When I was 5 years old, I was obsessed with aerobics. It was 1985, and that Mary Lou Retton VHS was my absolute fav. I did it on repeat…daily…by myself. I probably loved exercise so much because my Dad exercised daily. It was modeled beautifully.
[For your entertainment, check it out here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6_4CwGM9EKE ]
Shortly thereafter, I would dance (total improv) to Footloose – or what I referred to as “Foot Lewis”. LOL. I was expert level entertainer, at least in my family’s eyes…bring on the attention!
From there, my joy shifted to Star Search. I would throw myself around the living room – level changes and all – again improvising, without shame. How beautiful is that?! Oh, to be 7 again. We “couldn’t really afford” dance lessons – but I didn’t feel the scarcity. I just danced wherever, whenever.
By age 9, my Mom decided she couldn’t ignore the passion bouncing around that living room in Sylvania, OH. I started in actual dance lessons and never looked back. The next 10 years, I danced so much that I neglected to learn how to swim or ride a bike – and I had zero regrets. I had several great pre-pro and professional dancing opportunities, but then the really hard stuff set in…self-doubt, perfectionism and a raging eating disorder. I switched gears away from performing, shifted to teaching some dance classes part time, made other academic and entrepreneurial decisions and lost a fair amount of my dancing identity.
Fast forward – past MAJOR life moments like marriage, family illnesses, babies and divorce, and I was desperate to find myself again. Insert DWTS, and “I want to do THAT”….#notkidding. I had lots of dance training, but no ballroom, and I fell in love with Dancesport INSTANTLY.
Performing again, but this time as an older adult, brought on new insecurities I didn’t anticipate – but I simultaneously also experienced so much joy. It’s this really fascinating mix of emotions. Before approaching the dance floor at ballroom competitions, I noticed a recurring theme of well wishes with people simply saying, “dance well!” And because I now have a strong background in health and wellness, it really struck a chord with me.
I want more people to find joy in dance. I want more people to have fun through dance. I want people to experience a healthy mind, body and spirit because of dance. We get to dance well, from the inside out. Healthy mindset. Healthy body. Healthy goals. Celebrating possibility and positivity.
My mission is to bridge dance and wellness with this fun, aspirational of line of products that dancers can enjoy from the studio to the street!
Here’s to more dancing!
Katy
The word aspirational is defined as "a strong desire for something."
Maybe you aspire to be a champion. Maybe you aspire to just dance every damn day.
The vision for Dance Well is to provide fun, playful products that allow you to wear your love of dance on your sleeve – literally. Or your dance bag…or coffee mug…or head…and by displaying your desires related to dance, maybe others will want to JUST DANCE too. 😉