Elizabeth Acuña-Nuevo, the founder and Director of the Artistic Dance Center in Doral, Florida, feels that their studio in Doral, Florida is unique because they do their best to combine the old style of teaching with a newer and up to date approach. Their staff is caring and their studio is like a family. They don’t have a factory of students. They have a small student body and every teacher knows every student and every parent on a personal basis. Although the studio was not founded until 2003, it has won “Outstanding School” at the American Dance Competition from 2008-2012. Elizabeth is also the Director of the Artistic Dance Theater which is a non-profit dance company affiliated with the Artistic Dance Center.
They try to instill the importance of hard word dedication, discipline and commitment. They also teach that Ballet and dance in general is an art form. Artistic Dance Studio is an institution of learning not of competing for a trophy. Their students take an hour to an hour and a half of classes in different styles of dance on a daily basis.
They do not consider themselves a competition studio where students just go there to learn routines for competitions. They provide their students performing opportunities through their annual school performances and they also try to include the classics such as The Nutcracker every year. Artistic Dance Center has an amazing staff of teachers, of which they have trained many. Their staff consists of experienced teachers and professionals who have been at Artistic Dance Studios for many years. You can return to their studio year after year and see the same faces welcoming you back. Their style of teaching is consistent yet also changing to meet the needs of dancers for the new era of dance.
Elizabeth believes dancing has many, many benefits. Their instructors strive to instill in their dancers that dancing is not only about becoming a professional dancer, but that all the things they learn through dance will help them in any career they choose. They tell them that the discipline and hard work they learn here can be applied to any aspect of their lives whether it be personal goals of health and fitness to career goals where they need to study and work hard. They also tell their dancers that they should not look at being a dancer as something that they become or don’t become because the reality is that dance is a short and limited career. They should look at this time in their life as something precious and special that they will take with them for the rest of their lives. Not to mention that it is great exercise for the body and the mind.
There are so many proud moments in Elizabeth’s coaching life that she cannot think of just one. She has been teaching Ballet since the age of 16 and for her, everytime she sees a student return after 
many years of not hearing from them and she learns that they have become teachers, lawyers, dancers, doctors, nurses, mothers and so many other things, are all incredibly proud moments for her. Many of her students have been with her for many years and she has seen them all grow up into beautiful and amazing adults. She always attributes at least a part of their success to the training and all the experiences they had through their dancing years.
The biggest mistakes she sees many dancers make is when they mistake a competition with something that defines their dancing and who they are as individuals. She always tell them not to look at other dancers and compare themselves. She tells them to enjoy the experience of performing, to express themselves and give everything to the audience. A competition is just another opportunity to get on that stage. Sometimes dancers get so caught up in being technically perfect and performing so many tricks to impress the judges that the real reason for dancing is lost. Dancing should be about expressing and enjoying yourself when you’re on a stage. It is truly an art form.
As far as dancewear, Elizabeth believes that there are a few “must have” dancewear that every dancer needs. To start with, she believes a comfortable pair of warmers and warm ups to always stay warm are essential. Aside from that, of course the basics such as leotards, tights, shoes, etc. would fit in the category of “must have” dancewear.
Elizabeth’s goals every year are basically the same. She wants to continue inspiring dancers and 
giving her best to each student. She continues to learn from her peers and other instructors in her field. As a teacher, she feels she is always learning not only from other teachers but also from her students. She not only tries to stay as updated with teaching methods and styles, but always tries to maintain her foundation as she learned it. She feels that it is important to maintain a certain standard and quality of dance.
Starting a studio was not an easy decision for Elizabeth because she knew it would be hard work. It wasn’t because she was afraid of hard work because what she loved was to teach. But, as a studio owner there is so much more that you must deal with besides teaching. Fortunately, she was able to find a balance between her teaching schedule, which is her passion, and the administrative part of the studio. She also had to make sure that she would be able to have time for her family and her personal life. That was difficult in the beginning, but twelve years later, she has managed to make it work.
If you have experience with Artistic Dance Center or Elizabeth Acuña-Nuevo please leave a comment below about your experience!
