“Creative dance awakens the body,
the brain, and the heart."
"Through dance, children learn to trust their ideas, celebrate their bodies, and share their voices." -Anne Green Gilbert
Our Story
Where Dance Meets
Joy and Creativity
Mapleton Dance Center, owned by Amy Markgraf, was inspired by the holistic approach of her many teachers, mentors, and colleagues, inclcuding Christine Ollerton, Kathie Debenham, Mary Anne Lee, Donna Gordon, and Anne Green Gilbert.
MDC’s classes are designed around the Creative Dance process and Brain-Based Compatible Education, integrating movement with cognitive, social, and emotional growth. These methods focus on engaging the whole child, promoting creativity, critical thinking, personal responsibility, choice, and self-expression.
Incorporating Gilbert's (Bartineiff) BrainDance patterns and Virginia Tanner's emphasis on joy and artistry in movement, MDC fosters an environment where students build strong technical skills and creativity. This holistic approach ensures that dancers grow as performers, creators, and resilient and thoughtful individuals.
Meet Our Founder
Amy Markgraf
Amy Markgraf (MFA, MA) is the founder of Mapleton Dance Center and a Professor of Dance at Utah Valley University.Her love for teaching, dancing, performing, and choreographing began in childhood while training in BYU’s Children’s and Teen’s Creative Dance Program under Christine Ollerton and Kathie Debenham. Mentored by many inspiring teachers and artists, Amy has now taught dance for over 30 years.
An award-winning choreographer and acclaimed educator, Amy has served on the faculties of the renowned Tanner Dance program and BYU’s Children’s Creative Dance Program. She is a graduate of Anne Green Gilbert’s Summer Institute Intensive for Teachers and holds a Pedagogy of Play certificate from Harvard Graduate School of Education. Amy regularly leads summer workshops and studio intensives, where she enjoys sharing the joy of dance and creating.
She earned dual degrees in Dance Education and Biology from Utah State University—where she was honored as Dance Talent of the Year and Outstanding Student Teacher—and later received a master’s degree from Brigham Young University and an MFA from the University of Utah. Amy has performed and taught for numerous organizations, served on the national board of daCi (dance and the Child international), and presented at state, national, and international conferences.
Her former students have been accepted to elite programs such as Juilliard and other prestigious university dance departments. Many now teach in Utah’s K–12 schools, direct dance studios across the country, or perform professionally on Broadway, with dance companies, and—sometimes—right in their own kitchens.
At UVU, Amy coordinates the Dance Education Program and teaches courses in dance pedagogy, modern/contemporary technique, kinesiology, composition, and conditioning. She is also trained in Stott Pilates Mat and Reformer, continually expanding her expertise to better serve her students and the broader dance community.