Marie Toste Barlow grew up in the town of Riverdale where she started training in gymnastics at an early age with hopes of becoming the next Nadia Comaneci. A few years later a friend asked her to tag along to the new dance studio in town to try a class.  After one class she was hooked. Dance became her passion. She jumped into all styles of dance training four days a week in jazz, ballet, lyrical and tap. She was awarded several scholarships to some of the nation’s famed dance schools like Dupree Dance Academy in Hollywood and the Gus Giordano School in Evansville, Illinois. Every summer she would attend dance camps in Ojai and LA to learn technique from the best instructors in the dance world like Doug Caldwell, Joe Tremaine and Rhonda Miller. It was then she was determined to be a dance instructor and hopefully have a studio of her own one day.  Twenty years ago she followed her lifelong dream to open her own studio to share the passion of dance with others. Dancers Edge was created July 1, 1996.

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Marie has always believed in the quality of a good education. Marie earned her BA in Liberal studies from California State University, Fresno. At Fresno State she was a member of the Phi Mu sorority. She choreographed many air guitar routines for Vintage Days. Her sorority helped raise money for Children’s Hospital in Fresno by selling Kids Day newspapers and hosting soccer tournaments between the fraternity houses.

 

The early years of Dancers Edge were busy ones for Marie. Between her and Tyler, they taught all the classes at the studio even hip hop. With hard work, love and dedication, they built their program from the ground up. The studio has been awarded numerous choreography awards at various regional and national competitions. They were listed by the FDC as one of the “Top 10” studios in the nation.  Dancers Edge has won multiple Victory Cups at Starpower Nationals. One of the highlights of Marie's career is her studio winning multiple Industry Dance Awards.

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Many of her students have pursued dance for a professional career.  Her students have appeared in movies, tv shows, on Broadway, and in Vegas Shows. They have danced at Tokyo Disney, Disneyland and Disney's California Adventure.  Many of her students have become cheerleaders at the collegiate level and some have even gone on to become NFL cheerleaders. Some students have become backup dancers for recording artists and had the opportunity to travel the world. Many former students are accomplished teachers and choreographers who have been recognized for their work all over the United States. 

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Marie resides in Hanford with her husband Eric and has two sons, Zack and Dylan. Marie has a passion for traveling to new places, hanging out on the beach and spending quality time with her family.