of “Thriller”, then joined Quad Cities Ballet. Mallory has been teaching dance for 12 years.
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“I truly believe in the magic moments and friendships dance creates. I also believe in hard work and plenty of fun. Hard work not only improves a dancer's technique, but develops personal dedication. And of course fun, because that's what brought us all to dance in the first place. I never want our students to lose focus of the fact that they do this because they love it, and enjoy those magic moments losing themselves in the music under glittering lights”
Abbey Edwards
Abbey started dancing at the age of 3 at the Dance company with Miss Kay L. Nelson. She auditioned for the Nutcracker at the age of 8 and continued to participate in the Nutcracker for 9 years while fulfilling formal ballet training at the Omaha Theater Ballet. After graduating high school, dance took a back seat to Photography while attending the University of Iowa. However; she couldn’t help but teach dance at a local studio while attending university.
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“Dance is the ultimate culmination of my creative abilities and it’s challenges have alway been met with sincere rewards. The emotionality, technicality, discipline, and physical strength are what hones my intuition and creative nature into a true art form. My Love of dance have only flourished in opportunities to share those same challenges and rewards with others.“
Jaymie Larrison
Jaymie started dance at the age of 3 at Tiarks School of Dance in Harlan, IA. After moving to Council Bluffs she attend several dance studios and gymnastic centers in the area. In High School she was a part of the Abraham Lincoln Dance Team performing at all games, events, camps and competitions. During that time she was also part of the competition team with a local dance studio. After graduating High School she taught at the same dance studio for 10 years. She taught children from all ages as well as choreographing for the competition team. Jaymie loves being apart for the dance competition world and has receive awards for her choreography along the way. Now she starting her 8th year coaching the Abraham Lincoln Dance Team. Working with the high school team has been a big highlight of her dance life. There are so many aspects of coaching and the dancers make the work worth it all! She has been teaching/coaching for 13 years and is very excited to jump back into studio dance this fall.
Macy Wheeler
Macy started dance and gymnastics at the age of three at A Step Ahead Dance Studio in Council Bluffs, IA. At the age of 12 she started as a helper in gymnastics and has been an assistant teacher at A Step Ahead Dance Studio. In high school Macy was on the Abraham Lincoln varsity dance team for all 4 years. The last two years she was a team leader. While on dance team she earned an All American dancer title twice. Macy spent her senior year dancing at Motion Works with Mrs. Mallory. She is now an assistant coach for the Abraham Lincoln Dance Team.
Camryn Strahm
Camryn started dance at the age of 10 at A Step Ahead Dance studio with Miss Mallory White. Camryn started with all styles of dance, but fell in love with ballet and began dancing with American Midwest Ballet around age 14, under the direction of Matthew Lovegood. She performed in A Midsummer Night’s Dream and the beloved Christmas classic, The Nutcracker in the 2018-19 season. Camryn took American Midwest Ballet’s summer intensive in 2020. As a current college student at Iowa Western, she dances for the Reiver Dance Team, and attended a pre-professional camp at Kansas State University in the fall of 2022. Camryn began teaching during our 2022-2023 season.
“I love the beautiful blend dance creates between rigor and grace, discipline and creativity, hard work and expression. The sense of connection made between dancers is such a unique kind of bond because they have created worlds together with movement and tested the limits of their mental and physical strength. The rewarding performance high is a one of a kind emotion that can only be created by the most athletic form of art there is. I’ve grown my love for dance, my peers, and myself in the constant sharing of challenges, humor, and emotionality that dance requires.”
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The Facility
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At Motion Works, the health and well being of our students is paramount.
Because of this, we decided to install a sprung floor. Sprung floors absorb
shock, enhance performance and greatly reduce injuries. Dance is a highly
physical activity that requires jumping and elevation, which can put stress
on bones and joints. Most dance footwear does not provide the proper
cushioning support to reduce shock to the joints and postural alignment
of a dancer. One of the best ways to prevent injury is by choosing a studio
with a professional “floating floor.”
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What is a sprung floor?
A sprung floor is a floor that is built with material designed to absorb shock.
Why a sprung floor?
Concrete floors and other unyielding surfaces can create physical problems as they do not “give”. Stress injuries are very common when dancing on concrete or even concrete covered with a vinyl surface. A good sprung floor absorbs energy and returns a small portion back to the user. It provides an even and consistent resiliency.
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We installed over 1,300 foam blocks under our sub-floor to insure our dancers had a great floor to assist them in their dancing endeavors.
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