@edis jurcys photography
I am a dance teacher, certified yoga teacher and anthropologist, specializing in body awareness and wellbeing in Portland, Oregon.
My journey to teaching movement
I started dancing in college, taking ballroom dance, and I fell in love with it. By my senior year, I was teaching ballroom and folk dancing.
After college, I taught English with the Peace Corps. When I finished Peace Corps, I went back to school and earned an M.A. in dance. I earned another M.A. in cultural anthropology, researching tango in Buenos Aires.
I started teaching yoga during the COVID lockdown to several dance students, having done yoga on and off since graduate school. Encouraged by my students, I finished my 200-hour teacher training in yoga with Do Yoga With Me in Victoria, B.C. and began teaching group classes in 2022.
“My experience with Elizabeth is marvelous! She’s a great teacher, who can teach in ways that make sense to any type of learner; right-brain, left-brain, visual, auditory, sensory............ whatever your learning style is she’ll have you covered. Very experienced in her field with great insight in how our body mechanics help or hinder our dance-experience. I’d recommend Elizabeth to any dancer, whether you are a beginner or an ‘old-timer’ - your dance will improve!”
I teach group classes in Argentine tango and yoga; and private lessons in yoga, dance, wedding preparation. I also work one-on-one with clients to create and carry out exercise plans to optimize balance, strength and flexibility for continued mobility. Let me facilitate your move to body awareness and increased health!
My teaching philosophy
Everyone learns differently
Most people learn movement using several senses, but usually have one area of strength that defines their approach to learning dance. Kinesthetic learners learn best by feel, or by doing something. Dance with the person, one-on-one so that they feel the movement. Visual learners learn best by watching movement, or by building pictures of what needs to happen, and then trying it on their own body. Analytical learners learn best by thinking about movement. Auditory learners need spoken word cues, sung patterns, or other language to process movement.
Body mindfulness feels good!
My interest and training in anatomy, kinesiology and the body is key to my style of teaching. I teach alignment and the workings of the body in every class, so that you know WHY you are doing a movement. No matter what kind of learner you are, you can improve your balance, core strength, elegance and confidence through learning dance. My job is to get you to a place where you have more of what I call “in-body” experiences!
We can all improve HOW we learn
“I have known Elizabeth since college . . . . She is not just a great dance teacher but an expert in the body as well. I have a physically demanding job and over the years have noticed that dancing has made me more aware of the tension that has built up from performing my job. Staying active is such an important part of my routine and Elizabeth has helped me through ankle sprains and pinching nerves through dancing and improving my posture. I highly recommend Elizabeth not just to improve your body awareness but as a wonderful teacher and person!”
Learning theory has recently shown that learners need to develop as many ways to learn as possible, in order to have information "stick" better; I help new dancers apply what they already know to their dancing. The more you use what you already know for dance class, the faster you will learn!
ALL learners need repetition, so that the neural pathways in the brain can be formed. However, since we are dancing in different situations, with different dancers, to music that varies, we need to be able to adapt our dance patterns and problem-solve on our feet. I focus on creating good technique that can adapt to situations so that you can feel confident on the dance floor.