Hi, I'm Natasha!
I am so grateful and honored to be part of the Dance Alive Staff! I love that I am encouraged to incorporate all of the movement work that I learn in classes and workshops and use it in every moment while working in the Dance Alive office. I love learning how to relate to my team in the most FUNctional way, and I love being of service to what Mariane along with her team has created.
I always say that my first language was dance. Dance is what I always come back to. I was born with gifts of vital energy, a wild joie de vivre, and passion and dedication to both growth and expansion, and I share that with those I come into contact with.
I have been a dancer since I was 6 years old. When I am on stage the whole world stops for me. A level of presence is activated in my entire system that I don’t experience regularly in my daily life, and all that is left is connection between myself and the audience; the space to share an authentic story. I danced competitively in jazz, tap, ballet, hip-hop and musical theatre for 11 years. After I stopped dancing competitively, I continued to train in hip-hop, jazz, and modern at Mehola in Jerusalem, Israel, Broadway Dance Centre in New York City, and with Christine Daikin in New York City.
I found Dance Alive by literally DANCING into it. I went to a dance party by myself because I just had a gut feeling to go, and found myself dancing the night away with some frequent movers at Dance Alive! It was “besheret,” which means “meant to be”, in Hebrew.
From there I came to a weekly class, enrolled in an intensive right after, and haven’t looked back since. I am now a fully active member in the Dance Alive program. I have worked so hard to get here and have tried so many different practices along the way, and now have found something that really fits for me!
I was born in Toronto, Canada. I moved to Israel by myself when I was 18. I stayed for 6 years, 2 of which I was a Commander and Sergeant in the Israeli Defense Force. I was awarded “Most Outstanding Soldier,” in my 3 month training course, and was the recipient of “The Presidential Award for Most Outstanding Soldier,” which only 120 soldiers receive out of the entire army annually. After the Israeli Army, I spent, 6 months in South America, 1 year of college in Toronto, 2 years in Acting School at The Neighborhood Playhouse in New York City, and found myself on a 5 day vacation in LA, where my gut spoke up and told me to stay... and I did.
After working in the entertainment industry for over a year, I had a quantum moment at Esalen Institute that changed the trajectory of my path. I had never been to Esalen before, and the sheer vastness and beauty of the nature and silence shifted my whole system. I realized that I only wanted to be in environments where I fully stand in my light. I quit my job the next day and three months later I was introduced to Dance Alive where Mariane teaches how to do just that! She also teaches how to be steady, how to relate to people, how to set goals that work with your whole system and are not just based on idealism or reaction. She is teaching me what I have always dreamed of being able to do and more, and I get to move with a community that I always dreamed of experiencing!
I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity to move and work with the WHOLE Dance Alive community. In my spare time I dance, spend time in nature, sing, connect with my awesome friends, and am writing my first autobiographical one-woman show. I look forward to being of service to your needs at Dance Alive!
Warmly,
Natasha!