For nearly all her life, Jeni Giedd has engaged in the art of dance, whether on the stage herself or watching from the wings as her pupils mastered the necessary steps.

This year marks a big change for her, and though it’s a bittersweet one, it’s one that also lets her know she’s done her job well.

Craig studio Just Dance began its new season of instruction this week, which comes with two big changes. The larger change is that, for the first time in 17 years, Giedd is no longer the head of the program.

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Giedd handed over the studio to Jamie Ferree earlier this year.

Ferree is a former Just Dance student, though the 25-year-old has taken on teaching duties off and on for the past decade. When Giedd first approached her about the leadership change, she was a bit overwhelmed.

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“I said, ‘That’s a really big thing, let me think about it,'” Ferree said. “I finally decided over spring break that I wanted to do it, and the summer has been a long process of getting it handed over, but it’s going to be really fun.”

Giedd’s system has long been structured so that older students strengthen their own learning by overseeing younger dancers. In that vein, several former students will be helping with instruction as the studio changes.

“When I started, I wanted kids to be able to run a class and be able to choreograph a dance and do all that,” Giedd said. “People don’t like change, but I knew I had made the right choice with Jamie.”

Ferree said when she first tried dancing nearly 15 years ago, she quit multiple times because of stage fright but finally found the confidence to stick with it.

“I’m glad I can keep Just Dance at my core,” she said.

The other change is in the studio location. Giedd has set up shop in several locations since she began teaching, including Trapper Fitness, Centennial Mall and downtown.

Her studio along Victory Way on the east side of town was more space than needed, so she and Ferree moved the spot to the Chaos Ink building at 80 E. Fourth St.

Among the offerings are jazz, ballet, lyrical and contemporary and acrobatics, the latter of which Giedd will continue to instruct, both because she still has certification in the discipline and because she refuses to step away from the art entirely.

“I can’t just cold turkey quit. This has been my identity since I moved back to town in 2006,” she said.

Ferree is relieved that while she will be in charge, the woman who started it all will still be part of the business.

“I’m glad she can still be involved but also have less on her shoulders so that she can focus on her own family and her own life,” Ferree said. “I can’t even fathom how she was able to do so much when she had so much going on.”

Giedd currently teaches at Ridgeview Elementary School and is a ‘boy mom’ to three active kids.

“I think I’ve entered ‘sport mom’ mode now,” she said.

As someone who kept an active schedule as a kid in Craig — between dance classes that took her outside of Craig and multiple high school sports — Giedd said she knew she’d have to make a choice as a parent to devote more time to being a spectator and chauffeur now that her sons are older and busier.

“We run from sunup to sundown with that,” she said, “Now I can sit at games and have some peace of mind. I have one life with my kids, and it goes by so fast. So, it was time. My kids know the sacrifices I’ve made for them, so it’s nice to see them say, ‘thanks, Mom.'”

Just Dance has nearly 70 students this fall, and with the shifts in leadership and location, Ferree said she’s prioritizing keeping things running smoothly.

“It’s a big transition, and even though I’ve been part of this a long time, I haven’t been the face of it, so I’m just making sure we’re getting back to where we were before when it first started,” she said.

In addition to hopefully reviving adult dance sessions, Ferree is already planning elements of the spring recital.

“I’d like to do a memory lane thing, where we bring back old songs we’ve used in years past and pay homage to Just Dance and what it’s always been,” she said.

As someone who’s taught for the better part of two decades, Giedd said it’s enjoyable to observe young dancers through the years and also see them grow up and maintain a connection.

“I’ve watched them go from little 3-year-olds to being married adults,” she said. “I’ve thrown their baby showers, been to their weddings — it’s like we’re family. You get to watch them grow, and it’s not like a schoolteacher where you just move them on to the next grade. You see them a long time.”

Giedd added that one of the hardest parts of transferring her business was stepping back after so long to a new role, though she knew Craig families would understand.

“It’s been an honor — this community has embraced me fully, they always have,” she said.