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Starting at such a young age, McCartney has been immersed in the world of dance since childhood, which has given her a deep understanding of the discipline and the demands of being a professional dancer. McCartney began her professional dance journey at the age of 17, when she joined a dance company as an apprentice. She credits this early experience with helping her shape skills and prepare her for her teaching career today. This foundation has enhanced her technical abilities and also given her the ability to connect with students. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Her teaching philosophy centers around empathy and creating a positive, uplifting learning environment while also helping her students grow as not only dancers but as young adults. She is committed to fostering a joyful atmosphere in her classroom, approaching each day with an open mind and a genuine desire to support her students, just as she would have wanted from her own teachers. McCartney expressed excitement about joining FSC as a faculty member, noting the opportunity to work with a new age group.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cTeaching at the college level is refreshing because I was recently in their shoes,\u201d McCartney said. \u201cI can bring a fresh perspective and apply what I\u2019ve learned in the past few years to help the next generation.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Having earned a BFA in Dance Performance and Choreography from FSC, McCartney is well-acquainted with the challenges and demands of the program. Her recent experience as a student gives her a unique perspective on the needs and struggles of her own students, allowing her to connect with them on a deeper level. This insight not only helps her understand what they\u2019re going through but also enables her to identify areas where the program could be improved to better support them in their dance journey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What motivates McCartney as a dance teacher is the joy of passing on her knowledge. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI love seeing that spark in a student\u2019s eyes when they get it,\u201d McCartney shared. \u201cIt\u2019s fulfilling to know I\u2019ve helped them understand something.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
This passion is evident in her commitment to her own professional development. As a member of the RAKR Dance Company, she balances her teaching responsibilities with her ongoing growth as a dancer. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI believe in continually learning and developing myself as a teacher,\u201d McCartney said. \u201cIt\u2019s essential to stay connected to the dance world.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n
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As she continues to grow both as a teacher and a dancer, McCartney has also learned the importance of maintaining a healthy work-life balance. Now married, she emphasizes setting boundaries to prevent burnout and keep her passion going.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI\u2019ve learned to prioritize balance and not spread myself too thin,\u201d McCartney said. \u201cIt\u2019s crucial to maintain this balance to avoid burnout and stay passionate about what I do.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For McCartney, achieving this balance isn\u2019t just about managing time; it\u2019s about ensuring that she stays energized and focused, both for herself and for her students. \u201cI want my students to be the best versions of themselves,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd I hope to gain confidence in my teaching abilities along the way.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
By Angela Revels Features Editor THE SOUTHERN This academic year, Florida Southern College welcomes a familiar face to its faculty, Olivia McCartney, a 2022 graduate of the college\u2019s Dance Performance… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":53727,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","_seopress_robots_follow":"","_seopress_robots_imageindex":"","_seopress_robots_snippet":"","_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"34","_seopress_robots_breadcrumbs":"","_seopress_robots_freeze_modified_date":"","_seopress_robots_custom_modified_date":"","_seopress_robots_canonical":"","_seopress_social_fb_title":"","_seopress_social_fb_desc":"","_seopress_social_fb_img":"","_seopress_social_fb_img_attachment_id":0,"_seopress_social_fb_img_width":0,"_seopress_social_fb_img_height":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_title":"","_seopress_social_twitter_desc":"","_seopress_social_twitter_img":"","_seopress_social_twitter_img_attachment_id":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_img_width":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_img_height":0,"_seopress_redirections_value":"","_seopress_redirections_enabled":"","_seopress_redirections_enabled_regex":"","_seopress_redirections_logged_status":"","_seopress_redirections_param":"","_seopress_redirections_type":0,"_seopress_analysis_target_kw":"","inline_featured_image":false,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"wpai_generated_summary":"","footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":true,"token":"eyJpbWciOiJodHRwczpcL1wvaTAud3AuY29tXC9sYWtlbGFuZGdhemV0dGUuaW5mb1wvbmV3c1wvd3AtY29udGVudFwvdXBsb2Fkc1wvMjAyNVwvMDFcL29yaWdpbmFsLTJFRTk0NDJFLTA4QzYtNEMzMi05MEE1LTQ2NDk3OTFDODg1Mi02ODd4MTAyNC0xLndlYnA_Zml0PTY4NyUyQzEwMjQmc3NsPTEiLCJ0eHQiOiJSZWNlbnQgRmxvcmlkYSBTb3V0aGVybiBDb2xsZWdlIGFsdW1uYWUgcmV0dXJucyBhcyBhIGJhbGxldCBpbnN0cnVjdG9yIiwidGVtcGxhdGUiOiJoaWdod2F5IiwiYmxvZ19pZCI6MTYzMDQwNjYxfQ.5RXtteT3w4EiHVcC0yBSsv_94zmmf7wO_6oTIYCIlfAMQ"},"version":2,"attached_media":[{"id":53726,"url":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/original-ABC0888D-9791-44B2-97ED-59BAA0C17723-e1737742385129-924x1024-1.webp","type":"image\/jpeg"}]},"_wpas_customize_per_network":false},"categories":[34],"tags":[10847],"class_list":["post-53725","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-fsc-news","tag-recent-florida-southern-college-alumnae-returns-as-a-ballet-instructor"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53725","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=53725"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53725\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":53728,"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53725\/revisions\/53728"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/53727"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=53725"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=53725"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=53725"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}