We recently connected with Dr. Emily K. Gray and have shared our conversation below.

Dr. Emily K. , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.

The most meaningful project I’ve worked on is the creation and growth of Campus Dance Academy. The idea for the company was born out of my time as the Dance Director at Jacksonville Country Day School, where I saw firsthand the transformative power of bringing dance into a school setting—not just for the students, but for the entire community.

When I eventually stepped away from that role, I felt a strong calling to help other schools create similar programs. That vision became Campus Dance Academy, which now partners with multiple schools to build and sustain high-quality dance programs. Through this work, we’ve introduced students to a variety of dance styles, produced school-wide performances and community outreach events, and helped promote the importance of arts education to school leadership and families.

One of the most rewarding aspects has been creating meaningful teaching opportunities for dance educators and mentoring them over the years. Supporting teachers in their professional growth and watching them bring joy, confidence, and creativity to their students has been incredibly fulfilling. Being able to combine my passion for dance, education, and leadership in this way continues to be one of the greatest privileges of my career.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

My journey in dance began at age eight through training at studios across Florida and at The Florida Ballet. Those formative years grounded me in both classical technique and the creative possibilities of movement. They also gave me early insight into how different learning environments shape the experience of dance—not just physically, but emotionally and socially.

As I transitioned from student to professional, I began interning and teaching in studios. At 19, I launched my first school-based dance program in Jacksonville. It wasn’t just the teaching that captured me—it was the chance to build something meaningful within a school community. That early program took off, and it ultimately led to a 12-year role as Dance Director at Jacksonville Country Day School. During that time, I learned what it takes to build arts programming that is both sustainable and deeply rooted in a school’s culture.

Eventually, I founded Campus Dance Academy, a company designed to help schools build their own vibrant dance programs. Rather than acting as an in-house department, we partner externally with schools to design, staff, and manage dance programming that fits their specific needs. Some of these programs run as part of the academic curriculum. Others operate as after-school offerings or enrichments—but in all cases, the goal is to ensure that students have access to high-quality dance education right where they are.

Space quickly emerged as a challenge in this work. Many schools lacked proper studios, so we taught wherever we could—on stages, in music rooms, and even hallways. These creative solutions sparked a deeper question for me: how could we help students learn movement and spacing more effectively in nontraditional settings? That question became the seed for The Dance Dots, a patented system and teaching tool I created to support classroom management and choreography in flexible environments. Rooted in retrieval-based learning, the method allows students to internalize spatial patterns and movement memory in ways that are both accessible and lasting. I later published a book to guide educators in using this system, now available on Amazon. The Dance Dots: Explore Your Space By Connecting The Dots

Throughout my career, I’ve worked across many roles—teacher, director, mentor, business owner. What connects all of them is a commitment to building environments where students and teachers feel seen and supported. I don’t just help schools offer dance—I help them design programs that reflect their values and allow the arts to flourish.

My academic research has also been shaped by these experiences. I’ve focused particularly on independent dance studios in the U.S. and what contributes to their long-term success. What I’ve found is that financial performance is rarely the full story. Instead, thriving studios tend to be those where people—teachers, parents, students, and alumni—experience a true sense of belonging and confidence. That insight is not limited to private studios; it applies to any dance or arts program that seeks to serve its community well.

In addition to my entrepreneurial work, I teach in higher education at MIT and Endicott College, where I explore leadership, dance history, and creative practice with students from diverse backgrounds. The courses are about much more than movement. They ask students to consider how leadership, embodiment, and space intersect in the organizations they’ll one day lead or contribute to—whether in the arts or far beyond it.

At the heart of all my work is a belief in dance as a vehicle for transformation. Not only does it teach us about the body—it teaches us how to listen, lead, collaborate, and grow. Whether I’m mentoring a new teacher, designing a school program, or presenting research, my goal is to create spaces where those lessons can come to life in meaningful and lasting ways.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

One of the most defining chapters of my life—and a true test of resilience—began in 2020, just as the world was shutting down. I had recently started my MFA in Choreography, and at the same time, I was launching Campus Dance Academy as a full-scale organization. While many businesses were pulling back, I was stepping forward—working to build sustainable school-based dance programs in the middle of a global pandemic.

Alongside that, I was developing and patenting The Dance Dots, a classroom management and choreography system I created to help dance educators with spatial memory and organization. The work was exciting, but it was also relentless. I was also navigating life as a mom, stepmom, and wife—trying to show up fully for my family while carrying a growing list of responsibilities professionally and academically.

When I completed my MFA, I barely had time to catch my breath before beginning my doctoral studies at Vanderbilt University. I took just one week off between programs. In that same season, everything in our life shifted: we moved across the country to Boston and found out we were expecting our fifth child. Suddenly, I was balancing first-trimester exhaustion with cross-country logistics, new schools for my kids, and settling into an entirely new home base—all while beginning one of the most demanding academic journeys of my life.

I didn’t pause my business. I didn’t step back from my family. I found ways to adjust, to lean on my purpose, and to reimagine what leadership could look like in motion. That chapter taught me that resilience isn’t about doing it all without strain. It’s about continuing with intention and care, even when the path forward feels overwhelming. I learned how to move through complexity with steadiness and trust, and it’s a lesson I carry with me in every role I play today.

Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?

Yes, several works have had a lasting impact on how I think about leadership, teaching, and building organizations that prioritize people and learning.

The ideas of Etienne Wenger have deeply shaped my view of how communities grow and thrive. His book Communities of Practice: Learning, Meaning, and Identity introduced a framework that mirrors so much of what I’ve experienced in dance education. It helped me see that learning happens most powerfully through participation and connection, rather than through isolated instruction. His earlier work with Jean Lave, Situated Learning: Legitimate Peripheral Participation, added even more clarity. That concept of entering a learning environment gradually, as a peripheral participant who is welcomed in over time, reflects exactly how many young dancers—and new educators—begin their journeys. These ideas now live at the heart of how I design programs and mentor teachers.

Peter Senge’s The Fifth Discipline shifted my understanding of organizational life. Rather than viewing leadership as top-down or purely strategic, his model of the “learning organization” emphasizes collaboration, feedback loops, and long-term adaptability. That framing encouraged me to think of Campus Dance Academy not only as a business, but as a space where everyone involved—students, teachers, and administrators—can evolve together.

Reframing Organizations by Lee Bolman and Terrence Deal helped me better navigate the complexity that often arises when creative work meets institutional systems. Their approach to seeing an organization through multiple lenses—symbolic, structural, political, and human—reminded me that solutions don’t always come from the same angle, and that successful leadership often requires shifting perspective rather than doubling down on one approach.

I also gained a great deal from Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard by Chip and Dan Heath. Their way of breaking down how people experience and process change has given me practical tools for guiding others, whether I’m helping a school launch a new program or mentoring a teacher through a career transition. The book made it easier to understand how emotion, logic, and environment interact when people are asked to do something new.

More recently, research on improvisation within communities has validated something I’ve known instinctively through dance: that responsiveness, presence, and affirmation are powerful teaching and leadership tools. Work by Dr. Kevin Leander from Vanderbilt University and others has shown how the principles of “yes, and” thinking—often associated with improvisational theater—can support trust, belonging, and collaboration in the classroom and organizations in general. These ideas inform how I lead both students and adults, especially in moments of uncertainty or growth.

Each of these works has left a mark on how I move through my career. They continue to guide the choices I make as an educator, entrepreneur, and researcher, helping me hold space for both structure and spontaneity, strategy and empathy.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thedancedots?igsh=MTRtYmRteGhpNGc1cA==
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/15hPvLGEvK/?mibextid=wwXIfr
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-emily-gray-ed-d-mfa-a2bb99370?utm_source=share&utm_campaign=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=ios_app

Image Credits

Headshot and Beach Picture By

J’adore Studios