Tori Inboden has always known she would be a dancer.
From the time she began dancing at the age of 2 in her mother's studio, James Dance and Performing Arts Center at 4030 North River Road N.E., Inboden has worked toward her goal of becoming a professional dancer.
A 2009 graduate of Howland High School, Inboden moved to New York City immediately after graduation to attend the Ailey Professional and Performing Arts School. After completing one year of a three-year scholarship program, Inboden decided she wanted to start performing.
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Special to Howland Community News
Tori Inboden, 2009 graduate of Howland High School and daughter of Linda James and Andy Inboden, performs at Disney World in Orlando, Fla., in “Beauty and the Beast.” Inboden has been studying at James Dance and Performing Arts Center in Howland since she was 2 and has always known she wanted to pursue a career in dance.
''I started auditioning and after two auditions, I was hired by Disney,'' Inboden said.
Now working full time for Disney, Inboden performs five shows a day, five days a week at Disney World in Orlando, Fla. She is part of an ensemble cast of dancers. She also is a member of Equity, a trade union for the performing arts.
Inboden, who has been competing in dance since the age of 6, has larger goals in mind for her dance career.
''My ultimate goal is to be on Broadway,'' she said.
''She's been dancing ever since she could walk,'' said Linda James, Tori's mother and owner of the Howland studio. ''It is very hard to get into Equity,'' James said. ''Not all shows are Equity shows.''
Inboden also hopes someday to teach dance, a profession that comes natural to her since her mother and grandmother also are teachers.
''My grandmother, Carol James, started her studio almost 50 years ago,'' Inboden said.