A passionate advocate for early childhood dance education, Maria Hanley specializes in teaching ages 0 months to 6 years. She has left NYC to teach dancers in the greater Cleveland area. Currently, Maria is teaching early childhood classes at The Mandel JCC, Hudson Conservatory of Ballet, and virtual classes with BOLD Arts!
Maria has designed and implemented creative ballet programs for the young families and after school division at the Jewish Community Center in Manhattan and the Mandel JCC in Cleveland, OH. Maria has taught a variety of creative dance and infant/toddler programs throughout New York City and Cleveland, including The Mark Morris Dance Group, Dancewave Center and 92Y Parenting Center, The Beck Center, Cleveland City Dance, Solon Chabad Preschool, Park Preschool, JDN preschool, and Ganon Gil.
Maria authors the blog Maria’s Movers (www.mariasmovers.com) where she shares creative ideas and strategies for teaching young dancers. The blog unites a community of teachers who are inspiring our youngest dance artists every day. Maria holds a Master’s degree in Dance Education from New York University and a Bachelor’s degree in dance from Slippery Rock University in Pennsylvania. Maria served on the Dance/NYC Junior Committee for 2 years and presented at the 2012 Dance USA Conference. She also presents at the Dance Teacher Summit in New York City!
Additionally, in 2020 Maria started a dance and movement subscription box service called Move & Bloom.