Our Dance family legacy

The DuFore Family -

Peter Michael DuFore was a highly acclaimed artist whose work has been purchased by private collectors and exhibited in Washington D.C. and Paris, France. In 1983, he began teaching art classes at Dance Etc. and was our Scenery Director for almost 27 years. His diligence to inspire and cultivate young artists lives on in his tradition of our annual student art show and much of his scenery and artistic vision continue to appear in our performances today. 

Many of you know Peter’s daughter as our beloved dance teacher and energizer bunny, Ms. Danielle. She started as a student at Dance Etc. when she was 8 and continued her dance studies through college and into a professional career before returning to Dance Etc. as a teacher. We’ve been honored to have her artistry and passion for her craft grace our stage for almost 23 years. 

Ms. Danielle’s son, Santos, started classes at Dance Etc. at the age of 4 and graduated last year. Following in the artistic footsteps of both his mom and grandfather, he is now majoring in Dance and minoring in Graphic Design at George Mason University. One of our favorite moments was watching him dance the same role as his mom, the Spanish doll, in our 38th Annual Spring Concert. He performed with Ms. Danielle and the original scenery and props made by his grandfather when he was Scenery Director of Dance Etc.