For Miranda, dance has been part of her life for almost as long as she can remember. She began dancing at just 3 years old at Julie’s School of Dance, where she trained in several styles from 2002 to 2017, and later she would perform with Arnold High School’s Blue Thunder Dance Line. While there were competitions, Superior ratings and trophies along the way, when Miranda looks back, what stands out most is the feeling of belonging. Dance was where she had friends, support, people she looked up to and a place that simply felt like home. 
Miranda stepped away from dance after high school for about two years while pursuing a dream of becoming a digital design artist. She was working at The Donut Hut on 30A, she happened to be wearing her Julie’s School of Dance hoodie when none other than Ashley Brooks (a former Cincinnati Bengals cheerleader and University of Kentucky dancer) came in and noticed it she started a conversation about dance. That conversation eventually led Miranda to South Walton Dance Company, where she began assisting and then teaching for alongside classes of her own. “I don’t really feel like I decided to teach. It almost feels like teaching found me, in that donut shop. Looking back, I truly believe God had this purpose for me from the start."
Miranda has been teaching since 2019, and what started with making playlists, printing ballet coloring sheets and bringing little treats for her students grew into something much bigger. She soon discovered that she didn’t just love teaching dance, she loved creating an experience for the children she taught. She now owns Momentum Dance Company in Sunny Hills Florida; where she leans into the opportunity to give her students the same sense of belonging, she remembers having as a little girl. As one mother of a dance student shared, Miranda creates a place where young ladies can build confidence, have fun, make memories and feel comfortable simply being themselves.
Miranda says, “I love creating a safe and comfortable space where students can explore dance without feeling embarrassed or afraid to be themselves. One of my favorite things is watching their walls slowly come down.” She feels that being a younger teacher helps her connect with her students and makes her feel more approachable to them. They can laugh with her and have fun while still knowing she is their teacher, and behind that fun is more than two decades of dance experience.
To quote Miranda, the one thing she hopes her students learn from her will go far beyond dance. “I want my students to learn to love who they are and how they operate without constantly comparing themselves to others.” She wants them to understand that everyone has their own path and that their growth should be measured by the work they put into themselves, not by where someone else is in their journey. Miranda was once a little girl walking into a dance studio, and now she is creating that same opportunity for another child to walk through the door, find their confidence and maybe even discover a lifelong love for dance too. Miranda Donovan has truly made a full circle Journey from student to teacher and now studio owner.
