The DWC Story: A little more about me and the new DWC…

Samantha Weissbach

Owner & Director of Operations

WHO am I?

I’m a dancer, a teacher, and a forever student. In addition to managing the operations of Dancewear Center, I am a local ballet teacher, and am a company member and Executive Director of local dance company Intrepidus Dance. I’m a wife, a step-mom, bird-lover, an undercover introvert, and a deep lover of humanity. I value loyalty, honesty, and relationships. I strongly believe I was put on this earth to fiercely love and support this beautiful dance community in the Pacific Northwest.

WHY did I take over Dancewear Center?

While ballet is one of my first loves, my pointe shoe journey was a particularly challenging one. Over the course of my training, I was poorly fitted on multiple occasions and overall was dismissed when expressing concern to my fitters over the pain I was feeling in my pointe shoes. I spent many a Nutcracker bleeding into my pointe shoes and using Orajel on my toes like my life depended on it... all because I was never properly fit, or educated enough to know that pointe work shouldn't have gone hand-in-hand with excruciating pain.

I have been dancing for almost 3 decades, and while I love ballet, pointe shoe fitting is a mostly unregulated craft which leads to dancers receiving fittings that too often leave them unnecessarily and sometimes severely or irreparably injured.

I took a leap of faith taking over DWC from Marv and Patrice because I wanted to continue to provide excellent fittings and grow and deepen DWC’s knowledge of fitting. I want each dancer who gets fitted by DWC to leave feeling more educated and empowered when it comes to their pointe shoes.

What’s our VISION at Dancewear Center?

Our team of dancers is for dancers. We believe that every body is a dancing body and make it our personal mission to empower each dancer through continuous support and product education. 

Continuing education is my personal bedrock, and each DWC employee dedicates daily time prior to the store opening towards furthering their fitting knowledge. As the saying goes, "if you aren't growing, you're dying." I want to bring a new kind of life to this industry: one dancer at a time.

As a fellow educator, I personally want to support all of you: the amazing teachers that make up this vibrant Pacific Northwest dancing community. I want to be one of your trusted collaborators and consultants that helps your students dance their strongest, safest, and most confidently. If there’s ever any way we can support you and your dance families--especially now when we need each other the most--please don’t hesitate to reach out. I’m just a phone call or an email away.