When I moved to Vancouver in January 2016, the first thing I did was sign up for salsa classes with Nina. I had been wanting to learn partner dancing for many years, but hadn’t the opportunity. Besides, I was new to the city and I wanted to find ways to meet people. My first 6-8 months were excruciating because I struggled with negative self-talk and self-judgement. The nasty noise in my head totally hijacked my ability to learn and have fun. It was SO MUCH easier to learn and have fun once I let go of the judgement.
I still consider myself to be a slow learner when it comes to dance, and this contributes to my HUGE passion for helping people find their way to connect with the joy of dancing. Along with learning from the master (Nina), my strength as a teacher is my compassion for your learning journey. You will often hear me tell new students: “All you need is patience, persistence, and a good sense of humour.”
Dancing and teaching dance is my favourite pastime and hobby. During the day, I develop software for companies that are doing good in the world. I have formal education in psychology, life coaching, yoga, appreciative inquiry facilitation, and an obscure form of bodywork (the Trager Approach). I also enjoy doing a variety of things to keep active: trail running, hiking, cycling, resistance training and camping.
