About Dancing Mama
Dancing Mama was founded out of a desire to bring families together through dance, fitness and music. We provide a child friendly environment, where the whole family can dance together to the beat of lively Latin and international music. At Dancing Mama you can feel free to be yourself, share quality time with your child and be part of like-minded group of parents.
Our Instructors
Daniela
Owner, Salsa Babies and Salsa Tots instructor
I was born and raised in Venezuela, South America, a tropical country where people start to dance as soon as they start to walk. I have always loved dancing and have been involved with many dance groups over the years.
After moving to Ottawa, I kept my passion for dancing alive by joining a Venezuelan folkloric dance group. I also discovered Zumba® classes at my local gym and I was thrilled to have found a fitness class in Canada that felt more like going out dancing with my girlfriends than a workout! From my very first class I knew I wanted to teach Zumba, so I became a certified Zumba instructor and started sharing the joy of dancing with everybody.
When I became pregnant with my son Sebastian, I wanted to continue my dance fitness classes, but I couldn’t find anything suitable for expectant or new moms. It wasn’t until I started volunteering for “Life With a Baby” that I learned about Salsa Babies®. Once again, I was excited to have found a new way to combine my passion for dance and teaching with my new role as a mom… It became clear to me that I wanted to teach dance fitness classes on a full-time basis and not just as a hobby. My passion for dancing and my desire to continue to support other moms were the reasons why Dancing Mama was born.
I hope you can join us. See you on the dance floor!
Zelena
Salsa Babies Instructor
Even though we didn’t know each other until about a year ago, My story is pretty similar to Daniela’s. We both grew up in the same country, Venezuela, and in the same town, Caracas, and we both moved to Canada almost at the same time (close to a decade ago!)
I have always been passionate about the arts in general. I studied dance, drama and music since I was a little girl. I have also sang in choirs for most of my life, and it was at an international festival in France where I met my wonderful Canadian husband.
Since becoming a mommy, I have been trying to stay active while spending time with my kids. I met Dani at one of her classes in 2013 and I just had a blast with my little boy. I had such a great time, that a year later, when the opportunity came up, I decided to become a certified Salsa Babies instructor and work with Dancing Mama.
I now have a little baby girl who loves to dance with mom in her baby carrier and a toddler that is very happy burning some steam at the Salsa Tots classes!
Sarah
Salsa Tots Instructor
I grew up in a large English speaking family in a small town in Quebec. Coming from a musical family, I have always been involved in dance and playing music, and have played in musical ensembles for many years. Combining music, movement and fun is a passion of mine and I am continually inspired by the special, joyful way it brings people together. This interest eventually led me to begin teaching yoga, fitness and musical parent-child classes. One of my favorite inspirations is teaching parent and child yoga, something I enjoy and treasure.
Looking for a fun, family-friendly activity, I started attending the toddlers classes offered by Dancing Mama in 2013 with my two little ones. I enjoyed the energy, latin music and format of the classes, which combined structured and unstructured activities for the little ones and us, parents. I was also happy to introduce some Spanish to the mixture of English and French in my household. In 2014 I was offered an opportunity to become a Salsa Tots instructor and I decided to get certified, knowing this would be a great way to simply have fun, move and bring out the best in children and their families.
Furthermore, I love how this forum encourages parents to dance and participate with their children, to let loose, shake it up and get comfortable with one another, creating that sense of community that I feel is so important during these incredibly busy years of early childhood!