Aspiring Attitudes classes are taught by a group of passionate and talented instructors. You can find out more about each of the current instructors in their bios below.
Shannon Wrights knows from personal experience that dance is a vital means of developing self-confidence and a "can-do" attitude. Shannon, who is visually impaired, finds that dance gives her positive energy. She walks with grace and confidence and has learned to demand a high standard of herself as well as her students.
Shannon received a Bachelor of Science in Dance Management from Oklahoma City University. She has been teaching since 1997. She has taught for local dance studios, a home school coop, and The Oklahoma Foundation for the Disabled. She began her own studio in 2009.
Shannon received the George B. Lewis Advocacy Award, an award given by the Oklahoma City Mayor's committee to individuals who are disabled and work in the community with individuals with special needs. Shannon was a Oklahoma City News Channel 4 Pay it Forward recipient in 2012. Shannon has also been recognized as an honoree on the Morgan's Wonderland Walk of Fame. Morgan's Wonderland is a theme park in San Antonio, TX where individuals with special needs are the main focus. All rides and activities at Morgan's Wonderland are designed to be all-inclusive. Honorees are placed on the Walk of Fame for their work with special needs individuals.
Shannon believes in each student reaching their highest potential. Very few dancers will become professionals, so dance is taught mostly to students who just have a passion to learn the art of dance. Whether the student is in a wheelchair, uses a walker, has autism, or just simply does not like a large dance studio, each student is treated as an individual with their own needs and abilities.
Gray has been dancing since he was seventeen. Gray’s interest in dance started with tap. With a background in piano, he loves the focus on rhythm. His favorite styles still are hip hop and jazz, because they have more accents than other styles.
Gray is currently earning a Bachelor’s degree in Dance Performance at UCO. He is performing with UCO’s Kaleidoscope Dance Company 2. He has performed with and choreographed for DanceVisions, RACE Dance Academy, and Cece Farha’s Range of Motion. Though he loves performing, his biggest passion is choreographing. He loves being able to share his joy of dancing with his cast and seeing the way they interpret his movement.
As someone who started dancing later in life, Gray knows that the way to truly capture an audience is pouring your heart out on stage, not by having the best technique. He is inspired by how much of themselves his students pour out on the stage when they perform. Watching them perform, he knows they were born to dance, and being differently abled should not stop them from that opportunity.
Emily Megee was married last year! And before that she was performing and teaching under the name of Emily Brown.
Emily graduated from Southeast Missouri State University in 2007 with a degree in Theatre. She grew up dancing in OKC at Classical Ballet School. She started teaching in 2010 and has taught all around OKC and in Guthrie. As a performer, Emily has performed at Dollywood in the Veggie Tales Show. She has also toured the United States with two different childrens’ theatres.
Some of Emily's favorite roles include Scout Finch and Mayella Ewell in To Kill A Mockingbird; Juliet in Romeo and Juliet; Baby Bear in Shrek the Musical; and Lou Ann in Hairspray. She has also choreographed The Music Man, Annie, Guys and Dolls, Puss in Boots, and You’re A Good Man Charlie Brown. Emily believes that dance should be all inclusive and that dance prepares students for many of the challenges that life throws at them.
Z Taylor is an interdisciplinary artist, scholar, and dance educator in the Oklahoma City area. They are currently working towards their Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance Performance at the University of Central Oklahoma. Z is a member of UCO’s Kaleidoscope Dance Company where they’ve worked with guest choreographers including Alexandra Beller, Mike Esperanza, and Bubba Carr. They have performed in shows like the Kaleidoscope concerts, the Oklahoma Contemporary Dance Festival, Senior Capstone Show, and the American College Dance Association Gala. This year, they were awarded a university Research, Creative, and Scholarly (RCSA) grant to fund a dance film that they will be choreographing and directing. At Aspiring Attitudes, Z teaches hip-hop, jazz, and contemporary privates!
Ash Marie has been dancing since she was fourteen. Starting later than most dancers, she knows that hard work and determination pay off. She fell in love with ballet, and just after one year of instruction was en pointe and working in an advanced level.
She was in several high school productions with Range of Motion Dance Studio including The Little Mermaid, and DC Superhero Girls, where she was a lead role, Bumblebee. She and her studio won several awards for group dances including ballet and swing with Artists Simply Human.
Ash Marie also enjoys tap and jazz. She is eager to pass on her love for dance to all students, especially those with disabilities. She believes the opportunity to dance should be open to everyone from every walk of life.
Rachel Weese graduated from UCO in 2014 with a Bachelor of Arts in Dance Education and a Bachelor of Science in Special Education. Rachel has been dancing since she was three. She fell in love with working with students with special needs when she was in high school. After graduating, Rachel started teaching special education in the public school system.
Rachel believes in the idea of dance-and dance classes-being all inclusive for anyone who wants to learn to dance. She believes dance is beneficial for many areas of life, no matter who wants to learn or what their challenges may be.
