Edmonton : West Edmonton Mall
Jessica Baudin-Griffin
Human beings are born with the instinct to express themselves though movement. Even before he could communicate through words, primitive man was dancing to the beat of his own heart.
-Robert La Fosse
As long as I can remember I have loved to dance. At age 3 I took my first creative movement class and fell in love with the freedom of expression, the creativity, and joy I felt while I danced. Dance was something that seemed so natural, so instinctual; it was my body’s way of singing.
As I grew older so did my passion for learning to move my body in new ways. I studied with different teachers and choreographers in the areas of Jazz, Ballet, Modern, Hip Hop, African, Latin, Belly Dance, and Folk dance. I was in awe at what amazing athletes dancers were, strong and flexible. My love affair with dance only continued as I realized it balanced my mind, body, and spirit unlike anything else I had ever experienced.
As I grew older I was amazed how many people did not dance because they felt they weren’t good enough, did not have the right body type, or had simply been told they could not dance. This shocked and saddened me. Dance historically has been about celebration, cultural transference, and expression. Human beings were born to dance! I realized the opportunities I had been given to experience dance in a creative, non-competitive environment had fostered a freedom in my body, mind and spirit. I understood that this supportive, non-judgmental approach was key to the enjoyment of dance.
My goal became to give people of all backgrounds the opportunity to enjoy the physical, mental and emotional benefits of dance. My journey took me everywhere from children’s day camps, ongoing programs for at-risk youth, dance fitness programs for adults, and elementary classrooms for special needs and early intervention students. However, it was the birth of my daughter, Bria, that gave birth to my company J’Adore Dance.
My mission with J’Adore Dance (meaning I Love Dance) was to continue to share my love of dance with my greatest love, my daughter, and focus on making dance and its benefits accessible to all people. Salsa Babies™, our first program offered, allowed me to share the joy of dance with my daughter. It also allowed me to share the joy of dancing with your baby with other moms and create a community and social network for women. J’Adore Dance continues to grow and offer a wide variety of life-style based dance programs, my goal is to help all people realize that dancing comes first and foremost from the heart!