KALAMAZOO, MI — Joy Morris-Burton has been dancing since she could walk.
She remembers vividly, when as an 8-year-old girl she had to take a year off from attending dance classes because her parents couldn’t afford them.
“I would just practice out in the yard all day,” said Morris-Burton, 36. “I don’t want any other kids to have to experience that feeling.”
That thought is a driving factor in the opening of a new dance/yoga studio at 1103 Portage St. in Kalamazoo. Morris-Burton and husband Aerick Burton decided to keep classes both affordable and accessible to as many people as they can at their studio.
“Dance tends to be set up at a very high price, which is understandable because of studio costs, but it tends to prevent a lot of people from being able to have that opportunity,” said Morris-Burton, who has a dance performance degree from Eastern Michigan University. “We’re just doing what we can to keep things affordable and accessible.
“We don’t want to exclude the neighborhood we’re in or people like our own family. I personally wouldn’t have been able to afford to put my daughters in dance if I wasn’t teaching it.”
Classes cost $10 per class and are run in a drop-in style, meaning that people only pay for the classes they attend and if they get sick or go out of town, they don’t have to worry about paying for classes they missed.
For those who may not be able to afford the classes, there are scholarships and discounts available, Burton said. People can contribute to the scholarship fund at Move with Joy’s website.
Classes aren’t just for kids at Move with Joy.
“You don’t have to be young to dance, you can be any age,” Morris-Burton said. “We don’t care how old you are. You can be any age and still enjoy dance.
“It doesn’t matter what kind of dancer you are. Just come dance with us and we’ll make it work.”
The all-style dance company offers everything from traditional ballet to acrobatic jazz and hip hop, to breakdancing, adult dance mix classes and lyrical and contemporary ballet. The mix classes teach multiple styles in a one-hour session, allowing people to get a feel for what they may or may not like.
Burton, 40, is a former member of the Kalamacrew breakdance troupe and brings 20 years of breakdancing experience to the floor, a style that offers a bit of excitement to the studio.
In addition to beginning classes in the genre, as well as offering free open breakdancing on Wednesday nights, he and his wife have teamed up to form a Breakin’ Ballet group that meets Monday nights weekly at the studio and intertwines the two genres with other styles of dance.
“We’re trying to eliminate elitist and misogynistic stereotypes that go along with ballet,” he said. “We’re all about not letting traditions hold back evolution.”
Putting a modern twist on a traditional style, Morris-Burton said they are working to move on from the age-old stories filled with princesses and tutus and tell more modern, relatable stories through dance, such as ones that revolve around cellphone addiction and how it can be disruptive to relationships and family dynamics.
In addition to courses taught by the owners, guest instructors will also use the space to teach adult dance courses each Thursday. The guest instructors will use the space rent-free, Burton said, giving them an opportunity to teach their art and not have to worry about breaking even.
Similarly on the first Saturday of every month, different visual and contextual artists will teach an art mix class with Burton. It’s a way to help “uplift other artists at no cost,” he said.
Related: Kalamazoo’s Aerick Burton creates unique art inspired by ancient origami techniques
Burton’s own artistic works are displayed prominently on the walls of the studio, giving the space a gallery meets dance studio feel. An accomplished artist, Burton will teach a weekly origami class for ages 8-adult as well as the art mix course with guest lecturers.
And while dance will fill the evenings throughout the week, either yoga or pilates classes will take place most mornings. As the weather gets warmer, the yoga courses may move outdoors or to the building’s rooftop.
It doesn’t stop there either. Morris-Burton said they are also open to private classes and have experience preparing people for wedding dances and teaching flash mobs.
“We want to be able to give people something exciting and new and not just the general norm, to be able to expand people’s dance vocabulary,” she said.
The couple began moving into the space on Jan. 19 and kicked off the first day of classes the following day. They will host a grand opening celebration on Friday, Feb. 4 and Saturday, Feb. 5.
For more information, visit www.joyloloxola.wixsite.com/movewithjoy or follow Move with Joy on Facebook. For online instruction, check out the Move with Joy YouTube page.
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