Tracy Lowe

Tracy began her dance journey at the age of 4 in Orillia, Ontario after a doctor recommended that she take dance to help improve a physical condition. She started with ballet and jazz and was quickly attracted to tap. She found lyrical to be especially valuable in her teenage years as a way for her to release many emotions. Her first experiences with competitive dance were not that positive, but she came to love performing. Dance became her passion, inspiring her to become a dance teacher and to eventually open her own studio in 2004.

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Tracy has been inspired by her creative experiences and strong friendships with fellow dancers who pushed one another to be stronger and better. She has been strongly influenced by dance teachers and professional colleagues who modelled kindness, patience, energy and passion. She believes that these individuals motivated her to be a better person, tap dancer, teacher and mentor.

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Tracy received many awards throughout Canada and the USA, including 3rd place Miss Dance of Canada. She continues her dance education on a regular basis and travels to Chicago, Boston, and New York City to attend classes. Tracy has performed professionally with the Advanced Performance Company, the David Cox Tap Company, and the Foley Company at the Tap Dance Center. She is a former member of What's On? Tap!, an all-female tap dance company. Tracy is also a certified member of Sole Power Fitness, a program that combines tap dance with a cardio class to provide a fun, effective way to enhance the fitness of tap dancers. For her role as a studio owner, Tracy has developed her skills in customer service and small business management through professional certification in the areas of Office Administration and Social Media Marketing.

 

Tracy’s choreography and students have won many overall and special awards at competitions. In the past two years, Tracy and Just Dance have been recognized by the Port Hope Chamber of Commerce, winning two awards – Young Entrepreneur and Healthy Workplace.

 

Teaching was something Tracy says she fell into, beginning with assisting with younger classes and teaching her friends to dance. It was something she grew to love.

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Tracy aims to give dancers a safe space where they can learn and grow not only as dancers but as people. She believes the best part of teaching is watching and contributing to the growth and development of students, not only in dance but in other important aspects of their lives.

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During her teaching career, Tracy has taught almost every style of dance. Tap, ballet, and adult classes are among her favourites. She has learned that what is most important is ‘movement’ – not any particular style. She does have a special leaning toward Tap because everyone can do it; they can make their own music and the style is so rich in history.

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Tracy says her greatest joy as a teacher is just being there with students, helping them deal with challenges and emotions, observing their learning and celebrating their successes.

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Tracy expects her dancers to arrive at the studio with an open mind, a positive mindset and a willingness to give the best they can at that moment. They can expect the same from her. She tries to set clear and realistic expectations for students and to be sure her dancers understand them. She also tries to find ways to let students have input into the design of the class.

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Tracy enjoys advanced-level dancers; they challenge her to expand her own learning and to be better prepared. She also loves the energy, fun, and potential of 3-7 year old dancers. She also loves teaching adults. Watching their confidence build with something new inspires her to keep dancing herself.

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Tracy admits she prefers the technical side of dance, so she continually works on her choreography. She knows that keeping a class moving forward is essential, even if the technique is not 100% correct. Time management and balance can be a challenge; classes go quickly and there is a tendency to try to squeeze in too much.

 

Dance is a journey, not just a series of steps. Something new is learned every day – by dancers and their teachers. Tracy is grateful to be a part of her dancers’ journeys.