West Coast Swing

 has been dancing performing competing and teaching since the age of 17.  After graduating high school and receiving honors and a Birks award of excellence in business. Going out in the world with a very good job at IBM after graduating, something was not right, a headache that would never go away.....at that point she decided this is enough and quit....answered an ad in the paper for a receptionist job at the Fred Astaire studio in Hamilton and became intrigued with the dancing, and started to train as a teacher....and Voila 6 months later, 6-8 hours of dance training a day... and then   transferred to another location..... She left her home town of Hamilton and went off to Winnipeg to teach and trained to be the dance director of the Fred Astaire studio.  Her life changed forever.   Traveling to Portland where she stayed for months at a time training in Hustle and West Coast Swing. She has many accomplishments in the dance world some of them listed below....but what is not listed are the people that she teaches for the love of dance.  the people that want to learn for social dancing, coaching competitors and training her students to become teachers in the world of dance. Partnership dancing, requires patience, listening to your partner and sharing your space.  Currently Mary is focusing her teaching dance skills on West Coast Swing and Hustle.  her two most favorite dances of all. Listed below are just some of the qualifications of Mary.  

  Licentiate Member of the Imperial society of Teachers of Dance, England,(ISTD)  

Licentiate Member of the Imperial society of Teachers of Dance, United States,(USISTD)

  Full Member of the Canadian Dance teachers Association, (C.D.T.A.), (as well as a past member of the executive board.) 

 Member, Adjudicator/Judge with the Canadian Dance and Dancesport Council, (C.D.D.S.C.) Mary is also a registered Dancesport competitive coach for both the amateur and professional dancers in the ballroom world.
Mary founded “You Can Dance Studios Inc.” in 1992. She ran a very successful business....for 15 years...then the hips gave out, Arthritis took over and she needed to have both hips replaced....had to stop teaching full time and close her studio.  

 She has taught American and International style Ballroom, Mambo, Salsa, Swing,(ECS and WCS) Hustle, and Merengue in the Toronto area for over 20 years.As a Professional dancer, Accredited Teacher, Director & Choreographer, Mary has been dancing, teaching, and performing for over 40 years.
Her portfolio includes American and International style Ballroom, Latin, (Mambo, Salsa, and Merengue), Nightclub, as well as Cabaret.With her diverse dance background Mary incorporates many of her dance skills and techniques into her teaching programs concentrating on connectivity through lead and follow…
“The more you understand about movement and partnering the better a dancer you can become….”

• In her early career Mary has trained with some of North America’s leading teachers and performers such as William Barker, (Fred Astaire School), and Mitzi Reubenstein, (Fred Astaire School). She has also trained under Peter Billett, (A former Professional World Black Pool Championship finalist, U.S. National Championships Finalist, examiner, world adjudicator/judge, and past president, with the USISTD).

Over her career Mary has won gold medals for competitions in both the amateur and professional world of dance.  Some of Mary’s dancing accomplishments are:

1.  Currently training dancers for WCS competitions: focusing on J&J and choreography for Rising star divisions. From newcomer to beyond.  
2. Professional Ontario Closed  American Style Tango Showcase 1st place  · 
3. Professional Theatre Arts Medley (cabaret)  2nd place (Western Canada Regional)  · 
4. Pro-Am Rising Star  Ontario open 1st place  ·  
5. Dance director, choreographer  Fred Astaire Studio, Winnipeg, Manitoba 3 years  ·  
6. Top Teacher of the year  Awarded from the North American Dance Masters Association  (N.A.D.M.A.) 1993  ·
7. Professional Adjudicator  In American Style Rhythm and Smooth and up to Champion Ballroom  as well as an adjudicator/judge in International Ballroom Standard and Latin

"THE ONLY REASON FOR MASTERING TECHNIQUE IS TO MAKE SURE THE BODY DOES NOT PREVENT THE SOUL

 FROM EXPRESSING ITSELF" -      

 La Meri

The one constant thing in dance is the fact that you need to move from one foot to another. step patterns are learned ,what makes a great dancer is the fact that they have internalized dance technique , so no matter what style of dance you are learning you can master that style. Yes technique is different the style.  It is not the same thing.  Technique is the foundation of all dance, learning how to move  is the great dancer not what patterns the dancer knows.