Teachers

 TRF colour _DSC8159 023Genna Flanagan

It doesn’t matter how long I have danced it still inspires me and makes me happy.  This is what I enjoy teaching my students.  Steps are just steps when there is no joy to make them into dancing.

I have been dancing since I was about 10 years old. I started in Jazz and Tap dancing which was great fun and taught me about rhythm.  When I started at university I decided to give partner dancing a go, so enrolled for Ballroom and Latin dancing lessons.  Shortly after I began training to be a teacher in American Social Dance through the Astaire syllabus and have been teaching ever since.  During this period I undertook a full time commercial dance course for a year which covered solo dance like Ballet, Hip Hop, Tap, modern dance, acrobatics and body conditioning such as Yoga and Pilates.  This was an important point in my career as it confirmed for me that my first love was partner dancing and that has focused my efforts ever since.  I lived in Canada for a year to check out the American social dance studios over there and in some cities in America such as Seattle and San Francisco.  This was a fact finding year to see how and what they taught – I was also lucky enough to get some excellent teacher training while in Toronto which was a real bonus.  While there I was introduced to the DVIDA syllabus and it was clear early on that this would be an ideal standard of teaching to bring back to NZ and Wellington.

I have been teaching for over 15 years now and it is still the most rewarding and personally satisfying part of my career.  I love having a new student walk into my lesson convinced they cannot dance and an hour later leave feeling great about themselves and the fact they can actually Waltz.  And, for my more senior students, helping them through the tough technical challenges that dancing provides and seeing them surface on the other side, looking great and motivated for the next challenge is continuously rewarding.

My long term goals include reaching examiner level in DVIDA and seeing Two Right Feet Dance studio take over Wellington, New Zealand and the world, sharing our dance values and showing people how dancing can make a real difference in their life and to their happiness.

TRF colour _DSC8157 021Lisa Gebbels

I love the freedom that dancing gives you and the fact that when I’m on the dance floor nothing else matters. It doesn’t matter what sort of day I’m having, dancing will always be the only thing I’m thinking about when I’m on the floor.

I discovered dance later in life when I began American Smooth and Rhythm dancing in 2005 after moving to New Zealand in 2004. Since that time I have also learnt a little Ceroc, but Smooth and Rhythm is my passion. I enjoy the technique and discipline involved in this style and the sense of achievement when a new step or piece of technique is mastered.

I started teaching in 2007 and it is by far the most enjoyable part of my career. There is a huge sense of satisfaction and achievement when I see a student confidently dancing around the floor, particularly if they have never danced before. I love the diversity in people and the different ways they learn and discovering the multiple ways of explaining the same concept to different students.

I often get asked which is my favourite dance and I genuinely love all the dances we teach – the sensuality of the Rumba, the smoothness of a Waltz and the fun of a Cha Cha. My favourite often changes, but they all have their moments.