Unhinge Dance started, to some degree, by accident.  I, myself, being a lover of dance but also an adult with bills and responsibilities, found myself with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Contemporary Dance, working full-time in an administrative role in healthcare.  I missed teaching and being in class, as did many of my friends who had also grown up in the studio, so on a whim, I looked for studio space that we could rent for a casual, weekly class.  I quickly found that there were more adults looking to take dance classes than just my friends, acquaintances and a smattering of coworkers, and the rest is (a fairly short) history!  For the time being, I am still working full-time in a relatively unrelated field, but having a regular dose of dancing and teaching in my life has been a welcomed addition.

Having travelled to countries and cultures where dance is integral to their everyday life, it has been made clear to me that dance is not reserved only for the young, lithe and limber.  My “formal” dance training has been put to shame on more than one occasion by Grandmothers and four year olds alike.  The vibrancy, sense of sharing, community, fun and play that exudes from their dancing turned my concept of dance training upside-down and deeply impacted my approach to teaching.

What you will quickly learn about me is that I have high expectations, but approach dance training in a very lighthearted and fun way.  I have trained in many different contexts with a variety of different teachers (and therefore perspectives) on what dance training should look like.  After all those experiences, I have found that although I strive to challenge and inspire anyone I have the opportunity to work with, at the end of the day, I believe dancing should be fun.

My personal “BHAG” (Big Hairy Audacious Goal) with this project is simply to do whatever I can to provide anyone that wants it, an opportunity to participate in dance training.  I mean it when I say I don’t care if you have two left feet, you’ve never done it before, you think you’re too old, too out of shape, too anything.  If you want to take a dance class, and you’re willing to commit some time, effort and trust, I will do everything in my power to help you achieve what you’re after.  

As small as Unhinge Dance currently is, I believe that even the tiniest of waves can make great impacts, and the result of putting forth genuine efforts to create good things – is more good things.  Each and every person who has set foot in an Unhinge Dance Class has directly contributed to my ability to continue to pursue and share my passion, as will all of those that join me in the future, and for that, I am forever grateful.  

I don’t know what the future looks like, but at this point, I can only hope it will consist of many more days of us growing, sharing, learning, laughing, and most importantly – dancing together.  

-Joanna