Dance Collective YXE: where dancing is for every body

Are you still looking for an affordable activity that fits into your fall and winter schedule? Dance Collective YXE has room in their beginner jazz, ballet, hip hop, and tap classes for kids 8 and up, of all abilities. Yes, they have classes ranging from beginner to experienced dancers, competition and all. But I feel called to share about this special place because not only does Dance Collective YXE welcome kids of any experience, it’s Saskatoon’s only fully-inclusive studio. And yes, dance is for every body. Thanks to a Kinsmen Telemiracle grant, the studio is able to offer dance wheelchairs to students whose primary mode of transportation is a wheelchair… and the Wheels in Motion program is recruiting new students right now!

I talked to Renee Larre, a passionate, volunteer Board member for this incredible non-profit studio. Read on and get inspired to support Dance Collective by registering your child.

S&L: How did Dance Collective begin?

RL: Dance Collective was conceived within weeks of the unexpected closure of the University of Saskatchewan School of Dance in the spring of 2020. There was an immediate swell of support from the previous schools’ parents and instructors to maintain the spirit of “everybody can dance”. Three dedicated instructors and a group of parents were determined to ensure that the core philosophy and the diversity of programming be maintained. Under the leadership of parent volunteers, instructors who still wanted to teach, and a sizeable dancer population that was committed to the new studio, Dance Collective was created in Summer 2020.

We incorporated Dance Collective as a non-profit dance school in August 2020 and started accepting registrations and started our first year of instruction in September 2020. We are based out of the Dance Saskatchewan building at 309 Fairmont Drive in Saskatoon and rent studio space in that spacious, new building. Our commitment is to provide Saskatoon with a studio consisting of a wide variety of dance opportunities at an affordable cost. As the studio is funded by registration and membership fees, we do engage in various fundraising efforts to ensure we can continue to keep costs at an affordable rate.

S&L: What makes this studio different to others?

RL: Dance Collective YXE is Saskatoon's only inclusive dance studio. Founded in 2020, this non profit dance studio offers all genres of dance and operates with the philosophy to offer an opportunity for anyone to dance regardless of ability.

The studio is home to the Spirit Flyers program for people with a range of physical and cognitive abilities and the Wheels in Motion program for those whose primary mode of transportation is a wheelchair.

What's great about Dance Collective is the welcoming environment and community vibe. This studio is also great for those little dancers whose parents aren't sure if they want to commit to dance and make it their primary activity.

S&L: What are you most excited about for Dance Collective's future?

We are most excited to continue to offer high quality instruction, mentoring, and amazing opportunities for anyone who loves dance and maybe felt there wasn’t a place for them. We also are excited for more people to find out about us and to be known as a safe space for parents who have kids expressing interest in dance but they’re unsure of how to start out or are intimidated by cost. We would love to consider expanding our class offering all the while continuing to build our inclusive community.

Thanks so much to Renee for her time. See my tiktok video tour for a peek at the studio and visit the Dance Collective YXE site for class times and registration.

xo M