According to Jessica Shoop Williams, the Co-owner and Artistic Director of One For All Dance Academy, LLC in Columbia, Maryland, they have a very distinct mission: to nurture dance passion in an environment that makes everyone feel good. Individualized attention for each of their dancers is 
provided by their experienced and caring faculty and staff, she believes that is really what sets them apart. They want to help their studio family be the best that they can be and will go to great lengths to do so. As a result, the relationships fostered in their studio are exceptionally strong and there is a lot of trust in their studio. When she asked her senior dancers what set their studio apart, the answer that they came up with was “No Drama!” Their dancers and staff are truly supportive of each other both inside and outside of the studio.
As a studio, they like to motivate with positivity. Their dancers are told continually that they can do anything and as long as they work hard, there is no “impossible.” An accomplishment for one dancer is an accomplishment for the whole studio. They celebrate when someone does something well, and that motivates the other dancers to continue to work hard. She actually asked their dancers what motivated them and they replied that they are inspired by the passion they see in their teachers and that keeps them motivated.
Jessica has had many proud moments that come to mind, but an overarching theme that makes her proud is their dancers’ ability to adapt to anything. They perform at a variety of venues, from theme parks to nursing homes, and often these performances involve adjusting formations and steps on-the-fly after they see the performance area. Their dancers have become very good at this! She said every time she sees them do this so smoothly and professionally, she can’t help but to be proud.
The biggest mistake Jessica sees dancers make when performing is not being entirely present during their performance. Jessica is such a dancer-teacher cliché, but the audience truly does not know the steps, so perfection in steps is far less important than making the audience feel something. Watching video of past performances can help with this immensely!
Jessica’s idea of “must have” dancewear is pretty basic. She said their dancers live in spaghetti strap leotards and black leggings. Shorts and tan tights are a must have for summer. Their dancers also appreciate a good quality dance shoe that couples with their sprung dance floor to keep their knees and ankles from getting hurt.
One For All’s goal every year is to continue providing a healthy dance atmosphere for their dancers 
and to provide as many opportunities for personal growth as possible. This year they hope to offer even more performance opportunities than ever!
One For All Dance Academy was started just four years ago when they noticed there was a missing opportunity in their local dance community. There needed to be a place that was accepting of all styles of dance and all types of dancers. There are many studios in their area but One For All is unique in the high-quality dance education they offer and the caring environment in which it is offered.
If you have experience with One For All Dance Academy or Jessica Shoop Williams please leave a comment below about your experience!
