Teena Marie

Teena Marie was born into a family which owned Arthur Murray Dance Studios. She took her first dance lesson at age 5, started competing and performing at age 11, and was a champion by the age of 15. She began her teaching career 2 weeks before her 18th birthday and has consistently won top teacher awards for excellence.

In 1989 she sold her studio in New Haven, CT., when she married her husband Rick and moved to Augusta. In 1990 she brought her expertise in dancing and teaching to the Garden City. In 1992 she opened The Ballroom Dance Center where she trained many area ballroom teachers and students, alike.

In March of 2002, Ms. Marie opened Ballroom in Motion to pursue a personal goal of having a dance studio that put students first. "Teaching dance has always been about the students. It must be fun, easy and quick. Everyone is different, with individual wants and needs. Our students are the most important asset we have and that's why we do everything possible to make their dance experience unforgettable." As the slogan says, "BALLROOM IN MOTION WITH TEENA MARIE IT’S THE FUN PLACE TO BE!" In 2009 Ballroom In Motion with Teena Marie became the first studio in our region to host a professional ballroom Dancesport competition , The Garden City Dance Challenge, drawing dancers to our area from all over the country. Ballroom in Motion has taken community service, through fundraising, to a new level. The philosophy of the management is that when you have incredible community support for your business it is your responsibility to give back to that community in whatever way you can. Ms. Marie has brought her fundraising expertise to many area projects, including the yearly Miracle Ball benefiting the Children's Miracle Network, The Wounded Warriors Project, Fischer House, The Pink Party benefiting University Hospitals Breast Health Center , Relay for Life and her yearly support of Toys for Tots. Since  2013, she has given her time and talent to help raise money for the Alzheimer's Association with Dancing Stars of Augusta.

She has also been on the “Fake it to Make it “ that benefits Safehomes of Augusta committee since its founding in 2016 helping to raise more than $1 Million for this much needed resource in our community.

Teena has always believed that a small business should always give back to the community that supports them.