Dance is something Peyton Blair does to inspire others and hopes that others will do the same. She explained that the advice that she would give to aspiring dancers is, “Just start. Get in a class. Get in multiple classes. And start, realize that you’re starting with the foundations and, and that you’ll build up from there.” Blair has a history of pursuing dance as one of her greatest passions, and her most recent accomplishment is becoming the new Bolles dance teacher for high school students.

Blair explains that she “started dancing when I was about two years old, in a preschool dance program. From there, I transitioned over into a dance studio local in my area.”

After, Blair explains that she “then moved up to not only dancing at the studio, but dancing with the Nashville Ballet for a few years in a modern company in Nashville” . . . “I trained in everything growing up, so that’s tap ballet, jazz, contemporary, and modern.”

Furthermore, she explains, “The company that I was a part of in Nashville was called Mo Movement. And we just did gigs around Nashville— some of them would be at the Belmont theater, or Live on the Green.”

When asked about her favorite style of dance, she added, “I think modern is my favorite, there’s just a little bit more artistry and a little bit more meaning behind what you’re doing.”

For the past few years, Blair has been teaching at the Bolles Lower School. So when asked about how she applied for the high school dance teacher position, she said, “when the job got posted, and the news was out that there was a position opened, it was very easy for me to just approach Mrs. Rippel and say, ‘Hey, is this something that I should look into and apply for?’ And she said, ‘Yes.’ And so then we went from there.”

She mentions that in the future she hopes to continue choreographing at the middle or high school level. She wishes that she can “continue to create art and not only put my art on students, and you know, dancing adults, but collaborate with dancers, to make something together as a choreographer and a dancer to create a full, well-rounded piece that showcases both sides.”

For a more experienced dancer, she says, “I would say get in as many performances as you can, get exposed to as many types of teachers and choreographers as you can, and then take master classes like crazy. Any type of master class or convention you can go to to get more experienced picking up choreography quickly, is going to help you tremendously at the collegiate or professional level.”

Lastly, Blair shares that one of the most important ways dance has shaped her is that, “I just come from a very charismatic approach when it comes to training and molding dancers, which I think brings a level of respect.” She continues to say, “I respect my students and their bodies” . . . “There’s a level of respect that goes both ways.”