Mary Bourne Butts

Mary Bourne Butts is proud to be part of the Eastern Shore Dance Academy family and to share her love of dance with the next generation. She teaches ballet and pointe for 1st–12th grade, along with one Pre-Ballet class and one Baby Ballerina class. Mary Bourne has been dancing for 28 years, spending most of that time right here at ESDA. Ballet is her favorite style to teach and perform, and she also loves choreographing lyrical and jazz pieces.

What Mary Bourne enjoys most about teaching is the students—pouring back into her community, staying creative, and getting to move every day. She especially loves creating dances and bringing ballet productions to life. Her hope is that every dancer leaves class having learned something new each week, whether it’s a technical skill or a life lesson. Mary Bourne’s mission is to help students become poised, confident, and proud of who they are.

Families describe her teaching style as joyful, energetic, approachable, and encouraging. She’s passionate about ballet technique and loves teaching the history behind ballet, including the meanings and translations of ballet terms.

Outside the studio, Mary Bourne enjoys spending time with her husband and two daughters (ages 4 and 6), traveling when possible, and keeping up with reality TV. Fun fact: ESDA is truly the reason she lives and loves to dance—she began dancing at ESDA in 1998, and later graduated from the University of Alabama in 2014 with a degree in Dance and Business Management.