Daily Inspiration: Meet Genoa Belson

Today we’d like to introduce you to Genoa Belson. 

Hi Genoa, so excited to have you on the platform. So, before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I took my first ballet class when I was 11 years old and knew right away it was my calling. I was immediately mesmerized and I’m still just as in love with dance over 20 years later. Over the years, I rose to principal dancer, choreographer, and teacher. Just as ballet had fully captured my attention, I found teaching dance to be incredibly rewarding and inspiring.

The transformative nature of dance became abundantly evident. What we learn from dance transcends skills or information. It’s a deeper connection to yourself while being part of something much bigger.  It’s learning to be creative and resilient in the moment. It’s learning to enjoy the process of pushing beyond your limitations each day.  All of these things are tremendously valuable lessons and yet, high-quality dance education seemed to be reserved for a fairly small segment of the population.

So, I set out to create a high-quality, inclusive dance program that was accessible to as many children as possible. Full Circle Dance was created with a mission of bringing dance to elementary schools as summer and afterschool programs, but I quickly discovered that there was a huge need for pre-school dance classes. While I had some experience teaching baby ballet, working in education, and raising a wonderful boy of my own, I realized I had a lot to learn about teaching dance to 2-4 year olds!

So, I dove headfirst into researching early childhood dance education and what I learned was extraordinary. Research tells us movement and sensory experiences play an integral part in early brain development. Music and movement, when taught with some of these research-based principles, can actually improve brain development and have a profound impact on children’s development. And the icing on the cake? Dance is the perfect medium for teaching young children because it’s joyful, imaginative, and it feels like play. Creating dance curriculum for early learners was a truly happy accident.

Full Circle Dance began by offering dance to early learners at ten schools per week in the Denver area and soon expanded into a studio space in 2019 to give our students a place to continue their dance education. We are incredibly fortunate that while our in-school programs are currently on pause, we have been able to continue our mission by offering our specialized early learners’ classes at our studio in Golden as well as progressive dance programs for our older students at the Apex Recreation Center.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I don’t think it’s been a smooth road for anyone these last 2 years. There has been a lot of moving from plan A to plan Z as the world seems to be changing by the minute. We just keep moving forward, doing the best we can, and learning a lot along the way!

Have you learned any interesting or important lessons due to the Covid-19 Crisis?
The arts have provided a welcome respite for children and adults alike during the pandemic. While it has been a frightening and painful time in the world, as soon as the music starts and we begin to move together, there is a sense of connection, joy, and normalcy that has been incredibly therapeutic. This experience has strengthened my belief that through the arts, we can create a community of people who have enormous respect for themselves and the world around them.

Contact Info:

• Email: Genoa@fullcircle.dance
• Website: FullCircle.dance
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fullcircledancecolorado/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fullcircledancecolorado/

Image Credits:
Sean McNeil
Aspen Art Co
Lindsay Pierce Martin