Oakville Woman Spreads Her Passion for Movement

Sarah Freshley, owner of the in Oakville, has a special gift and she wants to share with the world. Freshley has passion.

At just 3 years old, Freshley discovered that dancing was what filled her heart.

“Whenever I was on stage, it was my voice, my true expression,” she said.

As a child, she tried other activities. There was soccer and karate, but none that spoke to her in quite the same way. By the time Freshley was 6, she had already experienced what many people search for their entire lives: a true connection to something outside of herself. From that point on, the art of dance would shape the person she would become.

At 14, Freshley began student teaching at a St. Louis dance studio.

“I loved the creative aspect of choreography,” she said. “I started coming up with things on my own and just looking for ways to make myself better.”

She remained at that studio until she was 18 when she headed off to college.

At the University of Missouri- Columbia, Freshley studied fitness and nutrition, with the idea that she would set out on a career in that field. But never straying far from her first true love, she continued to take dance classes at the Columbia Performing Arts Center.

There, Freshley met Jen Lee, the woman whom she now describes as her mentor.

“She changed my life,” Freshley said. “She had such a passion for what she was doing and the effect that she had on has on all those kids. She just lit a fire and I fell in love with dance all over again.”

For the next two years, Freshley worked with Lee as a teacher developing choreography.

“She just kind of let me lead my own way. At that point, I couldn’t imagine doing anything (other than teaching dance),” she said.

Freshley graduated from Mizzou in 2004 and although she had been offered a full-time position to teach, she felt it was time to return to her other true passion; her family in St. Louis. 

At that point, an unsavory teaching experience lead her to strike out on her own. The studio she had gone to work for after graduation was asking her to sign a non-compete agreement; something she was not comfortable doing.

“I just kept thinking that I had all these great ideas of what I would do it I had my own studio,” she said.

It was all the push she needed.

Freshley partnered with dance colleague Stephanie Doyle and went in search of a location that had all elements she deemed crucial.

“Whenever we first saw this particular building, it was completely raw,” she said.

This was a feature she liked because it allowed her to draw the space the way she wanted it. Since some of the students spend a lot of rehearsal hours at the studio, it was important to have a kitchen and lobby so the kids didn't feel crammed, she said.

Another important feature is the raised flooring.

“I grew up dancing on concrete floors all my life,” Freshley said. “(The teachers at her studio) all have knee issues. I didn’t want that for my kids.”

Now in their fourth year, the Movement Art Center is going strong with nearly 200 students enrolled. The studio specializes in all age groups and the types of classes are nearly limitless.  

“We teach ballet, tap, jazz, creative movement, tumbling skills, hip hop, aerialist and even competition," she said. 

Freshley alone, teaches 27 classes a week. But she's quick to point out that she could not do any of this without her “truly inspiring staff."

“Each one of them brings something different. And we are always learning from each other,” she said. “These kids mean everything to me. I wake up every day excited to come in and teach classes and see what I can give to these kids. They just bring so much joy to all of us.”

Freshley’s deep root passion is clear in the reaction she evokes from those around her.

“(Students) will call me when they do great on a test or they will say, ‘I didn’t eat fast food for a week,’” she said.

She’s also conscious of the cost involved in dance, particularly on the competition level. That is why she caps her class fees.

“We have some families who have four children here. Our family cap stops at $300,” she said. “Once you’re at $300, you can take as many classes as you want.”

The same kind of awareness goes into costume costs.

“Some people think if you glue a million rhinestones to a costume, it’s going to make the dance way better,” she said. “But it’s really not about that. It’s about (the kids) feeling proud of themselves after they walk off the stage.”

Eventually, she would like to expand the business. In her wildest fantasies, she would have an outdoor space devoted to nothing but creativity.

“Just a massive creative space with studio and art and anything that allows (kids) to create and gives them focus,” she said. “I just want to keep spreading the love.”