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Laying the Groundwork for Legacy

I’m sure I’m not alone when I say that since 2020 hit, my construct of time has been distorted into a brand new reality… one where each day, week, month, and year seems to blend together. Every year, I look forward to carving out time to reflect on the past year and write my review of our accomplishments; however, this year I’ve been dragging my feet, mostly because 2021 has felt more like the third book in a long series than a stand-alone novel.

2021 in Review

By Samantha Weissbach, DWC Owner & General Manager

To fully understand why 2021 was such a pivotal year in the DWC story, we have to go back in time for additional context. When my mom and I took over ownership of DWC in late 2018, my sole desire was to keep a longstanding resource for the community alive. Despite my passion, I knew we would be taking on a huge learning curve, not only in taking over a retail business (when the bulk of my business operations experience is in services) but also in maintaining and building on the level of fitting expertise previously provided at DWC.

As with most things in the dance world, there is no universal standard set in place for fitting pointe shoes, and when I took over DWC, a comprehensive curriculum for learning how to fit simply did not exist. Pointe shoes can bear up to 10-14 times your body weight, and incorrectly fitting or dead shoes can open dancers up to a litany of mild to severe injuries. Establishing an agreed-upon standard and methodology for fitting pointe shoes would not only provide a more concrete career path to becoming a pointe shoe fitter, but would more importantly give ballet dancers a champion in their efforts to dance longer, stronger, and safer. In our first 2 years of ownership, the staff and I sought out every possible resource we could find for fitting pointe shoes, but it simply wasn’t enough.

“Thank you for choosing to spend so much of your finite life energy with DWC - I truly could not and would not want to do this without each and every one of you by my side.”

We all know that 2020 was a year that will go down in every history book. It was a monumental event for humanity, and no business was left unaffected (whether it be positively or negatively). In the first couple of months of the shutdown, like most of us - I was left alone with myself and my thoughts. Even before the pandemic hit, my efforts to seek out higher-level education & mentorship were fruitless. It turns out it’s especially hard to find anyone willing (understandably so) to part with their trade secrets in a business as niche as pointe shoe fitting.

I was feeling dejected and hopeless and by May of 2020, like most businesses, I was seriously considering closing our doors for good. Our sales were in the toilet (we now have a good chuckle when we look at our April 2020 sales - a whopping $103.29 for the entire month), we were locked into our Fall ordering* of over $100k in product (a conservative order) that was likely not going to sell, and the SBA loans we did receive simply weren’t going to cover even our most base level operating costs.

*In most retail, inventory orders are done in bulk, on a seasonal basis, oftentimes months in advance. It isn’t unusual to purchase for September in February, April in November, etc.

For those who know me, you know that while I hold a deep reverence for people and their beliefs, I personally do not subscribe to a specific religion. I do, however, believe in energy. I believe matter cannot be created nor destroyed and I believe that humans, as a species, are incredibly limited in what we are capable of perceiving. Call it an ill-advised business strategy, but in 2020 I was looking for a clear sign from The Universe on whether or not I should keep going.

Enter ThePointeShop (TPS) and their release of The Progressive Pointe Method curriculum. I vividly remember the day Josephine announced she was opening applications for the fitter certification course and retail partnerships. My heart started racing, and I immediately started sweating profusely (I’m a sweater. Cute, I know.) I could feel it in my bones that this was the sign I had been waiting for, and this was the opportunity for the mentorship and training I so desperately had been seeking out. I told my mom the day we applied that if we weren’t accepted into the program and as retail partners, that would be my sign that it was time for DWC to close its doors.

Fast forward to today, January 20th, 2022 as I write to you from the plane taking me to San Diego to take my final test to become a TPS certified pointe shoe fitter. By now it’s no secret that we’ve not closed our doors, and that I’ve had the great honor of spending the last year in training with Josephine herself. I will forever be grateful to Josephine and her entire team for caring so deeply about progressing the dance industry that they made the unpopular decision to train fitters outside of their organization with the larger goal of elevating the craft of pointe shoe fitting on an international level. This seemingly small action had a ripple effect and gave us the sign we needed to press forward in a time when I had lost hope.

As I look back on 2021, I know it’s going to be a year that marks a huge milestone in the history of our business. We grew our small team of 4 into a team of 14, became members of DanseMedica and retail partners with ThePointeShop, traveled to Juneau, AK to fit pointe shoes, and of course - opened our 2nd location in Renton, WA. Our blog (headed by our amazing editor Madison Huizinga) has published a total of 76 posts, highlighting local artists and dance specialists, and subjects such as dancer mental health, injury risk prevention, and epilepsy awareness. We’ve also begun hosting regular networking events and educational seminars out of the event space in our Renton location, and of course, we provided multiple internal and external training opportunities for our staff.

None of this would have been possible without mentorship from ThePointeShop, the continued support of our customers (y'all are ‘the real MVPs’), my husband (aka the DWC dad: he fixes and builds everything - including the beautiful pointe shoe tree at our Renton location) and especially: the extraordinary members of my team at DWC. You all inspire me, keep me in line when I’ve gone off the deep end (it’s a more frequent occurrence than you might think - just ask Riley), and infuse the DWC mission and culture with such authentic passion and care. Thank you for choosing to spend so much of your finite life energy with DWC - I truly could not and would not want to do this without each and every one of you by my side.

While we have far from recovered from the financial loss of 2020, I am confident that we have laid the groundwork for a legacy of building community in the Seattle dance scene that will hopefully carry on long after I’m gone. There is still a great amount of uncertainty and unease in the air; however, I am certain of this: when a community rallies together, so much is possible. Here’s to all of us, 2022, and the joy and love still to come!

About Samantha

Breaking the Mold to Cement a Place for Oneself

Operating in an industry with rigidly defined expectations and boundaries can take a toll on a person, particularly during an impressionable period in one’s life like childhood. Local dancer and choreographer Robbi Moore opens up on defying the status quo in the dance industry and providing transparency to performers.

Robbi Moore on Defying the Status Quo

By Madison Huizinga, DWC Blog Editor

Operating in an industry with rigidly defined expectations and boundaries can take a toll on a person, particularly during an impressionable period in one’s life, like childhood. Local dancer and choreographer Robbi Moore opens up on defying the status quo in the dance industry and providing transparency to performers.

Growing up in Hamden, Connecticut, Robbi recalls watching their older brother act onstage and feeling inspired to begin dance classes themself. After learning of Robbi’s desire to perform on stage, their mom enrolled them in classes at New England Ballet, where Robbi trained for two years and performed in The Nutcracker as a mouse. Robbi took classes in Ballet, Jazz, and Tap before moving to Dee Dee’s Dance Center in New Haven, Connecticut. The main reason for Robbi switching studios was because the New England Ballet was predominantly white. “My mom wanted me to be around people that looked like me so I could [experience] the other side of the dance world,” Robbi says, as Dee Dee’s is a predominantly Black dance studio.

At Dee Dee’s, Robbi continued taking classes in Ballet, Jazz, and Tap and was also introduced to West African Dance, Gymnastics, and Hip Hop. By the time they hit 11 or 12, Robbi was certain they wanted to be a professional dancer. Desiring to increase their Ballet training, Robbi returned to New England Ballet and later New Haven Ballet in addition to training at Dee Dee’s to up the caliber.

Around 12, Robbi began attending summer intensives, mainly at Earl Mosley’s Institute of the Arts. Robbi witnessed many people they trained with go on to perform with prestigious companies like Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. Robbi attended EMIA’s summer intensive nearly every year, getting the opportunity to meet dancers training and choreographing in New York. A big perk of the intensive was Robbi getting the chance to perform on a weekly basis. “It was a very important experience for me to have,” they share.

Robbi graduated from the Ailey/Fordham BFA Program in 2015 and spent a year freelancing in New York, dancing with Amanda Selwyn Dance Theatre, The Steps Repertory Ensemble, and AATMA Performing Arts. A year after graduating, Robbi auditioned for Spectrum Dance Theater and moved to Seattle, WA to join the company as a paid apprentice.

Robbi shares that they learned so much from their fellow company members at Spectrum Dance Theater, as the dancers largely worked in collaboration with one another and Artistic Director Donald Byrd. Robbi became a full company member at Spectrum the following year and later left the company a year after that. They began freelancing in the Seattle area, working with Khambatta Dance Company, Coriolis Dance, Karin Stevens Dance, Whidbey Island Dance Theatre, Tacoma Urban Performing Arts Center, Kinesis Project Dance Theatre, and other part-time companies.

“Know who you are even if others do not understand you. Do not put anyone on a pedestal and always put your well-being first.”

— Robbi Moore

Robbi dabbled in various artistic mediums growing up, including piano, flute, choir, and theatre, but nothing stuck with them in the way dance did. Robbi has found satisfaction in the gratification that comes from physically experiencing the practice of dance. “I just liked moving my body more than sitting down,” Robbi says, sharing that musicality and rhythm have come naturally to them after participating in a choir as a child. Whereas singing in front of an audience can feel a bit scary to Robbi, dancing is a happy medium that’s vulnerable and visual, while still being an internal and self-fulfilling endeavor.

Robbi shares that growing up they experienced a lot of physical and social limitations in the sphere of dance. “It really ties into how people view your body and how your body gets viewed within the parameters of a certain genre of dance,” they say, as there are specific types of bodies and individuals that have been expected to be on display and excel within various genres. Being confronted with this type of challenge as a child, in particular, can greatly contribute to the formation of one’s identity.

“I went to a predominantly Black studio and that’s where I definitely learned about being Black,” Robbi says of identity and expectations. “That was very important, I’m very grateful for that, but it also came with a lot of baggage,” they say, sharing the challenge of having to conform to what a “masculine, Black man was supposed to dance like.”

Exploring self-image and gender identity within the sphere of dance has been a challenge for Robbi. “Gender norms are very binary, especially in dance. And it comes out in physicality as well,” they say, pointing to the expectations that are set for children of all genders regarding how to present themselves on stage. “If you’re a child and you’re discovering your identity and you are confronted with that, it can be very alienating,” Robbi says. Being alienated by an art form that you love can cause a lot of internal turmoil. “This thing that you love is being weaponized against you,” they voice.

Robbi says that dancing is not about becoming exactly like the people they look up to. “They look like them, and I look like me,” they say. “What makes people happy when they talk about their careers is that they can look back and say that they did what they wanted to do,” Robbi says, even if it means breaking the status quo without getting rewarded for it at the time. It’s satisfying to look back on one’s career and think nobody else could have done what I did or have the path that I had.

Robbi is excited to see more and more dancers openly identifying as genderqueer, non-binary, and trans, as a decade ago, that certainly wasn’t the case. “Ten years ago, you understood what your identity was, [but] had to understand the game you had to play in order to make it,” they say. “There’s change coming. There’s somebody that looks like you somewhere.” Robbi also believes that gender roles in dance should be more fluid for everyone and that needing to identify with any of the labels mentioned above should not be a requirement.

In the coming year, Robbi is preparing to perform with Khambatta Dance Company at the Seattle International Dance Festival Mini-Fest on March 4-5 and 11-12, 2022. The company is performing a piece choreographed by Artistic Director Cyrus Khambatta, another piece by Boston Dance Theater, and a piece by Mumbai-based choreographer Sumeet Nagdev. Robbi is also working with Kinesis Project, planning to have a gala in May 2022.

In addition, Robbi is teaching many dance classes and choreographing for Kaleidoscope Dance Company for their June recital and Noir Black Noir at the Tacoma Urban Performing Arts Center, an event featuring all Black composers and choreographers. Robbi has also signed up to take part in takePAUSE 2022, an adult performance opportunity at eXit SPACE. Robbi also got the opportunity to choreograph and film a piece called “Dryad” with Devin Muñoz for Men in Dance. In general, Robbi has enjoyed being able to stretch themself as a choreographer, particularly when it comes to choreographing for students.

Robbi believes that it’s important right now for dance organizations to have a clear intention behind what they’re offering to employees, dancers, and students and what their larger goals are. They share that it’s important for directors to be held accountable, particularly when it comes to providing dancers with contracts and allotting enough time for them to look them over and amend them if necessary. Considering that dancers are eager to get back to moving amid the pandemic, Robbi sees now as an opportunity for the Seattle dance scene to make expectations and processes more transparent and better for the community. During a time when many dancers are risking their health to do what they love and make a living, being able to give them peace of mind, in whatever capacity possible, is extremely significant.

For those interested, Robbi is teaching a Horton-based contemporary dance class on Saturdays at 10 AM at the Tacoma Urban Performing Arts Center, and a ballet class immediately after at 11:30 AM. “I would love to see you!” Robbi says.

In closing, Robbi’s biggest piece of advice for dancers is: “know who you are even if others do not understand you. Do not put anyone on a pedestal and always put your well-being first.”

Robbi's Instagram

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Providing Holistic and Evidence-Based Care

Preparing to dance safely long-term involves more than just what happens in the studio. Engaging in activities that promote holistic physical and mental wellness are important supplements to a dancer’s career. Dr. Paulina Tselikis and the rest of the team at The PATH Rehab & Performance know this well. Paulina and the rest of the specialists at The PATH are dedicated to serving clients who are committed to achieving their personal athletic goals, whether that’s coming back after an injury, preventing one from occurring, and more.

Dr. Paulina Tselikis on the Significance of PT For Dancers

By Madison Huizinga, DWC Blog Editor

Paulina describes herself as a “late bloomer” when it comes to dancing. She took ballet classes growing up but also dabbled in a variety of sports, including soccer, tennis, and swimming. Throughout middle school and a good portion of high school, Paulina dedicated her extracurricular time to competitive swimming. “Then, in high school, I injured my back and could no longer swim,” she recounts. Paulina visited doctors and physical therapists and described feeling “disheartened to go back to swimming.” “I just didn’t really have that much interest in going back into it,” she describes. During that time, Paulina began taking some dance classes at her high school, as they had a studio space and a pretty well-developed dance program.

“Dance was my way of relieving stress. It was my passion, that’s how I relieved anxiety,” Paulina explains. “I was able to step away from everything and just have fun.” One of her good friends encouraged her to audition for the dance team. Still feeling a little lost after stopping swimming, she decided to pursue the dance team, unsure about where it would lead her. Paulina ended up making the varsity division, which allowed her to further cultivate her passion for dance.

“Being able to help someone achieve their goals [and] get back to what to what they really love, it’s just so rewarding, I think for me, that’s the best part.”

As a career, Paulina knew that becoming a professional dancer wasn’t something she wanted to pursue. She was more interested in following a science- and healthcare-oriented path. Towards the end of high school and the beginning of college, she felt emboldened to pursue a career where she could help dancers and performing artists. So, in college, she studied athletic training and became a certified athletic trainer, later going into physical therapy. While in PT school, Paulina worked with the Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, which solidified her desire to work with professional performing artists. In her personal life, Paulina has continued taking dance classes here and there and has gotten more involved with aerial arts.

Paulina explains that physical therapy involves “helping someone get back to what they want to do” and “giving them guidance.” Unfortunately, many people are told that they have to quit sports after facing an injury. “Being able to help someone achieve their goals [and] get back to what they really love, it’s just so rewarding,” Paulina says. “I think for me, that’s the best part.” She enjoys being able to create connections and foster relationships with the people she works with, as the PT process can be an incredibly emotional one.

“I think doing preventative work and [focusing on] holistic health and wellness is so important,” Paulina says. “The difference in the longevity of a sport is being able to stay on top of things.” This idea is what inspired Paulina and her partners to start The PATH Rehab & Performance. Paulina and the rest of the providers at The PATH are dedicated to offering a “holistic, evidence-based approach to treat the entire person rather than the diagnosis.” “We want people to come to understand that when they come to us they’re going to be treated as [a] person,” Paulina says, stressing that the team works hard to cultivate a “family” atmosphere.

Within Paulina’s practice, she serves an array of performers in the dance community. Dancers can receive maintenance care, where they undergo preventative injury screenings, as well as traditional rehabilitation PT. Whether individuals are new to dance or seasoned veterans, they’re welcome to receive care. Paulina wants to be a resource for people in the dance community, a beacon of education and service.

Paulina says she thinks that many people don’t fully understand what physical therapy entails, sharing that PT often involves more than just receiving hands-on treatment and possibly 1-2 corrective exercises. Modern PT has much to offer individuals on their road to recovery. Paulina says that many dancers may fear that physical therapists will tell them that they can no longer dance, but she stresses that that’s not her goal as a PT. Rather, her mission is to educate dancers and get them back to doing what they love.

Paulina understands dancers’ hesitations to undergo physical therapy, as historically, PTs weren’t educated on what dance training entails because dancers weren’t perceived as elite athletes. “I think that’s definitely changed and it’s continuing to change,” Paulina says of this misconception.

“I’m very passionate about strength training, and implementing that in a form of cross-training for dancers and performing artists,” Paulina says of a change she hopes to see in the dance world. Through her work, she hopes to change some of the stigma behind strength training and teach dancers that it’s a key way of preventing injuries. According to Paulina, holding workshops and seminars to train teachers on how to implement cross-training into their classes will be a useful way to achieve this goal. “I really hope that within my career, I can help start that change, at least in our local community. That would be great,” Paulina says.

The Path PT

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ATTENTION DANCE TEACHERS: Dr. Paulina will be a special guest speaker at our next Tea&Tendus Event, Sunday February 13th at 5:00PM, The Green Room, DWC Renton. Tea&Tendus is a free event register below:

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“Flight Flock” and Intentionality Behind Movement

In our daily lives, movement is a constant occurrence. Whether it’s cars passing one another on the street or people strolling through a park, it seems as though folks are always in motion. What makes dance so special, particularly to Alexandra Sipe, is its process of systematizing this movement and utilizing it to move through time and space with others. Seattle-based artist and instructor Alexandra Sipe opens up about her fascination with this process, along with her dance journey and upcoming projects.

An Interview with Alexandra Sipe

By Madison Huizinga, DWC Blog Editor

Dance was never an interest for Alexandra growing up, despite her mother having a master’s degree in Dance and teaching it at North Idaho College. When asked, Alexandra would repeatedly declare she would never be a dancer. But this all changed when she happened upon a 1970s recording of Maurice Bejart's rendition of “The Rite of Spring” toward the end of her high school career. She became intrigued and then obsessed with the animalistic movements and her inability to replicate them. Though she started her college years by declaring a major in English, she signed up for modern and jazz technique, eventually adding in ballet and dance composition. By the time she graduated, she had more dance, performance, and choreography credits than English credits and has some regrets about not adding dance as a double major.

Alexandra points out the many benefits she found in starting dance as an adult, including having a greater awareness of her body and being able to take classes from seasoned professors. Alexandra shares that the beginner students she teaches today always comment on what a graceful mover she is, expecting her to have been dancing her entire life. But she always stresses to them that her finesse did not come easily or all at once. “I had to claw my way up,” she shares, describing her experiences taking classes as an adult with teenagers.

In 2016, she moved to Seattle and began working at a dance studio as an administrator and costume coordinator. She also began dancing with Dancewear Center staff members Samantha Weissbach, Ethan Rome, and Melissa Koh Krienke and working on various projects. Eventually, Alexandra realized that she couldn’t remain sitting at her full-time job; movement is what made her most happy.

Later on, Alexandra got her bungee workout certification, and shortly after, completed her 200 hour yoga teacher certification. She also became the lead bungee instructor, later adding aerial work to her plate as well. “I totally shifted to teaching full-time,” she says, grateful she was able to incorporate more movement into her daily life. Alexandra has also continued to take class and research with the Seattle-based movement project known as Dance Undercurrent, which specializes in floor work. She has performed with Jerboa and enjoyed the partnerwork and improv opportunities. In 2021, she was invited to perform her solo work "Three Vignettes, Unrelated" at Seattle International Dance Festival. When describing her specialty, Alexandra shares that she identifies as a “floor monster,” drawn to grounded movement that takes her down to the floor.

Alexandra describes dance as a way to “be the universe while experiencing the universe.” “The act of moving through time and space” with the addition of other people is “just thrilling” to her. Even though humans are in constant motion around one another in public places, like the supermarket, the nonverbal communication that occurs within a dance space is unlike any other. “You codify the language of [movement] and then you really learn how to speak that language with your body,” Alexandra says. “And then you can do whatever you want with it.”

Alexandra shares that as she’s gotten older, she’s realized that the best times for her as a dancer are within a classroom. While the glitz and glamour of costumes and live performances are exciting, the experience of people coming together to move in a classroom is especially enticing.

One of the biggest challenges Alexandra has experienced in the dance realm is feeling comfortable calling herself a dancer, perhaps a residual effect of achieving technical proficiency relatively late compared to her peers. For a while, particularly after she graduated college, she pondered what she had to do to give herself the label. “There’s this struggle as you’re trying to make a living while also finding a way to continue your craft,” Alexandra shares, reflecting on her post-graduation days. Finding a balance between saying “yes” to dance jobs, while also partaking in dance projects that are artistically fulfilling is another tough balance Alexandra struggled to find. “Finding work that nourishes [me] is the hardest thing right now,” she voices.

Recently, Alexandra has been rather mesmerized by the movement of non-dancers and beginner dancers. Specifically, she’s interested in observing her fitness and yoga students’ curiosity about movement and giving them the tools they need to “be fed by the movement they do.” Alexandra describes the process of watching her students become happier, more efficient movers as “extremely rewarding.” She's been curious about building short movement patterns for her students to explore.

Alexandra is also working on building a teacher training at Flight Room, involving the utilization of floorwork, mid-space, and the upper space in the aerial silks. As an independent dance artist, she's enjoying delving more into her improv practice.

In the summer of 2021, Alexandra created Flight Flock, an aerial dance company of amateur aerial artists. Flight Flock had its first season last summer, featuring a live show with family and friends. She shares that many of the performers had never been a part of a live show before so it was exciting to watch them experience it for the first time. The company is set to start its second season in January of 2022 with a final performance in June. Alexandra shares that she’s received a lot of interest from more advanced dancers to join and says they’re more than welcome, although having some experience with aerial silks is advised.

Moving forward, Alexandra hopes to see dancers become more clear on the philosophy behind their movement. Even if it just means moving to “feel good” or “look good,” getting clear on the intention behind one’s movements can make the experience of dancing and choreographing a much more fulfilling and less egocentric one. “I feel like the most successful choreographers I’ve witnessed are the ones who are less interested in making the dancer move like them and more interested in letting the dancer move like themselves [and] fine-tuning that,” Alexandra says.

Alexandra's Instagram

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Panelists from DWC Adult Ballet Q&A Give Advice for Adults Starting Dance

Being able to try new things and explore new hobbies is part of what makes life exciting. Nevertheless, it can be difficult to know where to begin. Lacking viable assistance with starting a new endeavor can deter people from beginning altogether. That’s why on October 31, 2021, Dancewear Center hosted its first-ever Adult Ballet Q&A. Sierra Keith of The Dance Conservatory, former DWC Ambassador Cynthia Randriamanohisoa, local adult dancer with Northwest Dance Cooperative Kim Lucy, and current DWC Ambassador and teacher with Second Act Dance Coco Liu answered questions all about starting ballet as an adult and the things they wish they had known.

By Madison Huizinga, DWC Blog Editor

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Being able to try new things and explore new hobbies is part of what makes life exciting. Nevertheless, it can be difficult to know where to begin. Lacking viable assistance with starting a new endeavor can deter people from beginning altogether. That’s why on October 31, 2021, Dancewear Center hosted its first-ever Adult Ballet Q&A. Sierra Keith of Dance Conservatory Seattle, former DWC Ambassador Cynthia Randriamanohisoa, local adult dancer with Northwest Dance Cooperative Kim Lucy, and current DWC Ambassador and teacher with Second Act Dance Coco Liu answered questions all about starting ballet as an adult and the things they wish they had known.

All of these dancers have had different levels of exposure to dance throughout their lives and have it in different capacities within their lives. Additionally, they all have different reasons why they decided to start ballet as adults. “I have always wanted to do ballet, ever since I was a child” Cynthia shares. “[But] I didn’t get the opportunity until I went to college.” She began ballet at a school club, later attending open classes after moving to the United States.

Similarly, Kim loved to play dress-up and dance as a child, eventually joining a dance drill team in high school. “I’ve just always loved ballet as an art form,” Kim says, beginning her ballet practice in college. She shares that there are many supportive options for adults within the Seattle area, more than many may realize. Adults do not have to resort to being in classes with people years younger than them. “You can wear what you’re comfortable in, there are all sizes of bodies,” she says of the ballet classes she’s taken. Kim also points out that most dancers are so focused on their own training that they don’t pay attention to others in the class, there is little judgment. As opposed to other forms of exercise, Kim says that ballet allows her to engage her mind too, making it both physically and mentally engaging.

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Coco was exposed to dance at a young age, but truly fell in love with the art form when she watched her friend perform in Utah. After returning to Seattle, Coco began taking ballet classes and found herself deeply enjoying how her body and mind felt after class, describing it as a meditative experience.

Sierra says that growing up she was a mover, she loved to dance freely around her house. However, growing up in a family with a low income and in a small town lacking a dance studio, she had little opportunity to join a dance community and take classes. In college, she saw a professional ballet dancer perform and “fell in love” with the art form. After several years of working, Sierra injured her arm and lacked sufficient help from her doctors. She decided she would try to work through the problem on her own, taking ballet classes and gradually integrating movement back into her body. After a couple of months, she was able to move her arm again. “I was hooked at that point,” Sierra says. “I found that through the movement I was able to rehabilitate myself...ballet turned into something important for me.”

There were many surprises for the dancers as they began ballet. Sierra describes feeling surprised that she even liked dance, as she never imagined enjoying physical activity. Kim was surprised at how much she’s progressed in the practice, explaining how excited her five-year-old self would be to learn that her 41-year-old self would be dancing in pointe shoes. “I didn’t realize how much detail there was to ballet,” Coco says. Cynthia shares this thought, she was surprised with how complex the practice is and how there is always room for improvement.

The panelists cleared up some misconceptions and answered some common questions adults have about starting ballet. For example, they shared that it’s acceptable to wear whatever you feel comfortable in, not just tights and a leotard. “You should definitely pick an outfit that you feel comfortable in,” Sierra says. “A lot of adult ballet dancers find their own unique style and I always think that’s cool... it’s always a combination of a little bit of dance clothes and a little bit of street clothes.” Leotards, skirts, pants, T-shirts, socks, ballet slippers, and more are all welcome! Kim recommends going to a dancewear store to get fitted for ballet slippers, as they often have weird sizing, but that’s all that is specialized. Nonetheless, Cynthia recommends double-checking with the studio to ensure there is no dress code; however, most open classes do not require them.

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*Seamless Rib Racerback Leotard by Capezio* | *Bullet Pointe Skirt by Bullet Pointe* | *Infinite Shock by Apolla Performance*

Many adult dancers take ballet for the training, others take it for the performance opportunities or both. Cynthia says that many performance opportunities at studios are optional and have varying degrees of formality. For instance, not all performances take place in an auditorium or theatre setting, others are smaller with solely family and friends in the audience. She recommends researching and reaching out to different studios to see what opportunities they have. Sierra points out that ARC Dance, eXit Space, and Westlake Dance Center all have adult performance opportunities, also sharing that adult dancers should feel empowered to create their own performance opportunities.

Coco shares that dance has changed her life, she hasn’t had a passion that’s persisted this long. Kim says that dance has been a form of therapy for her. As a wife, mother, and full-time employee, dance has served as something that’s solely for her, making it even more special. Cynthia has been impressed with how she’s been able to make her dreams come true through dance, achieving things she didn’t imagine possible 20 years ago. Sierra shares that it’s the best part of each of her days.

Sierra points out that many people in her life tell her that they want to try dance, but have something holding them back, whether that be their age, current activity level, or any other factor. Sierra encourages them to not wait and give it a try!

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Tips For Setting Dance Resolutions For the New Year

Before the start of a new year, it’s commonplace for people to set goals they hope to achieve following 11:59 PM on December 31. People set goals of all shapes and sizes, some small and realistic and others large and out of proportion.

By Madison Huizinga, DWC Blog Editor

As dancers, we’re well-aware of what it’s like to work towards goals we set for ourselves and goals that others set for us. In dance class, it often feels like there is always something we are working to improve upon. Sometimes within our dance training, setting goals can feel futile, particularly when we start comparing ourselves to others. It can also be challenging to know where to begin. For instance, a consistent goal I have for myself within my dance training is improving my turn-out. But what exactly do I mean by that? How will I measure my progress towards achieving this goal? Is there a deadline I want to achieve this goal by? And how on Earth do I begin? Rather than having questions like these swirling around your head, it’s much more effective to make a plan. Fortunately, utilizing strategies like the SMART goals acronym and planner tools like Whimsy & Rhyme’s “Pirouette Planner” can help you out.

The SMART goals concept is widely discussed in academic and professional settings. The acronym was first written about in the November 1981 issue of Management Review by George T. Doran, and since then has received wide praise in a variety of industries. Each letter in the SMART acronym stands for a specific attribute you should make your goals, to ensure they are clearly defined and achievable.

The S stands for specific. The goal you set for yourself should refer to a particular objective you hope to achieve. The more details, the better. For instance, if your New Year’s resolution is that you want to “improve your extension,” that doesn’t provide enough information to help you work towards achieving that goal. However, if you reframe the resolution as wanting to be able to “hold your extension at a 90-degree angle,” that provides a clearer target to aim for.

The M stands for measurable. How will you track your progress towards achieving that goal? Once you outline the specific details of your goal, you will have greater clarity on how exactly you can measure your progress. Let’s say you hope to “eat more vegetables” in 2022. A way to measure progress towards that goal would be to set a target quantity of vegetables to purchase at the grocery store each week. That way, you can have an actual, quantifiable metric to determine whether or not you are working towards that objective.

The A stands for achievable. Is the goal you’re setting for yourself doable? Do you have the time, energy, and resources to be able to accomplish it? If you are a perfectionist, it can be common to set a goal that’s out of the scope of what you can actually accomplish. However, it’s much more effective to set a goal for yourself that is challenging, but still attainable, and then set increasingly challenging goals from there. If I’m working on landing a double pirouette, setting a goal for myself to nail a quad pirouette is probably unattainable. Once I land that double though, I can up the challenge for myself!

The R stands for relevant. Is this goal necessary to achieve your larger mission? In the age of social media, it can feel like we’re constantly being bombarded by pictures and videos of advanced and professional dancers showing off their extreme strength and flexibility. While such feats may look cool in photos and short-form videos, we shouldn’t necessarily work towards them if they’re not relevant to our actual dance training goals. Being able to perform a “needle” stretch successfully can look exciting, but what’s more important is ensuring that we’re setting goals for ourselves that advance our technique in safe and healthy ways.

Finally, the T stands for time-bound. Another useful way to ensure that you actually accomplish the goal you set for yourself is to set deadlines to mark your progress. Some goals may take a few weeks or months to accomplish and others may take the entire year. Whatever time frame you have in mind, set some realistic markers along the way to ensure that you’re making the progress you want to.

A particularly helpful tool for marking your goal progress is a planner. The Pirouette Planner by Whimsy and Rhyme available at Dancewear Center is an especially useful planner for dancers, as it was designed for dancers by dancers. The Pirouette Planner is designed to help dancers maintain an organized schedule to help them reach their goals. Each month contains a coaching page on a different, specialized topic, including nutrition, audition preparation, team building, and more. There are also guided journaling prompts and areas to track stretching and strengthening activities, class corrections, and observations, as well as daily expressions of gratitude.

By following the SMART goals acronym and utilizing tools like the Pirouette Planner, we dancers can be on our way to achieving our goals. Let’s set ourselves up for success in 2022!

Pirouette Planner

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Mental Recovery in the Dance Realm

For many, dance is a means of mental escape from the day-to-day stressors of life. Having a creative outlet that allows for self-expression, laughter, and challenge can be extremely valuable to live a balanced life. Nevertheless, there are times when dance can go from being a stress reliever to the source of stress itself. Local dancer and DWC Ambassador Niki Kothari speaks on perfectionism, the fear of being judged when going “full out” in dance, and how having social support and stress-relieving activities can help reignite the passion for dance that can sometimes feel lost.

with Niki Kothari, DWC Ambassador

By Madison Huizinga, DWC Blog Editor

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Like many young kids, Niki began dancing early in life around the age of three. She took classes in tap, ballet, and Bollywood styles of dance. Niki stopped dancing for a while in elementary school to try other sports but returned to it around the end of third grade. “I started with just hip hop because I thought it was so cool,” she explains. Eventually, she added back ballet, jazz, and contemporary before joining the competition team at her studio.

While dance can be a great way to connect with yourself and an external audience, there are undoubtedly some elements of the practice that can be mentally taxing. Niki shares how it can be stressful to feel everyone’s eyes on you, particularly the eyes of critical dance instructors. “I always feel like I’m being stared at,” she shares. Niki points out that always feeling like she’s being watched can cause her to put her guard up and not dance “full out.”

Niki recalls feeling this way when she was practicing a competition solo last year. She explains not being eager to show her solo to others at the studio unless she was rehearsing, and even then, “still kind of mark[ing] it” rather than performing full out. At her first competition, she asked her dance teacher to not watch her solo due to her nerves. “I had all my friends backstage with her, making sure she wasn’t out there, watching me,” Niki describes.

Another mental obstacle Niki faces in dance is encouraging her brain to allow her body to heal when recovering from an injury. It can be hard to wrap her brain around the fact that the body often needs rest to heal and can’t constantly push itself. Many dancers grapple with the added challenge of perfectionism and the pressure to push through discomfort, which can compound with this issue to make taking needed rest a tough mental predicament.

Dealing with complex mental sensations and emotions about dance can be difficult. There isn’t a foolproof way to rid yourself of them. However, it’s certainly useful to remind yourself that you aren’t alone in the way you’re feeling. Niki explains that it’s often helpful to talk with her friends about the mental challenges she’s facing in dance, such as her uneasiness about constantly being watched and scrutinized by dance teachers. Even reaching out to your dance teachers or studio director and communicating the emotions you’re feeling can be effective, as they can collaborate with you to find out how to best support you in class.

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Niki also shares that writing in a journal can help her take care of her mental health. Journaling is a useful tool for many people to work through their challenges and practice mindfulness, all of which are important for the dance realm. Niki says that it often helps her mentally to write “letters” to the people or things that are making her particularly happy or upset, but not sending them. This strategy can be a great way to gain some sense of her emotions.

Further, capitalizing on time outside of the studio can be just as significant as the time you spend in the studio. Taking time to do activities that fill you with confidence and allow you to be mindful of uncomfortable emotions can translate to more assurance and mindfulness in the studio and on stage.

Since physicality is such a crucial aspect of dance, many industry professionals take care to preserve the physical health of performers. However, across the dance industry, taking strides to maintain and improve the mental health of students is just as important. Niki says that teaching students that it’s okay to “laugh at yourself” is useful, as “we’re going to mess up and that’s okay.” As hard as they may try, dancers are infallible people and can’t be expected to do everything perfectly. Cultivating a safe space in the studio where dancers can feel comfortable making mistakes can lead to them feeling confident and dancing more fully out.

In addition, promoting genuine, holistic dance training that covers mental health maintenance can be invaluable for dancers. Niki recognizes that many studios are offering mental health workshops, but that they can often come off as performative, as the principles promoted aren’t translated across the rest of the training experience. Shifting this attitude to valuing mental health comprehensively would be more effective.

It’s possible to love dance and also face mental challenges from time to time when training and performing. These two phenomenons can happen together, not always separately. Through using individual coping tools like talking with trusted loved ones and journaling, and advocating for holistic, mental health-focused training industry wide, there is a way to help lessen the discomfort that can arise in our brains when dancing.

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Building the Community You Wish to See

After relocating from Santa Fe, New Mexico to Bellingham, Washington, Brooke Evans noticed that her newfound home was lacking something near and dear to her: high-quality dance. Through copious research and collaboration with local parents and dancers, Brooke and her fellow community members were able to build Opus Performing Arts: a robust dance school composed of experienced faculty and tasked with the mission of “fostering a lifelong love of dance.”

Brooke Evans on the Formation of Opus Performing Arts

By Madison Huizinga, DWC Blog Editor

Like many youngsters, Brooke got involved with dance because her older sibling did it. She began her training at age three in her hometown of Santa Fe at the Santa Fe Dance Foundation, now known as the Aspen Santa Fe Ballet. At age 23, Brooke got pregnant which required her to shift her life focus. She ended up moving to Bellingham, Washington, where she has been ever since.

“When I got up to Bellingham, I didn’t really know much about the dance community and had just had a baby and I didn’t go the traditional college route,” Brooke shares. “So I just started exploring the dance community a little bit and I found that there wasn’t as much dance here...I was expecting more and I was expecting a higher quality of dance.” Brooke realized that if she wanted to see a more expanded, potent dance community in Bellingham, she needed to be a part of building it.

Brooke became a co-founder of Bellingham Repertory Dance, a professional contemporary dance collective full of local dancers who are eager to challenge themselves and work in the industry. Brooke was a part of the founding member team, along with other local dancers who were looking for a professional level experience. Through Bellingham Repertory Dance, dancers have gotten the opportunity to work with renowned regional, national, and international choreographers like Mary Shelton Scott, Eva Stone, and Joshua Beamish. Bellingham Repertory Dance is currently going on its sixteenth season. Brooke left the dance collective after eleven seasons, but is gratified to see “this new generation really carrying it forward.”

Eventually, one of her sons expressed interest in beginning dance classes himself. She started looking in town for classes she saw fit for him, and wasn’t coming up with much. There were other parents in the Bellingham community who were feeling similarly, namely Opus owners Allan and Marie Redsone, who struggled to find a local dance school offering high-quality instruction for their own daughter. Allan and Marie networked out into the community, found a space and conducted research to bring their vision of Opus to fruition, finding Brooke in the process. After her first year of teaching at Opus, Brooke became the school’s artistic director to help sculpt and shape the school’s direction, again having the opportunity to build a stronger dance community in Bellingham.

Opus Performing Arts offers tap, contemporary, jazz, lyrical, hip hop, pointe, and ballet classes for both kids and adults. “I have just an incredible team of teachers,” Brooke gushes. Throughout the past year, Opus was also offering seminars on topics relating to mental health and self-compassion with ballet teacher and licensed mental health professional Rachel Coats as a way to provide more holistic services. Rachel will continue her self-compassion work with students this fall as Opus’ wellness consultant.

“We really put an emphasis on instruction at Opus and making sure that dancers are being really safe,” Brooke says. For instance, the school administers “pointe readiness” evaluations that students must pass before earning their pointe shoes. “It’s not something that you get, it’s something that you earn over time. It’s a step in your progress.”

Opus is excited to be returning to in-person classes in the fall, after nearly 14 months of online learning. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Brooke and the rest of the staff at Opus worked hard to communicate to students the importance of making dance feel like home regardless of where they are. She shares that the lack of community engagement, specifically due to canceling live performances, was a challenge for the Opus dancers. “I think the students are just so hungry to be not only getting in-person instruction again but also just to be with their friends and be in their community,” Brooke says. “There’s something so energizing about being with each other that we can’t feel over a computer screen.”

Another exciting update at Opus is that the school is moving to a bigger location with more studio space in 2022. “The space we’re looking at has the potential for five studios, three big ones and two small ones,” Brooke says. “It’s going to be really exciting when we get to move and then we get to offer more classes and provide more for the community as well.”

Ultimately, through her work with Opus Performing Arts and throughout the dance world, Brooke hopes to see dance professionals draw greater attention towards the self-compassion and mental health aspects of dance. “That’s something that I think is a missing part of the dancer’s health puzzle that we’re not quite up to par on,” she says. “‘Perfect’ doesn’t exist and it’s important to be able to have that positive self-talk, acknowledge your growth, and realize your wins.”

If it weren’t for the community building efforts of Brooke Evans and many others, Bellingham wouldn’t have the energetic dance scene that it has today. Since its founding, it’s clear that providing access to safe, high-quality dance instruction that can benefit a dancer for a lifetime will continue to be a top priority at Opus. “We want to instill a love of dance that [students] can carry forward through their lives,” Brooke says.

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Teaching the Fundamentals

In Veronica Peters' life, dance has always been a family affair. Since she took over the British Dancing Academy from her mother in 2014, Veronica has continued carrying out her mother’s legacy and providing students with a thorough dance education that encourages them to be the best dancers they can be and learn life lessons along the way.

Veronica Peters on the Philosophy of the British Dancing Academy

By Madison Huizinga, DWC Blog Editor

Veronica’s mother, Sandi Baca, moved from England to the United States in 1967. After meeting Veronica’s father, the couple moved around quite a bit before eventually landing in Washington in 1973. Following the move, Sandi started the British Dancing Academy where three-year-old Veronica began taking classes herself. She stuck with her dance training, eventually dancing ballet professionally throughout the country. Veronica worked for Sandi at the British Dancing Academy for around 25 years before her mother retired and she bought the school from her.

Since its origin, the British Dancing Academy has strived to “not only instill the love of dance in each and every student but teach the fundamentals as well.” The main focus of the school is to teach the technical aspects of ballet, tap, jazz, and modern dance and have dancers compete with themselves to improve, rather than seek competition with others.

BDA typically begins teaching students as young as four years old in creative movement dance classes. After a few years, when students are in second grade, they start BDA’s exam program in which students learn directly from a syllabus and perform combinations in front of an examiner. However, Veronica shares that when it comes to examinations, “it’s not just about the feet and the technical stuff.” The students get graded on their technique, but also their performance ability, musicality, ability to follow directions and put steps together, and more. Sandi is typically the examiner for the British Dancing Academy, as she is an examiner for the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing and Teacher Trainer for The Royal Academy of Dance. “She goes all over the world to educate other schools and students, and she trains other teachers as well,” Veronica shares.

Veronica points out that a benefit of BDA’s exam program is that it allows students to have a goal to work towards throughout their training. Further, students gain practical skills that are transferable to life outside of the dance realm, such as working quickly under pressure and being able to communicate with new people. “This past year we probably had about 13graduates of kids that have been with us all the way through [the program],” Veronica says. “It’s always kind of fun because...you watch them grow. It’s kind of like a family.”

In addition to classes in a variety of genres, the Academy also offers students the opportunity to perform in a large dance production every June. Past productions have included Alice in Wonderland, Aladdin, and The Little Mermaid. Senior dancers also perform in an annual Holiday Showcase each December, in which they show off some of their original choreography. BDA also uses the Holiday Showcase as an opportunity for attendees to donate to Northwest Harvest and give back to the community.

The experience of teaching dance during COVID-19 was an exhausting process for Veronica and many other studio owners and dance instructors alike. After taking a break from classes for a while, Veronica describes cleaning out the entire studio and setting up big monitors to teach online classes. She collaborated with the instructors to work out hybrid schedules and made sure students wore masks and were physically distanced so everyone’s comfort needs were considered. “I think we did pretty good,” Veronica says of BDA’s COVID-19 protocol. She also says it was nice to bond with other studio owners over the confusion and strain that the pandemic caused on all of their work.

In the larger dance world, Veronica hopes that the general population becomes more appreciative of the ballet art form. “My true passion is ballet. Everything about it,” Veronica says. “The original [purpose] of ballet was to tell a story, and I feel sometimes that’s missed...There’s a simplicity to ballet that is so underrated...I wish that there was more of an appreciation for the artistry.” Through her attentive work of teaching students the fundamentals of dance at the British Dancing Academy, Veronica will continue to pass this love of artistry down to future generations, just as her mother did with her.

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Confidence in a Cowboy Hat

As many dancers can confirm, there are few things worse than showing up to ballet class in a leotard that makes you feel self-conscious. Donning an uncomfortable, ill-fitting leotard can affect a person’s confidence, which can translate into their movement quality. Suddenly, dancers forgo extending through their fullest lines and focus on making themselves smaller. Throughout every dance class, there’s a laundry list of things dancers need to be focusing on. Fixating on the fit of their dancewear shouldn’t be a priority. Local dance educator Hayley Maddox is passionate about creating custom, eco-friendly leotards in a comfortable fit for dancers of all shapes and sizes. Her retro, cowboy-themed dancewear brand Lasso Leos centers on providing dancers access to affordable and sustainable leotards while creating favorable fits designed to make dancers feel confident.

Hayley Maddox on the Inspiration Behind Lasso Leos

By Madison Huizinga, DWC Blog Editor

Hayley’s dance journey began at age five at Bremerton Dance Center in Bremerton, WA. She joined BDC’s performing arts company Peninsula Dance Theatre around age 11 and continued dancing there until 2017. During her time in Bremerton, Hayley’s training specialized in ballet and modern and she taught for about five to six years. In 2017, Hayley moved to Seattle and worked as the program director and a ballet teacher at DASSdance. She also worked with Daniel Wilkins on staging DASSdance’s 2019 production of The Nutcracker.

Hayley continued teaching until the end of the 2019-2020 school year and was suddenly left with copious free time as the COVID-19 pandemic raged on. “I always kind of liked the idea of creating my own leotards so...that’s when I started playing around with making [them],” Hayley shares.

Hayley has a decade’s worth of sewing experience, as her mom taught her the basic mechanics of a sewing machine and her grandmother worked as a professional seamstress. “It’s kind of been passed down through the generations,” she says, although she admits most of her skills are self-taught. Hayley also enjoys thrifting and upcycling materials to make herself custom pieces. “So I was like ‘well, no brainer. I should just try to make some custom [leotards] for myself,’” she recalls.

Her idea snowballed into a bigger plan to create a business centered on custom leotards in inclusive sizes. “I know I’m not the only one struggling with a leotard that doesn’t fit quite right,” Hayley shares. “[When you have] any type of body that’s not prepubescent, it’s kind of hard to find leotards that fit you exactly how you like.”

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*Velvet Elvis Leo by Lasso Leos*

“I thought it would be a cool idea to have a brand that is eco-friendly by using upcycled materials, [and focused] on having inclusive sizing and being affordable...Those are all of the things I feel like are really important,” Hayley says. “Not only is it hard to find the right fit but to find an affordable, custom leotard is also really hard.”

Hayley has a specific fit she incorporates into her leotard designs, in which the leg line is higher on the hip while still possessing full coverage on the backside. “When you have a mature body, the run-of-the-mill cuts just don’t fit,” she says of the inspiration behind her designs. “I’m really just inspired by anyone who has a mature body who is still dancing and wants to feel confident.”

Lasso Leos currently sells three different styles of leotards, “Round Up” skirts, and scrunchies called “Lasso Loops.” Later this year and going into 2022, Hayley plans to roll out some new leotard styles and unique warm-ups that resemble knitted chaps.

When deciding on a name and theme for her brand, Hayley was playing around with a random name generator and came up with “Lasso Leos.” The name quickly stuck. “I’m like a low-key horse girl. I always loved horses growing up,” she claims. Many of Lasso Leos’ leotard names are inspired by old and new country singers and songs, such as “Patsy” for Patsy Cline, “Orville” for Orville Peck, “Velvet Elvis,” and “Show Pony.”

For others interested in starting their own business, Hayley encourages them to “just do it” as there are many great resources online to help people get started. She found an article that broke down starting a business into 12 steps and simply went through step by step. “I just started from the top and worked my way down so I wasn’t too overwhelmed,” Hayley shares. She also says it’s important for aspiring entrepreneurs to go easy on themselves and take things at their own pace. “Just really being true to yourself and being able to balance your time and your energy is going to set you up for longevity.”

Through Lasso Leos, Hayley strives to help promote inclusivity in the dance world, specifically with body types. “It’s totally fine to embrace our curves and to have mature bodies because we’re mature people,” she says. However, her goal of encouraging acceptance extends past body sizes, as she hopes to see the dance industry be more welcoming of all gender identities and expressions. In the following year, she plans to work on designing biketards for Lasso Leos as yet another dancewear option to help dancers feel as comfortable and confident as they can be.

Lasso Leos offers fresh, playful, and considerate dancewear that’s greatly needed in the industry today. For those interested in buying a custom leotard, skirt, or scrunchie, you can reach out to Hayley Maddox directly, through the Lasso Leos Instagram page, or keep an eye out for products coming to Dancewear Center soon!

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