Claire Russell is a New Jersey native who began dancing at a young age at a local studio in Long Valley, NJ, where she trained in jazz, contemporary, modern, hip hop, and ballet for 15 years. She continued her dance education at James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia, earning her B.A. in Dance in 2022.

During her time at JMU, Claire worked closely with faculty and peers as the Student Technical Director, where she collaborated on productions, learned lighting design, and gained hands-on experience preparing and running dance performances. She also had the privilege of performing in works by renowned guest artists and companies including A.I.M. by Kyle Abraham, Ballet Hispánico, Omar Román de Jesús, Xiang Xu, and Ricky Ruiz, as well as faculty choreographers Rubén Graciani, Matthew Pardo, Cynthia Thompson, Susan Miller, and Ryan Corriston.

After graduating, Claire continued both teaching and performing while exploring new forms of movement—most recently developing a love for line dancing. She strives to inspire her students to embrace creativity, take risks, and find joy in movement. Claire views dance as a powerful outlet for emotional expression and personal growth, and her goal as a teacher is to help each student discover their own unique process—both in the studio and on stage.