What People Are Saying

I highly recommend taking ballet with Jill at Thrive/Insightful Motion. I come from a prestigious ballet training background, (Boston Ballet School and The HARID Conservatory) and I have danced in professional companies in NYC, Hartford, Connecticut, and Portland, Maine and Jill has taught me ways of thinking about and doing ballet technique that no one else has ever mentioned before. Jill has an understanding of the mechanics of the physical body that is not often found in a ballet teacher, this skill makes her vastly qualified and effective at teaching ballet.  Whether you are a beginner (child or adult), intermediate level, pre-professional, professional, or retired professional you will find in Jill's classes, a safe environment in which you can improve your dancing and nurture a holistic relationship with your body. -- Emily

​

Just when I thought I would never perform again as an adult student, Thrive Company invited me to perform with them. After taking a few years away from dance, Thrive has been the perfect studio to get back in shape without worrying about the instruction being brutal, my shape no longer being what it was, and my flexibility nowhere near where it was last time I was dancing. The studio is inviting, the peer dancers are nice, and Jill does a great job fostering a safe environment. Additionally, the studio dogs are absolutely delightful! -- Kristie

​

I can confidently credit Jill/Thrive Ballet with my good posture, enhanced physical awareness, and lasting appreciation for movement.  Jill is insanely knowledgeable about the body, and is an engaging, encouraging instructor. I always feel like my spine is an inch longer after an Insightful Motion class!

The studio itself has a distinctly warm, friendly atmosphere, which  I really value in a place where I'm learning (and exercising!). -- Christina

​

Jill is phenomenal and one of the most educated dance teachers I’ve ever worked with. She’s extremely knowledgeable in all aspects of the body and her methods in technique have been super valuable in my discipline and teaching habits. No matter what age you are, Jill is an expert in getting people to their best level. Being a full time dancer/ dance teacher, Jill is always my number one go to person if I need any help, or injuries or questions. She’s a great mentor and I recommend her to any athlete. She’s the best. -- Kat

​

Thrive Ballet/Insightful Motion...if only I had a ballet teacher like Jill when I was young! I am returning to ballet after 30 years for many reasons, exercise, flexibility, soul healing, etc. Jill is a MASTER instructor. I am learning so much from her, things I never learned in my youth from my "old school" ballet studio. If you're an adult with zero experience, come here! If you're an adult with lots of years of ballet instruction, come here! Feel confident sending your children here, Jill will take great care of them with her vast knowledge of how and why the body works. She breaks difficult things into simple pieces. She even has giggles with her students. I always leave happier than when I arrived. She is the whole package you want in a dance studio/teacher. -- Pam

​

Who knew that beginning adult ballet could be so insightful as how to get my brain/body to work together, identifying weak areas and enabling such body consciousness. I am 51 years old and I have never taken ballet before in my life. Jill is not only super informative and a great ballet coach/trainer, but she is also super funny and keeps everything light and laughable. Such a warm environment. And totally covid safe. -- Barbara

​

Jill is such a good teacher - she doesn't give the class, she teaches the class.  Good corrections both general and specific.  Wonderful center combinations that are challenging yet "dancy".  Fair warning if you are allergic, her small dogs are part of class. -- Therese

​

Thrive/Insightful Motion is incredible. The ballet/pointe classes are so fun and inspiring, but also informative. I have improved my technique even in just the few classes I've taken. Jill is also a master of strength/conditioning. She's really helped lengthen my muscles and improve on any strains. Highly recommend! -- Kaitlynne 

​

I walked into this studio 6 years ago with zero ballet experience for the Absolute Beginner class. I was nervous and worried that everyone would be snobby and look down on me as a beginner. What I found instead was a low-stress, welcoming environment that I have completely embraced and stuck with for six years! I thought I would just do this for fun and exercise, and now here I am performing in the semi-annual shows (that are totally optional, but kind of addictive and fun once you get into it).

There's something for everyone from absolute beginners to advanced dancers and everyone is welcome. Jill has a great eye for alignment to help you fix whatever move is challenging you or whatever body part is ailing you. Hope to see you there. -- Katie

 

I am a dancer, teacher, and choreographer. Even at this stage in my career as an artistic director, I still continue to train in Ballet striving for drastic improvement. Since I started taking Jill's ballet class a month ago, I received so much new information that hadn't occurred to me. Jill is always giving me new nuggets of awareness that literally illicit "Aha!" moments. I'm more confident, smarter in my approaches to pirouettes, among other aspects of Ballet. -- Alfred

​

I came to Jill's class upon my daughter's insistence. When I hurt, I usually procrastinate seeking help until I cannot ignore the pain. Jill started evaluating where my back pain is coming from, and gave me a few regimen to work on. It is the best thing to find out why my back was hurting in a way that makes sense to me, and what helps to correct the situation. I feel a lot better after the first session, then after the second session, I began to see that this could prevent the pain from coming back in a few more session.  Jill explains the anatomy and the bodily mechanism so well, I am happy to have an insight to my everyday motion and condition it the right way. -- Eun

​

I started rolling with Jill nearly 10 years ago after learning I had a back condition that I was worried might prevent me from continuing to do ballet, which I had done for nearly 2 decades at the time. Working with Jill not only allowed me to continue dancing without injury or pain but also completely transformed the way that I dance! I learned so much about my body, alignment, and optimal movement. She is so knowledgeable and great at explaining things in different ways to help you understand, and she's got great positive energy! I roll with Jill as often as I can to maintain proper conditioning, AND I've found that one of Jill's rolling classes is the perfect gift for family and friends! -- Cat

​

Love this studio for adult dancers. Classes for every level. Very positive with individual attention geared to abilities, strengths, weaknesses. Jill is very tuned in to issues relating to your personal kinesiology ad understands how help you progress and increase your own body awareness (in a good way!). Dancing should be for everyone who loves this art form and Insightful Motion really embraces this! -- Lynne

​

Insightful Motion offers encouragement, a time, and a place to gain an understanding of how one can work his/her unique assets to improve in dance, or in simply moving through life with physical intelligence. -- Diane

​

Thrive Ballet is the first studio where I've felt both completely welcomed and challenged to grow as an adult dancer. Jill is an excellent teacher and meets each individual where they're at. Her knowledge is extensive and she gives very helpful corrections while also fostering an incredibly fun environment in class. I took my first class about a year ago and immediately enrolled as a regular student and have seen a lot of improvement in that short time, as well as made some nice friends. Definitely 10/10 recommend, whether you're a beginner or seasoned dancer. -- Becca

​

Jill provides amazing youth classes as well as adult classes. My children have been taking ballet classes with Jill for years. I recently started taking pilates class with Jill. She does a wonderful job motivating us all to safely push where we are weak and how to embrace our strengths. She is knowledgeable about the hand body and accommodates for medical conditions of all kinds. -- Carrie

​

​

​