It wasn’t until I danced at my first rave at the age of 16 that the spirit of dance fully took hold of me. HOW MUCH FUN IS THIS!?!? I felt like I discovered something so new to me. Dancing hard and with abandon felt amazing!

After that, I attended dance classes in high school. Moving my body felt good not just in dance class but through sports, too ~ Rugby was my favorite. I also practiced meditation and got my first taste at teaching meditation in Grade 11 to my peers.

After graduation I followed my then boyfriend to Alberta. I was hungry to start my new life with good habits and looked for movement opportunities in the area. I found “Nia Dance” almost immediately at a local fair performance. The crowd was encouraged to join the “flash-mop-style performance” and I was the only human to join the fun.

When I attended my first actual Nia class, instructed by Lise Schulze, I was sobbing by the end of it with a feeling I can only describe as a deep “Yes” inside of me. It was clear,
“I am supposed to be doing this”. The course of my life changed.

Lise and my relationship grew into a deep sisterhood. She was my mentor and role model. It was the first time I felt “understood and seen” by someone outside of my own family. 

Nia guides us to love ourselves in our movement. To sense Joy in our dance. To reach for pleasure, not pain. It changed and formed the way I look at the world, movement, and dance. I feel blessed to have found such a positive dance form so early in my life because I received the gift of freedom in my dancing pretty much right away. I learned to make moving “feel good”. To roll on the floor, to cry, to laugh, and to be with my feelings.

I graduated with the Nia White Belt a few short months after so I could teach this magical experience to others.

When the relationship with said boyfriend ended, I moved back home to the Kootenays and began teaching Nia right away. Some classes were empty, others were glorious and well attended. The ups and downs to get classes filled can be lonely, discouraging, and oh-so-impactful in growth and building confidence.

Facilitating a safe space where people could feel their emotions, emote their feelings, and work through challenges with self love, gentleness, and understanding felt fulfilling to me. Something happens when I teach, where it feels as though a wiser energy is speaking through me, taking the lead.

At the age of 19, I met Peter at a Blues Dance class. This was the first time I attended a  Partner Dance Class, recommended by my friend Eva. This day would change the course of my life once again. Peter, like Lise, was the next “guide post” in the path of my life, exclaiming enthusiastically “Krissi, this way!!”
I’m so glad I followed. 

We would meet multiple days per week to dance with each other. He taught me “how to follow”;
“Don’t anticipate, wait until you feel the lead”. Great life advice if you ask me.

Peter at the time was 65. We formed a close friendship and mentorship relationship, and he took on a father role for me throughout the years. 

Partner dance became a direct path to connection for me. I was totally hooked! Creating a dance with another human, responding to split-second decisions made by the leader, and filling the dance with beauty and grace as a follower spoke to me on all levels. Thankfully, with my background in “dancing for pleasure” and Peter’s approach to teach partner dance with the basis on “connection” not “steps”, I was able to feel a sense of freedom inside partner dance pretty much right away, once I understood the basics of Lead & Follow and learnt how to hold my frame consistently (the tension in your muscle tone that creates connection/communication between dance partners).

Because I was obsessed once again, I wanted to get as much exposure as possible and started teaching as Peter’s assistant in his dance classes.

We’ve been hosting regular classes and social dances on and off over 11 years.

I dipped my curious dancing feet in East Coast Swing, Blues, Fusion, West Coast Swing, Zouk, Country 2 Step, Waltz, Bachata, Cha Cha, Salsa, Tango, and Kizomba.
I traveled from Nelson’s “little town vibes” to Vancouver, Kelowna, Seattle, Portland, and Calgary to get education, exposure, and dancing bliss. I started organizing my own workshops and hosting out-of-town instructors in Nelson. 

And now we’re here… me writing this piece, inspired to bring the Joy of Dance to more people who feel they are looking for more. More connection, more self-love, acceptance, healing, community, and more pleasure, yes, PLEASURE!

My hope is that my offerings help you sink into the beautiful gift that is your body to help reveal, heal, and transcend your traumas. To find safety, comfort, and support there. 

My hope is to model and teach that embracing your life with open arms, loving what arises, and always re-connecting to your true feelings in any given moment, brings freedom and peace.

When you fill any space with your brightness, your gifts, and your willingness to connect with others, and by simply being yourself, you make a positive impact in the world around you.

Thank you for caring to read this.

Love and warmth, 

-Krissi