In The Spotlight: Raising Leaders in the Performing Arts

This is the episode Robin has been building toward for years.

For a long time, the name Tara Gladden has appeared quietly at EMC Performing Arts Studio, on scholarship awards, in essays, in the hearts of students who've wondered about the girl behind the honor. Today, we finally tell her story.

Robin is joined by her cousin Shawn Gladden, Tara's brother, for a conversation that is raw, honest, and long overdue.

Tara Allison Gladden was a shy, gentle fifteen-year-old from Columbia, Maryland: a soccer player, an animal lover, a girl just beginning to find herself through dance. In the summer of 1993, she was murdered.

But this is not a simple story about a teenage girl and a bad boyfriend. This is the story of a pedophile and sex trafficker; a calculating 26-year-old man who preyed on young girls at suburban malls, groomed Tara over months by making her feel seen and special, systematically turned her against her family, and ultimately silenced her when she found the courage to stand up to him.

Shawn walks us through all of it: who Tara was before she disappeared from herself, the agonizing three weeks the family spent searching, the media circus, the reward fund raised on a median strip in the summer heat, the moment a neighbor's cruelty cut deeper than almost anything else, and the day they found out she had been there all along… on her sixteenth birthday.

He also talks about what it cost him. What it cost his parents. What it does to a family when a chapter this devastating can never fully close.

And then, what grew from it.

The Tara Gladden Scholarship Fund began with the funds donated by Robin and her husband, Walter, was fueled by the reward money that was never paid out and has grown, with the help of the Columbia Foundation and a community that still remembers, into a living tribute that funds dance training for young women at EMC. The mission is simple and deeply personal: give girls the confidence, community, and sense of self-worth that Tara needed and didn't have when she was most vulnerable.

This episode is not easy listening. But it is essential listening, especially if you are raising a daughter, teaching one, or trying to protect one.

Donation Information 

If you'd like to honor Tara's memory and support young dancers in need, donations to the Tara Gladden Scholarship Fund are welcome.

To apply for the scholarship, applications open each November.

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This week, the conversation between Robin and Santina, touches on all things understanding the Rungs of the Ladder within EMC. 

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In this episode, Ian Howe shares his dynamic journey through the dance industry, from competitive dancer to cruise ship performer, and ultimately to studio owner and educator. He offers valuable insight into the wide range of career paths available to dancers beyond high school, emphasizing the importance of resilience, adaptability, and long-term vision.

Ian opens up about the realities of performing on cruise ships, the transition from artist to entrepreneur, and the ongoing challenge of balancing creative passion with business responsibilities. He also reflects on the impact of COVID-19 on performing arts professionals and the growing need for mental resilience in an ever-changing industry.

This conversation is a must-listen for dancers, educators, and studio owners alike who are looking to build not just a career, but a fulfilling, flexible lifestyle in the performing arts.

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Robin and Santina go head-to-head with dance's most polarizing topic!

They chat about why EMC has spent 35 years intentionally staying out of the competition circuit and how that choice hasn't cost their dancers a thing.

Robin traces it back to her own training at the Baltimore School for the Arts and a marketing decision in early-2000s Pennsylvania, then dives into the real cost of "teaching to the tricks" like lopsided technique, inconsistent judging panels with no governing body, and studios chasing trophies instead of artistry.

Santina adds her own competition-world experience from Australia, and together they unpack how EMC fills the calendar (and the adrenaline) with productions, company trips, and mentorship instead of scores, proving the process can matter more than the podium.

This one's for every family trying to figure out which world is actually right for their dancer!

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Will Tijerina had no dance background when he became co-owner of Dance 360 Orlando. What he did have: military discipline, corporate logistics experience, and a belief that performing arts build leaders.

Robin met Will at a certified coaches training through More Than Just Great Dancing and this conversation picks up right where that left off.

On this show, we talk a lot about how performing arts training prepares students for the world. This time, we flip the script and explore how the world prepared Will for the performing arts.

They dig into what it really takes to grow a studio, why you have to stop putting out every fire yourself, and how the lessons we teach on the stage show up everywhere else in life.

If you've ever told a nervous student that their butterflies are just rocket fuel waiting to launch… this episode is for you!

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In Part 2, Robin picks up the story in Pennsylvania; the historic hardware store she knew was hers the second she walked in, the nail-biting negotiation her dad told her not to get emotionally invested in (spoiler: she did), and the husband who renovated 20,000 square feet room by room. Two decades later, she's running EMC from Florida and somehow more inspired than ever. This one's for every family who's ever wondered what this place is actually made of.

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What happens when a little girl who fell in love with the stage grows up to become one of your most beloved teachers?

In this episode, Robin sits down with Meghann Potter, EMC alumna, solidcore coach, and current Team member at EMC Performing Arts Studio, for a candid, laugh-filled conversation about what it really means to grow up in the dance world.

Meghann takes us from her earliest days at a competitive studio in Glen Burnie, MD to training at EMC with Robin, to earning a BFA at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, to chasing her dreams in the studios of New York City. She opens up about the pivotal ACL injury that stopped her mid-aerial and how instead of shattering her dream, it quietly shifted it.

This episode is a beautiful reminder that your path in the performing arts rarely looks the way you planned and that's often a very good thing.

Whether you're a dance parent, a studio kid, or someone who lived this life, you'll hear yourself in Meghann's story.

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Before there was EMC, there was a girl who didn't dream of performing… she dreamed of teaching. This week, Robin tells us everything: the training that changed her, the rainy morning that stuck with her, the poor choices she made, and the vision that kept her going all the way to opening her own studio at 22. The EMC Way didn't come from a brochure. It came from this. Part 2 coming next!

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In this episode of In the Spotlight: Raising Leaders in the Performing Arts, Robin Snyder-Wiencek down with dance educator Anna Rose, founder of Dreamer's Dance Company in Dunedin, Florida, to talk about what it really looks like to build a studio where every student can belong.

Anna shares her journey from early training (including seasons where finances were tight) to teaching in public schools, and ultimately growing Dreamer's Dance Company from an after-school program into a thriving studio serving around 380 students.

A major focus of the conversation is Dreamer's scholarship model, including the Susan Rose Bonanno Memorial Fund, which supports dancers with financial need through a thoughtful application process and a culture of dignity and fairness. Anna breaks down how the fund is sustained through fundraising events, recital ticket sales, and community contributions, and how work-study opportunities help students build ownership, responsibility, and leadership.

We also dive into accessibility for dancers with special needs; how Anna integrates many students into mainstream classes and how her dedicated special needs program is staffed and supported (including trained teachers and student assistants). Along the way, Anna shares practical strategies for parent communication, building a respectful studio culture, and developing student leaders who care for the community around them.

You’ll also hear a few personal moments, like the story of Anna getting married at her studio recital, and what she’s building next with her new initiative, Dance Studio Audit, designed to support other studio owners with real, human mentorship.

Find Dreamers Dance Co: Search Dreamers Dance Co on Facebook or Instagram.

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This week, the conversation between Robin and Santina, touches on the things that are happening at EMC.

Join us as we chat all things Production Rehearsals, from what they are to how they differ from regular rehearsals, the types of rehearsals that happen during these two weeks and why each matters, why this is where real growth happens for performers, physical prep for performers and their families, mental prep and what to expect emotionally during this stretch, how parents can coach without fixing, how performers should receive notes and corrections, recognizing the difference between normal exhaustion and genuine burnout, reminding your performer how far they've come, and action items for every family including volunteer ways to get more involved.

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For $10 off your brick and to give $10 to the podcast, click HERE. 

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