My Story
I have always had a love for and an inclination towards the arts, especially movement and dance. I've done everything from arts camps that did visual/drama/dance, photography classes, learned to play the guitar, and even took an architecture and design class. I loved all things visual, crafts, music, and movement.
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It wasn't until high school that my true love and passion for dance specifically sparked. I started taking class at the school, as Montclair High offered it as an alternative to PE. I began getting more and more interested and wanted to improve my technique and skills further. This led me to start taking dance outside of school at Sharron Miller Academy for the Perfomring Arts in town. It was there that I not only found great instructors that I connected with, but comaraderie and support from other students, creating a beautiful community. It was also there, however, where one instructor happened to take advantage of his power, and ended up abusing me. Through time, healing, and perseverance, that then sparked something in me to want to strive to become a great dance teacher. One who not only taught her students fun, engaging, beautiful dance choreography, but who also supported, encouraged, and truly loved and valued each one of them as individuals.
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I went on to become a B.F.A. dance major at Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University, to train under wonderful staff in a rigorous program and perform professional choreography pieces in our concerts. I then chose to track into the 5-year Ed.M program, in which you receive your Master's in Dance Education (K-12). I student taught, and co-taught in many public school settings, including my full-time student teaching internship at Columbia High School in Maplewood, NJ. I graduated in 2019, and continued on to teach in Union City, and finally in Montclair, NJ, as well as in many dance studio settings including my very own childhood studio -- Sharron Miller.
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Through my experiences, I've always wanted to make dance class a safe space for my students. One in which felt supportive, nurturing, and holistic, as a place where they felt free to explore and develop their own artistic voices and style. One in which movement can be used as a means for an outlet, a release, as a therapeutic means. One that children, especially those who've undergone trauma and abuse, aren't afraid in and always feel comfortable talking to me about anything, including their issues and hardships. And one in which they would always remember how it made them feel: joyous, supported, and unconfined from expressing themselves. It is with great happiness that I continue to share my passion with them everyday.
Bio
Julia Sprung is a native of Montclair, New Jersey. She started dancing her freshman year of high school at Montclair High School where her passion for dance began to grow. In addition to being accepted into the Montclair High School Dance Company, as well as training under Sharron Miller Academy for the Performing Arts, she started digging deeper into her dance training and attended Earl Mosley’s Institute of the Arts intensives and the Abraham.In.Motion Intensives. During these intensives, she worked with and performed pieces by professional choreographers including Earl Mosley, Rennie Harris, Darrell Moultrie, Deborah Wingert, Meredith Rainey, Beatrice Capote, Heidi Cruz-Austin, Juan Carlos Panuela, Ferdinand DeJesus, among many others. She attended the Rutgers Summer Dance Conservatory program, and decided she wanted to continue her dance training in a higher education, university setting. Sprung was accepted into and attended Mason Gross School of the Arts as a B.F.A. dance major, where she graduated from in May 2018. She has extensive training in ballet, contemporary, jazz, hip hop, and commercial dance genres, as well as some training in African, Latin dance styles, and musical theater.
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Sprung has obtained her Master’s degree in Dance Education (K-12) from the Rutgers Graduate School of Education 5-year program in May 2019. During this program, she has completed multiple hours of observations and fieldwork at various public schools in New Jersey, and her student teaching internship at Columbia High School in Maplewood, New Jersey. In addition to teaching, she obtained her Om Factory 200-hour Vinyasa Yoga Teacher Certification, Polestar Pilates Mat (Levels 1, 2) and Reformer certification, and NAFC Group Fitness certification. In addition to these other interests, she also joined the Rutgers F.A.C.E. Modeling Team, and the RDT (Rutgers Dance Troupe) which was a hip hop dance-based team. Sprung worked as a dance teacher in the Union City public school district before landing her job as the dance teacher for Glenfield Middle School in Montclair, NJ. She has since performed in the Alvin Ailey Extension program in March 2025, choreographed and taught at Newark School of the Arts, and currently teaches dance at Sharron Miller Academy for the Performing Arts. Sprung continues to train in rigorous professional workshops and classes, as well as performing in video and stage performances alike in the New Jersey/New York area.
Accomplishments & Awards
My first year of teaching at Glenfield Middle School in Montclair, NJ, I choreographed for our musical Tuck Everlasting performed in April 2023. I won a Foxy Award for "Best Choreography for a Musical" in public middle schools for Tuck Everlasting. I have since also choreographed for musical productions of Fiddler on the Roof (2024), and Annie (2025).
I performed for the Alvin Ailey Extension program in their Spring Performance Showcase in March 2025. I trained under teaching artist/choreographer/performer Courtney Sauls and performed in two concerts. I have since been featured in a visual for upcoming choreographer T'Keyah Slaten, and performed a piece of hers in July 2025 in Paradigm Showcase in Jersey City, and another piece of hers in the Accord Showcase in New York City in October 2025. I also performed in QIAA at Nebula NYC Showcase in September 2025 in a piece titled "Hallucinations." Most recently, I performed in the Industry Studio Showcase at Steps on Broadway in another Courtney Sauls heels piece in October 2025.
Teaching Philosophy
Due to the influential dance educators during my dance career, I was inspired to become a dance educator myself. Seeing students’ faces and eyes light up, their smiles, and their sheer sense joy and excitement when they connect to what is being learned and achieved success in a task is one of the most rewarding experiences. I believe the teacher’s most important task is to encourage students to reach their full potential by providing them with an environment that allows them to be curious and enthusiastic learners. Dance is the expression of emotions, thoughts, concepts, and perspective through movement. Dance is freedom. Since dance is such an expressive and vulnerable art form, students should feel a sense of calm and security when they are learning. Even if it does not become a career path for a student, dance is a phenomenal and satisfying art form for one to gain an understanding of and to appreciate. It teaches discipline and professionalism, valuable life skills and qualities that can help students achieve whatever goals they may have. Dance also has cognitive, psychological, emotional, and physical benefits. It helps a child explore his or her imagination and get to know who they are as a person. As a form of exercise, dance is especially important now when many children spend so much of their time on technological devices. Dance represents one of the most valuable things in life—creating meaningful connections with others.
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An important ideology in education is having the open-mindedness to allow students to explore possibilities. I began my dance training later than most, in high school. My very first dance teacher had this type of teaching philosophy. Unlike the more experienced dance students, I did not have the same level of dance technique, artistry or self-confidence. However, my dance teacher had much hope for me and encouraged me to believe in myself and to push myself to reach my goals. Through the continuous motivation and support of my teacher, I was able to gain the skills and mindset I needed, and I want my students to see beyond what they think they are capable of. I aim to build and maintain the same open, reciprocal, constructive relationship that I had with my teacher with my own students. Gaining confidence in themselves and building autonomy will benefit them in all aspects in life. I wish to help my students grow into self-sufficient, innovative, unique individuals.
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I believe in recognizing and celebrating diversity in the classroom. Each student differs in race, ethnicity, religion, orientation, cultural background, upbringing and physical ability. Utilizing each child’s unique qualities, strengths, and attributes, will enhance my lesson plans and the overall learning experience. In school, I was a part of a small learning community called the Center for Social Justice that focused on societal-based issues. The experiences I had in this program and with my peers had a positive, lasting impact on me, and thus I discovered I have a passion for exploring social justice issues. I want to help my students to understand the importance of embracing diversity and having an understanding of the world they live in. I hope to do this by combining my passion for dance with relevant and stimulating instruction, analyzing and discussing current events; particularly through utilizing a constructivist approach in my classroom. My teaching plans would include a variety of activities from creating dances based on societal inequalities, improvisation in reference to one’s own past and present life, and teaching and performing dance pieces from various cultures. Since these areas are related to students’ real lives, they will resonate with them and support their learning in an intrinsic manner.
I hope the implementation of my teaching philosophy will advance education and school curriculum in a contemporary, culturally-relevant way, and have a positive influence on the school system in which I will work. Moreover, having experienced clinical fieldwork in educational settings and learned relevant teaching theories, I have grown to know myself as having a teaching pedagogy that combines dance technique, social awareness and the individual student’s role in their own learning. I hope to send my students into the world as the knowledgeable, well-rounded, imaginative individuals that they are destined to be.