Our Mission
​Nuestra Misión

To offer a safe and supportive virtual space where we empower our clients to meet their wellness goals through the training and practice of artistic, fitness, and intellectual activities.
​Ofrecer un espacio virtual seguro y acogedor donde empoderamos a nuestros clientes a lograr sus metas de bienestar a través del entrenamiento y práctica de actividades artísticas, atléticas e intelectuales.

To Find Your Center is
Encontrar Tu Centro es

To know and honor yourself.
To respect those around you.
To find balance and calm.
To find confidence and power.
To control your center of gravity.
To move with efficiency and strength.
Conocer y honrar a ti mismo.
Respetar a los demás.
Encontrar equilibrio y tranquilidad.
Encontrar confianza y poder.
Controlar tu centro de gravedad.
Moverte con eficiencia y fuerza.

Our Approach to Wellness
Nuestro Acercamiento al Bienestar

We guide our clients in centering themselves internally so that they can be present and centered in the external world. 
Guiamos a nuestros clientes a centrarse interiormente para que puedan estar presentes y centrados en el mundo externo.
WHAT WE TEACH
QUÉ ENSEÑAMOS
Ballet is a European dance form that is used to train athletes and artists around the world. At Find Your Center, we emphasize the power of ballet training to build confidence and artistic expression and contribute to overall fitness and wellbeing. Ballet originated in Italy and gained popularity as a French court dance in the 17th century. Most ballet terms today are in French. Adult Ballet refers to recreational training for adults and teens.

Capoeira was developed by enslaved Africans in Brazil desiring freedom from their oppressors. They combined music, dance, acrobatics, and fighting to both express and defend themselves. This Afro-Brazilian martial art continues to be a source of hope and pride for many people. Capoeira is a Brazilian Portuguese word pronounced "kah-poo-way-dah."

​Flamenco derives from the itinerant Roma people of Europe, and has become a national dance and music of Spain. Sevillanas are a regional song and dance form of Seville in southern Spain. In our flamenco and Sevillanas classes at Find Your Center, we challenge ourselves intellectually to learn the complex Sevillanas choreography, while also exploring the cultural context and enjoying the rhythms and movements of the dance. ​

Pilates is a movement system consisting of low-impact strength, mobility, and postural alignment exercises. Joseph Pilates developed the system in the early 1900s to overcome his own illnesses and injuries. Ballet and modern dance luminaries including George Balanchine and Martha Graham worked with Joseph Pilates to train their dancers. Pilates exercises continue to be an important part of professional ballet dancers' training today, as well as an accessible exercise method for people of all body types and levels of physical fitness.

Fitness classes approach wellness through physical exercise. At Find Your Center, we teach exercises that can be done in small spaces with everyday objects. Our Personal Training sessions focus on individual needs and circumstances. We work with clients to design exercises and form habits that help you reach your fitness and wellness goals.

Holistic Wellness refers to the interdependent nature of our wellbeing. At Find Your Center, we see holistic wellness as comprised of external dimensions (interpersonal, cultural, and occupational) and internal dimensions (intellectual, emotional, physical, and spiritual). In our holistic wellness sessions, we use discussion, writing, meditation, and other intellectual and spiritual approaches to center ourselves as we interact with the world around us.
FAQs
PREGUNTAS FRECUENTES
What Do I Wear?
Comfortable athletic clothes are appropriate for all of our fitness, dance, and capoeira classes. You are welcome to wear specialized attire if you have it, but it is not required or expected. Here are some general recommendations:
  • Ballet students can wear ballet slippers or other soft dance shoes, or socks.
  • Capoeira students should wear comfortable clothing with bare feet or flexible and lightweight shoes.
  • Flamenco students can wear flamenco, character dance, or any other sturdy shoe, or dance barefoot. Skirts are recommended for women and girls (and welcome for anyone). Make sure you wear leggings, shorts or athletic pants under your skirt.
Your choice of footwear will depend on your floor surface at home. Talk with your instructor about the safest footwear for your floor.

What Supplies Do I Need?
We recommend having a water bottle and a notebook on hand. Your instructor will let you know if any other supplies are recommended.

What Equipment Do I Need?
You must have a computer or mobile device with a microphone, camera, and speakers in order to participate in our live online classes. You will also need an internet connection. No other equipment is required, but we recommend the following:
  • Pilates students should have a soft clean surface that you can lie down on. This could be a yoga or exercise mat, rug, or carpet.
  • Ballet students should have a chair, counter, or table that you can use as a barre. Your instructor can help you find something around the house that will work. You will also need a soft clean floor surface for floor warm-up and stretches.

What Kind of Space Do I Need?
Your instructor will guide you in adapting your training to any space that you have available. You're welcome to try out different indoor and outdoor spaces to see what works best. Some things to consider:
  • ​Amount of space: You'll need enough space to lie down on the floor for a Pilates mat class. For dance & capoeira classes, at a minimum you should be able to stand in one place and extend your arms and legs in each direction without hitting anything. 
  • Equipment placement: You'll need to put your device in a place where you can see and hear your instructor while taking class. We love it when we can also see and hear you, but students are free to turn off your cameras and mics if you prefer. 
  • Floor: Make sure it is clear of debris during class. The best surface will depend on the type of class and your footwear. Your instructor will help you determine what works best.
  • Interruptions & other people: It's perfectly fine for other members of your household to move in and out of your space during class. Please make sure they are aware if they are on camera or microphone. Anyone who enters our virtual classroom by coming into camera or microphone range will be expected to contribute to a safe and supportive environment.
  • Lighting & sound: If you would like your instructor and classmates to see you, try to avoid back lighting from windows. A quiet room is great, but we can turn your mic off if it's noisy.

​When Do I Start?
Now! Enrollment is open year-round.

​Which Classes Should I Choose?
We're happy to chat about which combination of ongoing classes, on-demand classes, and private sessions would be best for you. Just send us a note and we'll be in touch.

How Does Enrollment Work?
Scroll down on our Classes page for a detailed explanation of enrollment procedures for our regularly scheduled classes. Contact us if you'd like to schedule a private session or a custom group workshop. 
OUR STORY
NUESTRA HISTORIA
​Kate & DeShawn began Find Your Center with a vision: a school where we would make ballet and capoeira accessible, and teach these arts as tools for centering ourselves in our everyday lives.
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When we met in 2013, the more we got to know each other, the more we recognized in each other the powerful skills for physical, emotional, and intellectual centering that we had developed through our previous professional training in dance and martial arts. We brought with us the wider perspectives of having worked in social science research, local government, teaching, and community organizing.

Five years later and with a two-year-old in tow, we opened the doors of our school. Our students ranged from Spanish-speaking families thrilled to have an affordable and accessible ballet school in their neighborhood, to young professionals, retired dance teachers, and health-conscious people from surrounding areas.

When the coronavirus pandemic struck in 2020, we moved out of our studio and into virtual classrooms. Throughout that year, we were able to offer some semblance of stability, normality, and social contact by being there for our students at the same times every week, through wildfires, pandemic surges, and social and political unrest.

By 2021, our youngest students had “Zoomed out” as they dealt with a year of virtual schooling, and we had zoomed in on teaching adults, which had always been our passion and our strength. As we move forward with this new vision and also return to our original vision of teaching holistic wellness through arts, fitness and social critique, we invite you to explore our virtual space and join us on the journey. ​