WINTER GARDEN, Fla. — A+ Teacher Shatonya Bryant grew up dancing, performed professionally over the years and then discovered another passion — teaching.

Shatonya Bryant, the dance teacher at Maxey Elementary School in Winter Garden, makes sure everyone gets to move to the beat.

"I know there are students that are uncomfortable doing this,” she says. “I know there may be students who are hesitant, so I want them to try and know you're not going to be made fun of or be judged for it."

Bryant says her class is a safe space.

She says her students learn a lot more than just dance techniques, too. Her students will tell you that they're learning trust and teamwork.

"The focus today was really on the things you need to do in order to be successful when you're working with different people and different groups," Bryant says.

Those are lessons Bryant has spent a lifetime learning, too.

"I started dancing when I was 5 years old,” she says. “It felt very natural for me. I loved the performing aspect of it. I've been in competition dance. I've also done concert dance. I went to a ballet school."

She's had a front-row seat to seeing the confidence students gain from dance, especially when it’s in front of an audience.

"When they perform, they're like, 'That was so much fun, and it wasn't as bad as I thought’,” Bryant says.

"I know that dance reaches kids in different ways, even sometimes better than academics."