Maria Rodriguez

Maria, a Fayetteville native began her dance journey with Cumberland Dance Academy at age 9. She would wait in the lobby for her younger sister to finish class and finally, after three years, she decided to take a class herself. One class led to another and it didn’t take long before she fell in love with dancing, performing, and teaching. Maria is trained in the arts of ballet, contemporary, jazz, hip hop, lyrical, and musical theatre. Maria also has several years of competition experience, performing on the CDA dance team in Hip Hop and Musical Theatre. At age 14, Maria would volunteer to help with the younger kids’ classes. Once she turned 16, she was hired as an assistant teacher and began her official training as a dance teacher. Maria balanced her passion for dance with her high school activities. Her involvement in the Theater program has allowed her to assist in choreography and teach some of the dance routines for the school musicals.

Maria graduated high school at age 18 and furthered her education attending Fayetteville Technical Community College where she graduated in 2017 with an associate degree in Business Marketing. During her time there she was the leader and choreographer for the school’s dance troupe. Maria continually works to further her dance education and expand upon her dance experiences within the community. At 21 years old, she is currently attending Fayetteville State University and will be graduating in 2019 with her bachelor’s degree in Business Management. Maria continues to take dance classes, as well as teaches multiple dance classes with ages ranging from 3 years old to adults. She aspires to share her passion for dance through her teachings, and to encourage and inspire her students in the pursuit of their own dreams and goals.  Maria has been a part of the Cumberland Dance Academy family for over 15 years!