08/17/2025
This is a difficult post that I have been putting off, but May 24, 2025 marked the final curtain call for Steps Performing Company and the beginning of my transition into retirement from a lifelong career in dance. A prayerful decision, but one of the hardest I’ve ever had to make, I am at peace with God’s calling and timing and believe He puts us in places for specific purposes and seasons. Although it is with a very heavy heart, I am confident that He is navigating me toward a new season in a way that has given me the peace to step back and I am trusting His plan for I know that He is faithful!
I have poured my heart and soul into creating an environment to share and nurture the love of dance and teach students to believe in themselves and strive for their best- an environment that has been a second home to many. It has been my pleasure to work with every student who has ever passed through our door! It is so hard to leave behind something that I’ve invested so much time and energy into and seeing all my wonderful students on a regular basis will hurt the most. However, it is this role in my life that is ending, and most definitely not the relationships! I truly hope that Steps Performing Company has been a beautiful place for all who have been a part of it and has given each of you lifetime friends and memories! There are certainly countless memories created within those four walls that I will cherish forever! From tears and laughter, victory and defeat, hard work and fun, lots of sweat, growth, prayers, hugs, many goals achieved, sharing stories about life outside of dance, cheering for each other, bonding, and important life lessons that I hope won’t soon be forgotten - unless you have been lucky enough to leave your footsteps and live part of your life within that little mirrored room, you can’t fully understand the experience and I’m beyond blessed to have been there for it all!
It has been an amazing career and I’m thankful for the gifts of dance, choreography, teaching, performance, and the hard work and dedication that was instilled in me at a very early age. I am eternally grateful that God placed this dream in my heart and opened all the doors for me to pursue this love. Not everyone gets to fulfill their childhood dreams in a career, so I am fortunate and the rewards are too great to count! I’ve never known life without dance, but somehow, it will forever be a part of me! I look forward to having more time to spend with my family and watching the Lord’s plans for me unfold and I am excited to see how He will use and bless me in this next chapter.
It has been an honor and a privilege to serve my community and everyone who has been a part of the Steps family, past and present, and I cannot thank everyone enough for all the love and support over the last 18 years! To all the students, thank you from the bottom of my heart for allowing me to be a part of your dance journey and a small part of your lives! Whether you pursue dance, or move on to other things, I will always be here to offer my support and encouragement in all your endeavors and will always be cheering you on from the sidelines!
All my love- “Miss” Val ❤️
“When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left, and could say, ‘I used everything you gave me’.” - Erma Bombeck