Dance Styles / K-Pop
Ebony (she/her) is a dancer & instructor residing in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Ebony began her brief dance training at the age of three the in the style of ballet. Although this was only for a short period, throughout her childhood she was always dancing and choreographing small routines with friends as a hobby.
One of her hobbies was learning the choreography of the latest K-pop music video by watching the video on Youtube.
She reconnected back with dance in 2019 after fellow faculty member Sarah Macneil recommended that she try out the new drop-in studio “House of Eights”. After that one visit, Ebony fell in love and attended many classes every week and was determined to broaden her dance training by attending classes in jazz funk, heels, street dance, dancehall, and of course K-pop choreography.
What do you want people to get from your class?
I want people to know that this is a safe space for all of us to all dance in, so don’t be shy! I never want anyone to feel excluded or intimidated when attending my class. Everyone has their own goals set for themselves in their dance journey so don’t compare yourself to others, we are supportive in this dance community so I want everyone in my class to feel comfortable and confident. And of course, I want everyone to have fun and share our common love for K-pop!
What motivates you to dance?
Dance is my outlet from my personal/work life. When I attend class at House of Eights, performing and challenging myself to retain the choreography is my main focus.
Learning from these instructors and being surrounded by talented movers who are eager to learn and share this amazing space inspire and motivate me to dance.
What are some highlights of your career as a dancer/choreographer?
I am SO thankful for all the opportunities House of Eights has provided me over the years!
I have so many highlights of my dance training, a few main ones to mention have to be attending the K-pop dance workshop with Mi-Kyoung Kim (Lara) in 2019. I learned so much from this workshop and that experience showed me how dance is universal and changed my views on the intentions of my movements when I dance and work on dynamics when I am performing on stage.
Reaching my 1000 class was an exciting milestone since it was an initial goal that I wanted to reach since the first day I signed up at the studio.
Another highlight has been teaching my first K-pop class, it’s such a crazy thought that I once was learning choreography in my room fast forward to now teaching at a dance studio! Meeting new students and seeing new faces attend my classes makes me so happy.
Last but not least is forming a K-pop cover group called ILY and performing at the House of Eights showcase was such a special moment. This has allowed us to perform in small events around the city.