About Maria
Dance instructor, healer, and passionate advocate for authentic expression
MY MISSION
My mission is to bring joy, peace, and a sense of connection into your life and make you feel loved, seen, heard, and accepted. Dance has the potential to give you a sense of belonging to a dance family, and I would love to help you achieve that. I've discovered that dance can be just as therapeutic as being a doctor. I want to touch lives and hearts, bringing out tears of joy. With my broad technical knowledge, I aim to share it with you in a way that's effective, fun, and engaging, empowering you with the knowledge you need.
I'm looking forward to working with you, learning from you, and growing together. You're important to me, and I can't wait to start this journey with you!
WHAT DOES DANCE MEAN TO ME?
Dance has been a source of profound healing and guidance in my life. I've journeyed through my struggles, wrestling with feelings of depression and anxiety and feeling lost. But through it all, dance has been my solace, my sanctuary, lending strength to endure life's trials.
As an ex-pediatrician, wife, parent of three, and a person who has relocated to a new country, I've experienced extended breaks from dancing. Nevertheless, dance has always drawn me back, beckoning me to find comfort and familiarity in its embrace.
When I immerse myself in teaching or dancing, I find myself at my most authentic and fulfilled. Time seems to melt away, replaced by a profound sense of immersion and contentment. Dance becomes a form of meditation, a cultural expression, and a means of physical exertion. It gives me peace of mind, clarity, and a profound connection to myself and the world around me.
Additionally, it has provided me with a sense of community, fostering precious friendships and a support network.
It brings me immense joy to recognize the inherent goodness in others, encourage their potential, and guide them toward embracing their most genuine selves. I have a deep affection for people, dance, and sharing the gift of dance through teaching. This pursuit forms the core of my being, or as the Japanese refer to it, my ikigai.
Dance transcends mere bodily movements; it represents the language of the soul. Through dance, I aspire to touch the lives and hearts of others, fully recognizing dance as a divine gift. Are you prepared to welcome and explore this transformative gift with an open heart?
My Superpower Topics
These are the dance areas and concepts where I can offer exceptional guidance and instruction:
- Connection: Developing meaningful dance partnerships through physical and emotional connection
- Free arm styling: Creative and expressive arm movements that enhance your dance
- Authenticity: Finding and expressing your true self through movement
- Connection with the floor, grounding: Establishing stability and power through proper floor connection
- Body flight: Creating beautiful lines and momentum in your dancing
- Blues: Authentic expression in blues dance styles
- Followers styling: Creative expression for followers while maintaining partnership
- Footwork articulation and variations: Precise and varied foot patterns and techniques
- Contrast: Using dynamics to create visual interest and musicality
- Performance under pressure, spotlights: Maintaining quality and presence during performances
- Mindsets for competitors: Mental preparation and resilience for competition
- Finding joy and inspiration: Connecting with the emotional aspects of dance
- Turns and spins: Technical mastery of rotational movements
- Dancing to slow lyrical songs: Expressing emotion and musicality in slower tempos
- Artistic expression: Developing your unique artistic voice
- Solo movement: Confidence and creativity in dancing alone
- Dancing in between two beats: Advanced musicality and timing
- Creativity: Developing your innovative approach to movement
- Finding dialogue in dance: Creating conversation through movement
About Maria
Belarusian native Maria Bileychik, now based in Dallas, Texas, danced and competed in the ballroom circuit for 25 years until she found West Coast Swing in 2014. Before moving to the US, she also worked as a pediatrician. She is a wife and a mother of three.
Blending her different dance styles (ballet, ballroom, contemporary), she enjoys how WCS, and dance in general, allows her to express and improvise. Since 2015, she has taught WCS in the U.S. and abroad. Maria is also a certified judge (Chuck Brown's Eye Power Judges Training Master Course).