Sarah E. Schatz, Founder & Artistic Director

Sarah is the Founder and Artistic Director of Guidance Dance Company. In 2005, God gave Sarah a vision to create a dance company that would help young Christians explore dance as a form of worship and to teach them to use dance as an evangelical ministry. On January 29, 2006, that vision became a reality and Guidance Dance Company began. Today, Guidance Dance Company includes 17 dancers ranging in age from 7-18. The dancers represent 10 local churches, 4 school districts, and several home-school groups, but most importantly they represent the Lord, Jesus Christ.

Sarah received her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance and Business Management Summa Cum Laude from Wittenberg University. During college, Sarah was active in the Wittenberg University Dance Company, both performing and choreographing. She also participated in the OhioDance and American College Dance Festivals. Prior to college, Sarah studied dance in the pre-professional program at the University of Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music. She also choreographed and performed leading roles in several musical theatre productions, including Damn Yankees, and Carousel with Lakota High School and Dead Serious About Life with Mishpachah, a Christian musical theatre company.

After graduating from Wittenberg, Sarah began teaching for Mason Dance Center. In 2003, Sarah relocated to Ann Arbor, where she performed with Fueled & Aflame – a contemporary Christian dance company – and studied at CAS Ballet Theatre School and The Community School of Ballet. She also taught regular and master classes for Arts in Motion, Dance Arts of Chelsea, Dexter School of Dance, Fueled & Aflame Dance Company, and Youth Dance Theatre of Michigan. Sarah has attended and performed at the Ad Deum Summer Dance Intensive in Houston, at Project Dance in New York City, at the Christian Dance Network Annual Concert in Ann Arbor, and the State of Grace Dance Company workshop in northern Indiana.

After returning to Cincinnati, Sarah formed Guidance Dance Company, rejoined the teaching staff at Mason Dance Center, and began teaching at Freedom Dance & Arts Center. Her students have performed locally, regionally and nationally traveling to cities such as New York City, Houston, Louisville, and Atlanta. Sarah’s choreography has won numerous Platinum and Gold awards at regional and national dance competitions.