Justene Vaterlaus began dancing when she was 3 years old and has continued to this day. In her youth she actively sought out opportunities to explore various dance styles within her community. During the early stages of her dance career, she predominantly engaged in competitive jazz, kick line dancing, and contemporary dance.

Justene pursued her undergraduate studies at Brigham Young University-Idaho (BYU-I), majoring in Health Science and minoring in Dance, where she received formal training in modern, ballet, hip hop, world dances, tap, and social dance. She furthered her education by obtaining a Master of Arts Degree in Dance Education from New York University (NYU), specializing in Teaching Dance in the Professions. Justene has showcased her talent and dedication to dance through performances with BYU-Idaho's Contemporary Dance Team, traveling dance team, Dance Alliance, and Aspire Dance Company. Additionally, she demonstrated her choreographic skills by creating pieces for BYU-Idaho, Kinuko Modern Dance Company, and Aspire Dance Company, where she served as the director for three years.

In 2019, Justene established Explore Dance Company and became the director. Her responsibilities encompass a wide range of activities, including performing, teaching dance classes, mentoring dance educators, choreographing, organizing community events, producing dance films, and devising school programs for the company. Justene is an advocate for the value of all dance forms and endeavors to cultivate a culture of exploration and appreciation for dance in all her students.

Justene’s passions outside of dance are her four children and husband. Family has played a major role in encouraging and inspiring Justene to continue with her career in dance.