Madison ONeill

Dance teacher Mrs. Christina Hofstetter shows off her letterman jacket that she earned for dancing from her student years at Ayala. Her positive attitude is infectious and is one of the many reasons why she is so likable upon her dancers. “No matter what happens, she’s always smiling,” advanced dancer Xiaoxuan Huang (10) said. “So it doesn’t make us feel bad. She’s very caring and very kind. “

Leaping. Soaring. Dancing. These are the first things that you are going to see the Ayala Dance Production (ADP) students doing once you walk into the welcoming classroom of dance teacher Mrs. Christina Hofstetter.

Mrs. Hofstetter is loved by all of her dance students. Through her positive attitude and kind personality, she helps create a welcoming environment for all of her dancers, new or experienced so they know that they can truly be themselves. 

“She has a really friendly personality and she also really has that energy to get going,” intermediate dancer Evelyn Sy (10) said. “She also has a fun side.” 

Mrs. Hofstetter was formerly a student of Ayala where she was involved with many extracurriculars within dance. When she was a freshman and sophomore, she was the captain of junior varsity (JV) song. In junior year, she moved up to varsity song, and when she was a senior, she became unity leader. Along with all of this, she was a member of the Students Against Drunk Driving (S.A.D.D) program; because of this, she felt like she was part of a community that she loved so dearly, which is one of the main reasons why she came back to teach at Ayala. 

“I decided to come back—and this might sound silly, but it felt like home. To me, it just felt comfortable,” Hofstetter said. “I felt like I knew the community and I wanted to be a part of [it] more.” 

Mrs. Hofstetter’s mom is her biggest inspiration, as she was the teacher who started the Ayala Dance Production program. Mrs. Hofstetter followed in the footsteps of her mom, showing her passion for teaching at a very young age at her dance studio when she was only 16 years old. To gain more teaching experience, Mrs. Hofstetter taught physical education in college. 

Mrs. Hofstetter guides the dancers to practice over and over until they get their routines right. Even though she does this, her dancers don’t see her as the mean teacher that they would be scared of, as she talks to them with a calm but strong voice, making her vision come to life in the best way possible. 

“She would do a lot of practice, and she’s not harsh but she’ll tell you what you need to fix,” advanced dancer Xiaoxuan Huang (10) said. “She likes to work on it [and] spend a lot of time doing techniques making sure you understand.” 

Mrs. Hofstetter is a great example for all of her dancers, intermediate and advanced alike. Her passion and dedication to the art of dancing is clearly shown through her dancers and their carefully choreographed pieces. Her caring and positive attitude creates a welcoming and safe environment for all dancers no matter the skill level. She hopes to inspire all of her dancers to love the art of dance and to be passionate about it as well. 

“I hope that I give them inspiration to continue dancing and not be afraid of dancing,” Hofstetter said. “I hope that they find … that when they look back at the dance program and [they] think of it as a safe space, a place that they could truly be themselves.”