ADI DANCE STUDENT FEATURE

Kaida Murdock — Ten Years of Ballet, and Off to Scotland

We're thrilled to introduce Kaida Murdock as the very first dancer in our new American Dance Institute (ADI) Dance Student Feature series! Kaida has trained at our Greenwood studio for the past ten years and is headed off to the University of Edinburgh this fall to study History and Politics — but before she goes, she took the time to share her ADI journey with us.

The Journey

Kaida started dancing at age eight after leaving martial arts behind, when her mom signed her up for ballet at ADI's Greenwood location. "I needed another activity to do... and I've been dancing ever since," she says. Her first teacher was Maia Nowack, who led her children's ballet classes — and Kaida has trained exclusively at ADI ever since, working through ballet technique, pointe, strengthening, and variations classes over the past decade.

Life at ADI

Most recently, Kaida studied under Margaret Germani, who taught her that "dance classes should be fun" — something Kaida says shows up in the supportive community Margaret builds in every class. One of Kaida's proudest ADI memories came after performing the Spanish Variation in The Nutcracker, when a dancer from the touring company's Snow Queen complimented her performance. This past summer, she capped off her ADI training with a final recital where she challenged herself with two contrasting solo variations. What she loves most about ADI, she says, is its non-competitive, "No Snootiness Allowed®" culture, which let her focus on her own technique rather than comparing herself to others.

Advice from Kaida

"Don't forget to have fun! Dance should be a mix of hard work and fun. If you find yourself not enjoying a certain style of class, don't be afraid to make a change!"

Asked to sum up dance in one word, Kaida chose expression — "a wonderful vessel for expressing a person or character's feelings to the audience without using words."

What's Next

This fall, Kaida heads to the University of Edinburgh in Scotland to study History and Politics — closing out an incredible ten-year chapter of ballet training at ADI's Greenwood studio.

Watch

Ballet Classes at American Dance Institute (ADI) Seattle & Shoreline

Kaida's decade-long journey is a great example of what sets ADI's ballet classes apart: a non-competitive, supportive environment where dancers of every age can build real technique at their own pace. Whether you're looking for kids' ballet classes near Greenwood or pointe and variations training for older students, ADI's ballet studios offer a full pathway from a first children's ballet class through advanced pre-professional training.

Inspired by Kaida's story? See our Ballet classes here →