Our Mission

Our Story

Owners Danielle Forgione and Melissa Desantis met when their daughters were in pre-school together at the age of two. Danielle and Melissa both grew up outside of New York City and, having never met, both settled in Bel Air, Maryland to raise their young families. At the time Melissa had taken time away from her career to raise her three girls and Danielle was teaching dance. Their daughters started their first dance class together the following year and instantly fell in love with the stage.

Over the next several years, Rosalia and Tess grew stronger in their connection to dance through classes and competitions. In addition to loving dance, their group of dance friends quickly became their lifeline. The friends that shared their love of dance, could put a smile on their face after a long school day, showed love and acceptance, and pushed each other to excellence. They just always wanted to be together!  Alongside the girls, Melissa and Danielle’s friendship as mothers and dance moms grew deeper as well.

COVID hit in March 2020, putting a quick halt to all of the hard work these girls had put in for almost a year. Competitions, recitals, and all classes were just canceled. The costumes hung in their bags in the closets, reminders of all of the unfinished pieces, smiles, and stage time. Unfortunately, due to the pandemic, nobody was even sure that their studio existed anymore. Where would these girls dance? It had been six years and the thought of them not dancing together or not dancing at all was heartbreaking. It wasn’t just dancing to them. Dancing together was their joy, their escape, their life lessons. But what if there was no studio? What about their dance friends, all of the girls that Danielle had taught for years and mentored? What about the colleagues/dance teachers that Danielle had taught with for more than 14 years that were left unemployed? They had to have a dance home. Anything less was unfathomable.

Danielle’s life dream was to own her own studio. Melissa was looking to get back into her career as her girls were getting older. So during quarantine, they said “Let’s do it!  Let’s open a studio!”

What sounded like a dream turned into a leap of faith. . . and with a ton of blood, sweat and tears, Danielle and Melissa present to Harford County, Raise the Barre –  Studio of Dance. 

Raise the Barre is a studio born out of love, respect, and experience. The teachers are the best in the area and have strong educations and college degrees in dance. Raise the Barre is dedicated to providing a positive, nurturing and inclusive environment for students to learn the fundamentals of dance, improve mental and physical well- being, grow artistically and most importantly have fun. Raise the Barre has something for everyone. They offer classes to all ages including dance, yoga, fitness classes, barre and more! They also will be offering a competition track for students wishing to dance at a competitive level.

Don’t miss out on joining the area’s premiere new studio! Register now!