Photo by Rex Tranter
Emma Neilson
Social Media & Store Manager, Senior Pointe Shoe Fitter
Emma Neilson first started dancing when she was 4, studying Scottish Highland Dance. She danced competitively throughout the greater Northwest until the age of 8, winning numerous medals and awards and passing several medal tests through the Scottish Dance Teachers’ Alliance (SDTA). She then participated in competitive figure skating for several years, and during this time took her very first ballet class. She continued to dance recreationally at Ballet Academy of Performing Arts (BAPA) and Haven Dance Academy. Emma graduated from highschool and Shoreline Community College in 2017 with her AA in Psychology. After a gap year, she was accepted to and attended her first summer intensives with the Whitman Summer Dance Lab, Summer at Cornish at Cornish College for the Arts, and International Ballet Academy’s (IBA’s) Summer Program. After this, Emma spent three years studying at IBA. She graduated from IBA’s Professional Division in 2022, after two years performing with them as an International Ballet Theatre member.
Emma is currently a freelance artist in the Seattle area and has performed with Dance Conservatory Seattle, Westlake Dance Center, The Guild Dance Company, Evoke Productions’ Full Tilt, and BennyRoyce Dance. Emma is also a Certified American Barre Technique Instructor and a Certified Flexistretcher Instructor, and is currently teaching at Northwest Ballet Center and Precision Dance Academy.
Her favorite part about working at Dancewear Center is helping customers find their perfect pointe shoe! In her free time, Emma enjoys going on walks and working out, spending time with her family and friends, supporting the local arts community, and listening to podcasts and audiobooks.