Today we’d like to introduce you to Mikhaila Young.
Hi Mikhaila, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
My name is Mikhaila Young. I was born and raised in Maryland. I began dancing at a very young age and, unlike a lot of children, begged for more classes not less. As a child, I put my dancing classes to use doing community and high school theatre, and then continued to dance throughout college. I learned at least a little bit of everything, but ballet and ballroom were always my favorites. Teaching dance classes helped me pay my way through college, where I earned a Theatre degree. I continued to teach dance as one source of income while I moved around the country as an aspiring artist/entertainer. When I moved back to Maryland in 2019 I was on the hunt for another teaching job and realizing that I wasn’t sure if I wanted to continue grinding away at the theatre scene. It was then that I found the Arthur Murray organization. A location had just opened up in Edgewater, MD, owned by my now business partners, Lynn Sevick, Vicki Venka, and Gaye Schmidt. They hired me and introduced me to the amazing world of Arthur Murray, which is a much more joyous place than many dance studios. Through my time at the Edgewater studio I realized that this is where I wanted to be, teaching ballroom to my community. So when Lynn approached me about partnering with her to open the Prince Frederick location, I jumped on the chance. Now, we are open and I get to have the immense pleasure of meeting the community of Southern Maryland and bringing them the joy of dancing!
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It was not a smooth road, but it also wasn’t the bumpiest road. One of my biggest struggles was actually an internal struggle. It was a really tough for me to realize that my life was changing in plans, and that I was changing as a person. I no longer wanted or felt called to my original plan for both my personal and professional life. The realities of my career and the changing trajectory of that path also necessitated a change in the plans that I had made for my personal life and relationships. I never thought I would end up living in Maryland full-time, but here I am! And I wouldn’t change it for anything! There is so much light to be found in watching our students grow in confidence, or feel like the weight of their day got lighter by dancing with us!
As you know, we’re big fans of Arthur Murray Dance Centers of Edgewater and Prince Frederick, MD. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
My business is part of the Arthur Murray organization. We are one of the oldest franchises in the world and we specialize in teaching Ballroom/Latin/Social dancing! The Arthur Murray organization has over 300 studios around the world, and we are so happy to be a part of this huge global movement to change people’s lives through dancing!
Our 2 locations are in Edgewater (3200 Solomons Island Rd, Edgewater, MD 21037), and Prince Frederick (205 Steeple Chase Dr. STE 302, Prince Frederick, MD 20678) . We teach our students how to dance through personalized, structured learning so that they can feel the most comfortable and confident in their everyday dancing, not just in the studio. We teach through a combination of Personal Lesson Sessions and Group style sessions. We are so blessed to be able to create a community of students and teachers who love to dance and love to encourage each other in their own personal dance journeys. I love how we have such a fabulous group of people who truly believe that everyone can and should learn to dance, and experience the joy, confidence, and inclusion that dancing brings. As Kathryn Murray is famously quoted to have said “Put a little fun in your life! Try Dancing!” And we do our best to embody that statement every day through every lesson, every group, and every occasion!
Alright, so to wrap up, is there anything else you’d like to share with us?
Although our students are primarily adults, we teach from ages 5 to 500! We cover all forms of partner style social dancing whether you’re learning just for fun or for an event, like a wedding! Lessons are for both singles and couples. We personalize every students’ learning, and we want to get to know you and what you want to learn! We have a great introductory program for new students. If you reach out to either location and mention this article, we have a special price going on to get you started with those first dance steps!
Prince Frederick:
Call – (443)771-4091
Text – (443)412-8529
Edgewater:
Call/Text – (410)431-2866
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.arthurmurrayprincefrederick.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/arthurmurrayprincefrederick
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/arthurmurrayprincefrederick
