Instructional &
Informational Posts
We know that you've been told over and over again to get in on the new workout craze. So we’re not going to do that.
What we are going to do is introduce you to the vivacious Tracy Thomson.
A woman with a waist the size of a Disney cartoon, Tracy came to our interview wearing a t-shirt made by Misty Tripoli, the creator of Groove Dance. Tracy wore it as a skirt, giving one of many examples of how she thinks outside of the box.
She's a woman who smiles wholeheartedly while she talks about her amazing career as teacher/artist/seeker/groove dancer. Her groove dance classes in the Roncesvalles area of Toronto are a highlight of her students’ weeks, and it seems a highlight of her week as well: “I am excited on Friday night and excited on Saturday morning!”
And just what is this groove dancing she speaks of? We’ll give you a hint. If you’ve danced like no one was watching at the last wedding you attended, you’re well on your way to becoming a “groover.”
You’re currently getting your masters at Western and your yoga teacher training at YogaFit. You seem to love learning as much as you do teaching.
I have always been in school. I love school! It is part of who I am.
How did you start learning groove dance?
I started in 2010. The amazing Misty Tripoli who was based in California (and now lives in Mexico) started the groove method. I want to make sure she is honoured, because she has started this fantastic global movement.
Did you know it might be a style of dance that you would want to teach one day?
I knew as soon as I started doing it that it felt right. It was freeing. When you go to dance classes you can get intimidated and I’ve been in and out of dance my whole life. In a groove class nobody cares. Your way is the right way. I love that it’s very accessible. You can have multiple levels of experience in one room, and everyone is getting something out of it. You can let all of it go and just dance. Dance your dance.
How do you get such new and interesting playlists each week?
I closet DJ. I love putting together an amazing class and drawing people into it. The right music can provide a great mind-body, visceral experience. When they’re moving and they feel the music, you can see the change happen. They realize that they have permission. They don’t have to look like anyone else. Groove Dance is an invitation. It’s a beautiful thing!
You certainly create imaginative dances, like the time you had your students prancing around to celebrate spring to the song Loverly Spring by Thomas Newman.
It was quite ridiculous! You wouldn’t throw that in straight in the top. If you came to the class for the first time and that was the first song you heard, you would be shaking your head. It’s the placement of the song within the class. Once people are comfortable, you can take them to that silly place. There are some songs that are intended to make the group laugh together.
Can people groove all over Canada, or is this a special Toronto class?
It is available everywhere! It is united and unique. It is a beautiful balance between choreography and free-form dance where everyone is doing the same thing, but it looks different on every single person. Look in this lineup right here. [Tracy gestures in the coffee shop] People aren’t moving the same way; they don’t look the same way…why should they be expected to dance the same way?
It’s kind of like the drunk dancing that happens at weddings, without the drinks.
The alcohol can be the inhibitor release. You don’t need that in Groove. It’s built in. The base thing is letting go of your inhibitions and connecting to the music.
I want to dance. I want to move. I want to be healthy. I want to spread that joy to everybody. It doesn’t have to be perfect. We want everybody – every body – to feel success and to feel joy in Groove dance.
Groove on, Tracy! Tracy wants to make her classes inclusive, so they’re available for a low rate (with a 10 class pass, they are as low as $8.50 a class!). See her website for more details.
If you’re not in Toronto, check out this website to see if you can get your groove on in your city.
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Courtney Sunday is a writer, yoga teacher, Pilates instructor, spinning instructor and Thai massage practitioner. She teaches corporations in Toronto the fine art of breathing deeply, and travels too much for her own good. She likes to cook meals from scratch using ingredients from her garden, and would mill her own flour and make her own butter if she had more hours in the day. You can find out more about her at www.courtneysunday.com.
