Studios Notes

Singing, Dancing & Acting. Performance Triple Threat.

Free to Be Me was founded on a dream that educators can meet each student exactly where they are and breathe courage into them as performers while infusing them with self-confidence, self-respect, self-compassion, self-discipline, and lots and lots of self-love.

Letter from Our Founder

My name is Vanessa Knowles and I am the Executive Director here at Free to Be Me Studio and the Director of Dynamix Competition Team. I am a mother of two fantastic kids, Hailey (15) and Caleb (13). Free to Be Me is a dream I have had my entire life, I just never knew I would realize that dream in this specific way, and I couldn’t be happier. When I was a kid, I knew I wanted to work with kids. In college, I refined that dream as I became passionate about helping kids and youth, by supporting them as they became the very best version of themselves. My educational background is primarily a BA in Psychology with an emphasis on children and family, along with a BA in Sociology with an emphasis in Social Work. I also have a child development certificate and years of experience working with

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After School Programs

We love our after school programs !
Today with our TK and kindergarten kids we were talking about confidence, posture, and stage etiquette (it’s never too early).

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The real scoop behind our name.

What’s in a name? I often get asked how we got our name “Free to Be Me.” The story is one that I hold close to my heart. Several years ago, while working for another company, I directed and produced a variety show. While brainstorming with our students about a theme for the show, it became apparent that the kids were passionate about celebrating individuality. That show had a variety of acts, including songs, dances, and slam poetry. That Slam Poetry was something I wrote and had some students perform, and it became a hit. The students loved it, the parents loved how much the students connected to it, and so “Free to Be Me” became a phrase I felt kids could relate to and embodied what I was trying to inspire through my teaching, which was self-love and acceptance. Fast forward to a few years later, I knew I

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Dynamix Team USA 2022 World Champions!

In my 25 years in the business, I had never heard of the World Championships of Performing Arts until one night; I searched the internet for “Elite Talent Competitions.” So many competitions resulted from that search, but I was looking for something for kids that could offer an experience that would help challenge them and push them through to the next level. When I found the World Championships of Performing Arts (WCOPA), I was shocked that I had never heard of this competition before. It had everything I was looking for; singing, dancing, acting, modeling, and a HUGE variety of other art forms and workshops. To top the competitors would be working with some big names and industry professionals. It all seemed too good to be true, so I watched some YouTube videos and saw several finale showcases from previous years. I was impressed by the production value of the

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