About Movement Arts
Training Dancers. Creating Artists. Building Community.
Movement Arts grew from a shared belief that exceptional dance training can shape much more than exceptional dancers.
Founded by professional dancers and educators Maartje Hermans-Lawrence and Ryan Lawrence, Movement Arts brings together two complementary organizations: SLO Movement Arts Center (SLOMAC), our conservatory-style training program, and the nonprofit Movement Arts Collective, home to our audition-based Dance Company and performance, outreach and educational programs.
Together, they create a place where young dancers can discover dance, develop their technique and artistry, experience the rewards of disciplined training, and—for those who choose—take that training onto the stage.
Our Mission
To inspire a lifelong interest in the performing arts, create ballet dancers of a recognized caliber, and develop model young individuals by encouraging commitment, dedication and the sustained pursuit of excellence in the art of dance.
Our Philosophy
Having both experienced the benefits of rich and varied formal dance educations, Maartje and Ryan created the Movement Arts Center to foster that same lifelong appreciation for dance among future generations of dancers and their families.
Their vision was modeled in part on the conservatories where they trained: to create a retreat—a place where dancers could explore and develop not only their technical and artistic abilities, but also the life skills that come from sustained study of an historic art form.
Today, that philosophy remains at the heart of SLOMAC. Students are challenged to develop discipline, commitment and confidence while being encouraged to remain curious, creative and expressive.
The goal is not simply to train dancers who can execute steps. It is to help young people discover what they are capable of achieving through dedication to something they love.
Meet the Founders
Maartje Hermans-Lawrence & Ryan Lawrence
Professional dancers. Teachers. Choreographers. Parents. And the founders of a dance community they have spent more than a decade building in San Luis Obispo.
Maartje and Ryan came to Movement Arts with extensive professional careers of their own.
Ryan, a San Luis Obispo native, earned his Bachelor of Fine Arts from The Juilliard School in New York. Maartje grew up in the Netherlands and trained at the Dutch National Ballet Academy in Amsterdam, where she earned her degree in dance.
Their professional careers took them around the world and eventually brought them together at Scapino Ballet Rotterdam in the Netherlands. Both performed internationally before turning increasingly toward choreography, teaching and developing the next generation of dancers.
In 2012, they returned to Ryan's hometown of San Luis Obispo and began building something of their own.
"The training at Movement Arts Center is the best we have found anywhere!"
-- M. Wilson
Catherine Russel Barnickel
Raised in Philadelphia, PA Catherine trained and performed with The Pennsylvania Ballet and later with the Massachusetts Youth Ballet, School of American Ballet, American Ballet Theatre and San Francisco Ballet School under such notable teachers as Gloria Govrin, Carter Alexander, Sandra Jennings and Suzanne Farrell.
She danced with the Kansas City Ballet for 12 years performing many classical principal and soloist roles, a large number of Balanchine works, and modern and contemporary pieces. She is delighted to be sharing her knowledge and experience with the students at SLO Movement Arts Center.
Meet Our Faculty
Kaelyn Hauber
Hannah Bielcik
