Life of Dance for Demarinis

Pixie Higgins

Many people know Ms. Demarinis as their math teacher, whether it be statistics, algebra, or pre-calc. Though she spends most of her time teaching, beyond the numbers Ms. Demarinis is a long-time dancer.  

She began dancing between the ages of 6 and 7 and has stuck with it all this time. “When I started, it was just ballet and jazz,” says Demarinis. “As my parents realized it was something I really wanted to do, I got into everything but tap.” 

Her parents showed their support as she continued to dance. “My dad was at every recital no matter how many hours, snow, rain, sleet, they were always there,” she says.  

As she went through her education, she attended Gonzaga University and was a member of their dance team for 4 years.  

“I went to Gonzaga because I always wanted to keep dance in my life,” Demarinis says. Studying dance in college was not in the cards, but Demarinis walked away with a minor in it. “Gonzaga had a perfect balance of me being able to get my teaching degree and keep dance in my life at the same time.” 

Gonzaga provided Demarinis with both the opportunity to dance, as well as making connections. “Pretty much all my friends in college were in the dance program or on the dance team with me,” she said. They traveled along with the basketball team to perform at half-time during games. 

After graduating from college, Demarinis’ life was a bit different. She currently teaches a weekly dance class to both middle and high school students. “I pull a lot of my training from Gonzaga into my teaching, plus my dance experience,” she said. The class performs at recitals with exciting themes such as Willy Wonka.  

Not only is Demarinis a math and dance teacher, but she is also a mom. With a new child, dance has gotten a bit more complicated. “There’s this new mom guilt I never thought of,” remarks Demarinis.   

The balance between a new child, teaching, and dance has been hard but rewarding for Demarinis. “[Teaching dance] has definitely made me more organized and good with my time management, it’s also made me more confident,” she says. 

As someone who has danced for nearly her entire life, Demarinis hopes her daughter will one day follow in her footsteps. “I just need to have that moment of seeing her on the stage in a little tutu,” she says. 

Dance has changed the course of Demarinis’ life and has shaped her into the person she is today. She says, “I think everybody just needs that outlet in their life, whether it’s sports or music or reading, dance has just always been that outlet for me.”