Today we’d like to introduce you to Kirstie Spadie.
Hi Kirstie, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
A New Orleanian, I started dancing at 8 years old. My mom signed me up at the local sports complex and we danced in the gym with the basketball players. At the end of the year, they gave me my costume. A bumble bee. The headpiece wacked me in the eye. After that, I told my mom I wanted to do jazz. She signed me up at a new studio. The dance teacher wore a fur coat to teach classes. In New Orleans. In the summer. At the end of that year, I told my mom I wanted to be a ballerina. By that time, my mom was working, so I had to ride my bike to ballet classes – wearing my leotard, tights and a bun while cruising on my bike to Giacobbe Academy of Dance. Ms. Maria and Mr. Joseph were the real deal. I had finally found the place that would shape me as a real dancer. Ms. Maria taught with a cane. Not to intimate, but to emphasize rhythm. She gave the best hugs. Mr. Joseph, her son, led with love, not fear. Hands down, he was the best ballet teachers I ever had. In high school, I attended New Orleans Center for Creative Arts and received a BFA from North Carolina School of the Arts.
After college, I moved to New York City. I lived in Battery Park City across from the Statue of Liberty. My subway station was One World Trade Center, where I took the subway to dance classes at the Alvin Ailey School of Dance and STEPS on Broadway. I booked my first job within three months: the international tour of West Side Story. I spent two and half years touring in Europe. It was amazing to live and work in European cities, like Paris, Rome, Glasgow, Munich, Milan, Amsterdam, Den Haag, Zurich, Geneva and Vienna. Soon after, I booked my second job: the national tour of CATS. I played the White Cat, Victoria, and spent the next two and half years touring the United States. My third job was the national tour of West Side Story, where I met some of my dearest friends. After eight years on the road, I wanted a normal life. I moved to Raleigh, North Carolina and have been here for about 29 years.
In 2001, I co-founded the North Carolina Dance Institute with my husband, Jay. In 2026, we celebrated our 25th Anniversary and we welcomed our 10, 000th student! I have taught thousands of students and maintained meaningful relationships with many of my former students. They are like my children and my extended family. I teach ballet, jazz contemporary and musical theatre styles. My favorite thing is helping a student master their technique and see their true potential. It’s pretty unique that I am their main teacher for many years. Over that time, we’ve built a deep foundation of trust, shared countless laughs, and formed meaningful connections through the beautiful art of dance.
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?
Running a business is 24/7. I take care of all the business management and scheduling details, all while teaching 12-14 classes a week. It is a LOT to remember. There is always lots of choreography in my head and lots of choreography to create. I think I choreograph in my sleep. Dancing keeps me young, and I truly do not know what my life would look like without dance. I hope to teach until I fall over.
The pandemic was tough. Teaching on zoom – wow. How did we do that? I had a student holding their cat while learning choreography and tons of technical snafus. But it was a way for the students and I to be together and get through it, together. With all businesses, there are highs and lows. Working with my husband has had its share of headaches and heartaches. Even though we are both proud of the studio we have created, it’s encompassed a lot of our time. We both feel called to transition North Carolina Dance Institute to new leadership. In 2025, we tapped one of our former students and teachers, Victoria Moore, to be the Artistic Director. Victoria is fantastically gifted as a choreographer and teacher. Our hope is that Victoria can lead the studio for the next twenty-five years.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
Outside of my work at NC Dance Institute, I choreograph for musicals. I served as the Artistic Director for NC Arts in Action from 2005-2007 and created and choreographed Moving to the Masters and Got Jazz? I have traveled to China four times to teach talented youth camps in Beijing and Shanghai. I choreographed Madagascar, Seussical, The Wizard of Oz and Cinderella. For the past eight years, I have been a co-director and choreographer for Special Theatre Arts of Raleigh (STAR), an amazing group of special ability actors who have become my family. Some of my proudest moments have been watching STAR bring our ideas to life on the stage. STAR was awarded the Raleigh Medal of Art. That was a big honor. Musical theatre is a joyous art form and should be accessible to all. As much as I love creating for musicals and dance, I am just as happy being in the audience of any show. Theatrical performers are so gifted in sharing the power of the human condition.
We all have a different way of looking at and defining success. How do you define success?
I define success as living a life of purpose and treating others with kindness. Taking care of someone in need and expecting nothing in return. Showing a student that you care and that you are truly, truly devoted to their success in life. Not only as a dancer but as a young person. Show them what success looks like by showing up, leading with positive energy and hyper-encouraging them to see their future potential. Success is only measured by the team that supports you. It’s never just me. NC Dance Institute is a success because of my husband, Jay; Victoria; Diana, our front desk representative; and all of our teachers, whom I’m proud to call friends. Finally, success for me will be finishing out this life wandering, hiking, swimming in mountain lakes and exploring this beautiful world. Jay and I spend our time traveling and getting lost in nature. One of my favorite lyrics in Ends of the Earth by Lord Huron is “What good is livin’ a life you’ve been given if all you do is stand in one place”. Jay and I are ticking off the National Parks and recently hiked in the Adirondacks and Finger Lakes in upstate New York. New Orleans, my hometown, is still my favorite place. A few years ago, I passed by my old dance studio, Giacobbe Academy of Dance, which has been in business almost 83 years. It’s still kicking, and so am I.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://ncdanceinstitute.com/index.htm
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ncdanceinstitute/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/127671993913534
- Other: https://starraleigh.wixsite.com
