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Surviving the COVID Crisis: Voices from the Private Sector
This session was presented live on 4/8/20 by Misty Lown, Mary Roberts,
Tori Rogoski, Cory-Jeanne Houck-Cox, and Kathryn Austin.


Dance studio teachers and owners share tools, strategies, and everyday challenges during the COVID-19 crisis. Presentations by Misty Lown, Mary Roberts, Tori Rogoski, Cory-Jeanne Houck-Cox, and Kathryn Austin will  cover:

  • Programs that can help you - understanding the alphabet soup of the soup of the stimulus package: EIDL, SBA, PPP, PUA, CARES, CESA (Misty Lown)
  • Resources for maximizing a professional digital footprint on social media as it is more important than ever to keep your brand out there (Mary Roberts)
  • Online teaching concerns and alternatives to supplement dance education during this time (Tori Rogoski)
  • Ways we can take care of ourselves FIRST, without feeling guilt for carving out time for our own mental health each day (Cory-Jeanne Houck-Cox)
  • Online! Time to Shine! A day in the life of a busy dance educator making “lemonade” (Kathryn Austin)
Support Materials
Bios of Presenters
Dr. Kathryn Austin is a dance educator with 40 years experience currently working full time teaching dance in the public schools and owning, directing and teaching at her private studio of 30 years. Austin is active in the training and coaching of traditional Scottish Highland Dance and has to her credit several Champions and national contenders. Working daily in the K-12 and Private Studio setting gives Austin a unique perspective with which to approach the nuances of online delivery of dance studies and how best practices are applied in each unique setting. Austin is hands-on at every level and age of the learner population and makes daily parallels between her teaching environments in cross-referencing curriculum and delivery.

Cory-Jeanne Murakami Houck-Cox , BA, retired prima ballerina is an ABT® Affiliate Certified Teacher Levels Primary-5 ABT NTC. A Master Teacher & Coach, choreographer, she is certified in PBT & FLX. She is Treasurer for NDEO. She adjudicates & is Director of Events for ICON Dance & NexStar National Dance Competition. Her pieces have been awarded & invited to Finals of the NYC YAGP. She participated in Sundance Choreographer’s Lab and is an Aspen Institute Scholar Fellow. In 1997 she performed at the Presidential Inaugural Gala Balls. She co-created “Winter War” & “Proud Heritage”, Irvine Foundation and NEA recipients, which were presented at the Kennedy Center. Her former students have careers in ballet, contemporary & modern companies, Broadway, arts administration and advocacy.

Misty Lown is the founder, president and energized force behind More Than Just Great Dancing!® - A licensed dance studio affiliation program that has a positive impact on over 120,000 dance students around the globe each week. She is also the owner of Youth Protection Advocates in Dance - an educational company. Her dance studio, Misty’s Dance Unlimited, founded in 1998 and named a “Top 50 Studios in the Nation” by Dance Spirit Magazine has provided $500,000 in scholarship for dancers. Misty has been a speaker at the PULSE Teachers Convention, Hollywood Connection, Dance Teacher Web, Dance Teacher Summit, and the DanceLife Conference. She has also been the keynote speaker for the Australian Teachers of Dancing Convention, Dance Teacher Expo and Victorian Dance Festival. Misty is on the staff of Dance Revolution Convention, a faith based dance convention, and has authored over 100 industry articles.

Mary Roberts is a freelance choreographer, director, and dance educator. Roberts primarily works as a production show supervisor, director, and choreographer in the cruise line and entertainment industry. As a dance educator, Roberts focuses primarily on jazz dance and the professionalization of the emerging working dance, presenting and teaching at conferences, universities, and festivals. In addition to her work in the dance industry, Roberts has also helped nonprofits curate their social media identity, including having been part of the communications team at The Actors Fund. 

Tori Rogoski, RDE, earned a BFA and a BS in Dance Education from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Ms. Rogoski taught in public elementary and high schools before founding Dance Education Center in 2001. She has been published in Dance Teacher, Dance Magazine and the Journal on Dance Education and her school was selected as 2019 Business of the Year. In 2016, Ms. Rogoski was honored with the Wisconsin Dance Council Margaret H'Doubler Award, she was selected as UW’s 2010 Outstanding Recent Graduate and in 2009 she received the outstanding National Registered Dance Educator Award.


More about the National Dance Education Organization (NDEO)
The National Dance Education Organization (NDEO) is a non-profit, membership organization dedicated to advancing dance education centered in the arts.  NDEO provides the dance educators a network of resources and support, a base for advocacy and research, and access to professional development opportunities that focus on the importance of dance in the human experience.  You will find NDEO members in a variety of environments including, but not limited to, dance studios, K-12 schools, colleges, performing arts organizations, and community centers.


As your national service organization,
NDEO is here to support you through these challenging times.
We have been working diligently to provide high-quality resources relevant to the needs you have right now:  free webinars ,  blog posts , discounts on  professional development , and more. We are striving to stay abreast of the field’s changing needs, and will respond in every way that we are able.


National Dance Education Organization | 301-585-2880 | www.ndeo.org