The Team
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Jessica Beck
Communications Consultant of Dance Your Ability Partner, part-time mama, designer and writer, Jessica has been dancing since 2001. With a decade in advertising and a decade more in health and wellness, Jessica specializes in 1-on-1 coaching for people and their business. Dance has played many roles in Jessica’s life, most significantly for healing and removing blocks to creativity. “Dance is not something to do but something you are, it’s inevitable to be danced by something within, something greater than great – it’s our blessing to do it consciously.'' Jessica calls so called “Salt Spring Island, BC” home, the unceded territory of the Coast Salish First Nations. |
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Gaileen Flaman
Human Resources Director of Dance Your Ability & Instructor Partner and parent, Gaileen has been dancing since 2015. Music and movement saved Gaileen’s life. Eight years into partnership, parenthood and full-time soul-sucking bureaucratic work she became disconnected from her true self and suffered from auto-immune disease. She sensed the urgent need to reclaim her natural, divine place in this world and her passion for dance. Discovering 5Rhythms 4 years ago, she now prioritizes her weekly 5Rhythms self-care practice which allows her to fully and authentically express herself and keep her mentally, physically and spiritually well. She is an army brat, natural-born leader, board member, community advocate, home maker, Certified in Volunteer Administration and Metis woman who identifies as fiercely feminine while honouring her masculine. A life-long learner, she has studied Criminal Justice, Sociology, Youth Work, the Birth and Breastfeeding continuum, Values-based Leadership, Feminine Power, Goddess Wisdom, and most recently, DYA Instructor training. “Just keep moving” |
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Jenny Holden
Social Innovation Director of Dance Your Ability Multi-disciplinary artist-photographer, storyteller, community journalist, poet, embodiment coach, trauma survivor, and mental health advocate. Jenny she works with a range of tools to unearth the wisdom of the body in her creative and professional practice. Jenny holds a graduate degree in Public Health and Social Policy from the University of Victoria. Before becoming a full time artist, Jenny worked in the non-profit sector, developing and stewarding sustainability education programs for youth. Jenny returns to non-profit stewardship with Dance Your Ability Therapeutic Movement Foundation because she believes that embodiment and movement are an important part of community health and wellbeing. Dance brought Jenny back into contact with her body. It has been one of the primary vehicles for her healing from two decades of C-PTSD. “If you want to give birth to your true self, you are going to have to dig deep down into that body of yours and let your soul howl” -Gabrielle Roth |
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Viv Nielsen
Instructor Dance is medicine for Viv. With her fitness leader training, she led classes that wove in dance movement. With a Rec Therapy background, dance always influenced her work with others. As a front line support worker for two decades—youth, people with different abilities, new Canadians, mid-lifers, elders—she found a way to incorporate movement and music into her work. Viv participated in a Latin dance group that performed community wide. Her passion for 10 years was competing with a Belly dance troupe. Conscious dance has nourished her for 20 years. With her graduate degree in Applied Behavioural Science, her work with NVC, and her love of writing, Viv embarked on a new adventure, as business owner, supporting and coaching individuals with trauma to more empowered ways of living. Dance movement was always present. With nose to the grindstone, designing, implementing and evaluating curriculum for workshops and courses, 1-1 client sessions, community engagement, grant applications, liaising with service providers and government bodies, plus solo parenting a child, care taking a palliative parent, and supporting the other parent, stress lived deep in her body, impact was heavy, physically, emotionally, mentally. Movement grounded her, healed wounded places, lightened the dark. A courageous, life changing move back to the coast 4 years ago from a soul sucking environment, with teenage son, senior father and four animals in tow, Viv knew she was home, and knew deep in her bones that dance movement had to play a more integral role in her life and work. “Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?” Mary Oliver |
Board of Directors
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Joni Devlin offers Dance Your Ability classes to her 55+ community, works & volunteers, has an active life with her friends and grandchildren and is our bookkeeper extraordinaire!
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Carrina Maslovat is a biologist who serves the board with so much heart. She brings a curiosity as movement for her is a source of release, freedom and so much fun.
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Steven Ward is an Educational Assistant, Librarian, Spiritual teacher and poet. He understands the potency of truly being with each other, allowing for space to be one's self.
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