About
We are a center for movement for everybody and every body!
Grace Center for Movement offers a broad spectrum of dance training at all levels for both Children and adults, including Ballet, Pointe, Jazz, Tap, Hip Hop, Contemporary, Acrobatics, and Men's. We also invite all abilities and experience levels to discover the joy of movement in a collaborative inclusive environment, in our Creating Space program, where all can explore new ways to find expression through creative choreography and teamwork.
Mission
Grace Center For Movement is dedicated to providing a nurturing and inclusive environment where individuals of all ages and abilities can experience dance and movement in a way that develops empathy, connection, leadership, and joy.
We believe in fostering creativity while delivering strong technical training across various genres, honoring each student's unique learning style and individual expression. Grace Center seeks to serve our community through our art, sharing meaningful stories through dance that delight, inspire, and unite.
Vision
Grace Center For Movement believes in the transformative power of dance to break down barriers, foster community, and empower individuals to develop and trust their unique voice and path. We are dedicated to expanding access to dance as a powerful form of expression and healing, and to providing the fertile learning environment that will nurture a new generation of teachers and artists. Together, we will dance not only to perform, but to inspire, heal, and uplift—transforming lives and cultivating a legacy of creativity, compassion, and community."
Meet the Team
Meet the engaged and caring team who inspire our dancers to explore, take risks, and find joy in movement
Jennifer Bement
Artistic Director, Studio Owner; Instructor & Choreographer for Ballet, Pointe, Contemporary, Modern, Yoga, Jazz, Pre-dance, & Creating Space
Jennifer has been a dancer and a dance educator for more than 25 years. She has a passion for creating space for all people to experience joy and freedom of expression through movement. She utilizes the art of storytelling in her classrooms to facilitate a unique learning environment where each person is encouraged to grow at their own pace. She enjoys incorporating a variety of movement modalities to enhance the development of life skills, including leadership qualities, team building, perseverance, collaboration, and in finding and sharing one's voice.
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In July of 2023, Jennifer took over for Linda Camire as owner of Camire School of Dance. She had previously been teaching Ballet, Pointe, & Contemporary at Camires as well as teaching dance and yoga for other local studios and community groups, While working during the day as a preschool teacher, Ed Tech & BHP in specialized schooling for preschool and Kindergarten. During that period, she focused on gaining a better understanding of how to utilize movement as a form of communication with a diverse group of learners. She explored similarities as opposed to differences, and sought uniquenesses that could bring people together and researched how that might translate into a dance or yoga classroom.
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Upon taking over the studio, she has spent the year getting to know the needs of her new community & clientele through teaching. In January 2024 the name of the studio changed from Camire School of Dance to Grace Center For Movement LLC.
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For 12 years prior, Jennifer ran a successful studio of approximately 200 students. During this time she was able to collaborate with other Maine dance studios and artists by producing a yearly scholarship showcase that benefited the continuing education of dancers. The showcase provided an opportunity to bring dancers together, to share art and to collaborate with musicians, visual artists, and each other. Its mission was to break down barriers that divide and to demonstrate that dance can be a lifelong ally and outlet. In addition to the scholarship showcase, Jen also produced yearly recitals and an annual children's nutcracker.
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Over the last six years Jennifer has focused her growth and efforts in the realm of embodied movement and in celebrating neurodiversity, adaptive movement, and providing trauma informed classrooms. As a BHP & 200 R-Yoga instructor she has developed a program called Creating Space. Collaborating with occupational therapists, speech therapists, and physical therapists to develop a curriculum, Creating Space strives to meet the needs of a wide range of learners and movers in an inclusive environment, right where they are, in the present moment.
Jennifer is currently training in the Danceability method and has a goal of achieving a 500 hour Yoga Teacher Certification. She has been fortunate to train with gifted dancers, choreographers
and creators across Maine, Massachusetts, New York, & Michigan. She holds gratitude for every classroom that she has learned in and believes that each has informed the educator and creator that she is today. Jennifer is a lifelong learner & still seizes the opportunity to dance every chance she gets.
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Jen firmly believes that everyone has a right to experience joy through the art of movement. She believes that dance and movement are powerful vessels to understanding our own unique stories. She believes dance has the ability to break down barriers that divide. She is honored to have the opportunity to facilitate and hold space for the process of individual growth through dance, in a positive, joyful, and uplifting manner in her classrooms and workshops.
