Meet the Director
Rachel Vierck-Amie (who's initials are our namesake) began her dance training in 1993, and became a competitive dancer in 1998. After several years as a successful competitive dancer, winning numerous regional and national titles and high score awards, in addition to 3 years as a Catholic High School Bruinette, she attended Louisiana State University where she received two bachelor's degrees in Mass Communication and Theatre Performance with concentrations in dance and acting. While at LSU, she performed with the LSU Dance Ensemble, Legacy Dancers Hip Hop Crew, LSU Theatre and was president and choreographer of the LSU Tap Dance Ensemble.
Her additional training includes: Broadway Dance Center in NYC, The Edge Performing Arts Center in Hollywood, Kidd Pivot intensive at Peridance in NYC, and exclusively with such notable artists as Debbie Allen, Keri Lagrand, Megan Way Stinson of Rhythmic Souls Tap Company, tap icon Thelma Goldberg, Diavolo founding member Nick Erickson, and many more. After college, she participated in the internationally acclaimed Parsons Dance Company's Summer Program in New York.
Her performance highlights include: Walt Disney World, NFL Halftime for the New Orleans Saints, Just Dance with Debbie Allen, and appearances in a handful of commercials and films including the smash hit Pitch Perfect. She has held a successful professional career in multiple genres of dance; mainly tap, musical theatre, jazz and contemporary. She performed professionally with New Orleans' premier tap company, Theatre on Tap, under the artistic direction of Emmy Award winner Heidi Malnar, and also did work with Rivertown Theatres in New Orleans, and Dance Collective Baton Rouge. Much of her professional dance career has been with Of Moving Colors Productions, Baton Rouge's professional contemporary dance company, under the artistic direction of Garland Goodwin-Wilson. With OMC, she's had the privilege of performing work by world-renowned artists such as Pavel Zuštiak (Palissimo Company), Christian Von Howard (The Von Howard Project), Lindsey Dietz Marchant, John Allen (The Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company and Tulane Dance Department chair), Christine Chrest, and Stephen Wynne.
Rachel has become a well-established teacher in south Louisiana through her work as a teaching artist with the Manship Theatre at the Shaw Center for the Arts and the Arts Council of Baton Rouge, in addition to her alma mater St. Joseph's Academy, Catholic High School, St. Luke's Episcopal School, and a few studios in Baton Rouge, Lafayette, and New Orleans.
Rachel is a certified educator through Dance Masters of America, and an active member of DMA's 37th chapter Dixie Association of Dance Teachers, currently serving as title chair, 2nd Vice President and a member of the board of directors. She also has active membership through the National Dance Educators Organization and is certified in Progressing Ballet Technique (PBT). Always wanting to be the best teacher she can be for her students, she continues her national certification training at the Dance Masters of America Teacher Training School at the State University of New York in Buffalo each summer.