The Study of Dance students walked into a surprise last week. Instead of sitting by their regular desks and learning about various ancient types of dancing, the class listened to guest speaker Eva Fredrickson.

Costume designer and wardrobe stylist for many prominent shows, Fredrickson visited Karl Kuehn’s Study of Dance class for the second time and additionally met with dance teacher Amalia De La Rosa’s choreography class.

Fredrickson, who has worked on How I Met Your Mother, Private Practice, America’s Best Dance Crew, Criminal Minds, and Wizards of Waverly Place, shared her experiences in the costume and wardrobe designing industry with the students. She revealed some of the tricks she uses to make costumes visually appealing yet effective.

“I liked that she was a professional in the industry and could come and talk to us. She really inspired me,” Study of Dance student Arthur Ye (9) said.

Fredrickson also shared her new passion that she has developed over the course of the year. Having worked on America’s Best Dance Crew, she has created shoes for the dancers and felt a connection with the work.

“What I love most about painting shoes is that I am creating wearable artwork,” she said in an email response. “Art that you stand back and look at can make you feel something, but art that you wear on your body can make you feel something about yourself and for me, that’s even more powerful.”

According to Fredrickson, ever since posting pictures of her work on social media, people all over the nation have reached out to her, and she has even become a part of a group of custom shoe stylists. Fredrickson now has her own company called 2-Step Custom where she makes shoes while adding her own personal flair and style. She hopes that her company will attain new heights of success.

“Never before have creative artists had so many different ways to get their work out there,” she said. “I encourage anyone who has a talent they’d like to share to take advantage of social media. It was a game changer for me and with all the talent that’s out there, I think everyone should be posting, tweeting, tagging their work.”

Many students of both classes enjoyed hearing Fredrickson talk about something they can relate to.

“I thought it was really interesting how she could design shoes and paint on the shoes to make it her own instead of customizing them online, and that kind of artwork you cannot find online,” Study of Dance student Emma Doherty (9) said.

Fredrickson ended the presentation by giving a pair of customized shoes that she made herself to Kuehn, her close and longtime friend.