Maryen Lorrain Miller, the lady who started it all, was born on August 6, 1927 to Terrance & Marion McKay in Greenfield, PA. She graduated from St. Rosalia's Catholic School where Martha Davies opened the doors to dance. At 18, she relocated to Florida ~ Swing and sway with Maryen McKay. Miss Maryen owned and operated several successful studios in the Miami Beach area for twenty years. This lovely lady inspired imagination and shared her passion for the performing arts with hundreds of children. She lived a glamorous life before returning to Pittsburgh to marry her childhood friend, George L. (Salty) Miller. Her business continued to grow with dancing schools in Penn Hills, Squirrel Hill, Forest Hills, Eastmont, and Plum Boro. Her lessons reached thousands of children in the suburban areas of Pittsburgh. Happiness is not something you find, it's something you create. Maryen Lorrain Miller is not just an educator, but also an institution. She taught children to love to dance. With a generous heart, she gave away immeasurable lessons and countless costumes. All who took Mrs. Miller's classes remember her fondly, with love and admiration. Many of her students became successful professional performers or went on to open dance schools of their own, however the one she never pushed into the spotlight emerged the most well known ~ her own daughter, Abby Lee Miller.

Mrs. Miller was a life member of Dance Masters of America, and Past-President of Dance Masters of PA, Chpt #10.

Maryen passed away from a long duet with cancer on February 8, 2014. An only child herself, she is survived by her dear friends who have been with her for years through thick and thin, in the beginning and now at the end. In addition, the MacDonald, McKay, and Miller Families along with her only child, Abby Lee Miller.