Testimonials

At Wild Lily Dance Centre, our students are our motivation. How have we motivated you? Has being a student at Wild Lily Dance Centre affected you in a way that you want to share your experience with others? We’d like to hear about it. Here’s how you can help. You can share your ‘Experience’ in a number of ways:

• Written Testimonial
• Photo, with caption
• Video
• ANYTHING you can think of!

You can send your submission to info@wildlilydancecentre.com
Please note: All materials submitted will be the property of Wild Lily Dance Centre, and will be used for promotional purposes. Submission of materials implies consent to use them for such purposes.

“What Wild Lily Means To Me” Contest

We’ve recently held a little contest entitled “What Wild Lily Means To Me” asking our students to submit testimonials for a chance to win a FREE class at the studio for the Fall 2011 semester. Here are just a few of the responses;

Caitlin Hill

Wild Lily means a number of things to me. Firstly, it has allowed me to continue to learn a dance form that I have found truely at home in- Bellydance. I think sometimes that I didn’t know how little I thought of myself UNTIL I started bellydancing. Realizing that that new feeling, that new way of looking in the mirror was “finally feeling OK with myself” was an emotional moment for me.

Secondly, I love that Wild Lily has brought me back to a dance form which I had wanted to pursue in my childhood, but was told I did not fit the rigid mold of the ideal dancer- Ballet. I had “bad feet”, “bad ankles”, was likely going to have “a disproportionate body type”. Wild Lily has instilled me a sense of empowerment that finally- after nearly 20 years- of believing I would be unable to do it, I can. I do. I will continue to do so.

Thirdly, and perhaps you will think this is a strange one, but It’s the strongest motivator I have for being a Wild Lily – What I see Wild Lily meaning to OTHERS.
I honestly feel that watching other women (and men, too!) find that spark in themselves is a phenomenal thing to watch. Watching someone master a movement, or get the attitude right, or seeing a student greet their family at a showcase with a huge smile, makes ME smile. I want to continue to watch new members, new dancers come into their own sense of self….It’s like watching watching a bud turn into a flower…a Lily, actually.

Marilyn Coady

Wild Lily is home! The people whom I have met, danced and laughed with have changed this shy girls’ life forever! Can’t imagine my life without the Lily in it! To my dance instructors, Vanessa, Lori & Cindy I can’t say enough…you bring such joy to my life and I always look forward to being around you ladies! Thank you to the entire Wild Lily family for inspiring me to just be me!

Elizabeth Pitt

“Pitty” submitted this photo with a lovely text that reads:

Inspiration…

Creativity…

Knowledge…

With Wild Lily

I am Dance

Thanks to Tara Bradbury (a Wild Lily herself) for the photo.

Rosemary Norman

What does Wild Lily mean to me? Well, to begin wth, it is yet another step in the blossoming of my sister, Lori, who is well known to everyone involved with the studio. Despite the hard work and long hours she puts in there, it is undoubtedly one of the main joys in her life, coming close second to family. Seeing her spread her wings as a dancer and creative force has certainly inspired me to see what bellydance could do for me. For someone who, as Jen says in her entry, has battled self-consciousness about my body image my entire life, it was (and still is!) a revelation to think of myself as a beautiful, graceful woman. Bellydancing has helped me establish a stronger connection to my female core, teaching me to pay attention to all those muscles that translate into such wonderful movements. The warmth and humour that permeates each and every class makes the hard work bearable, and keeps me coming back, even though I know that I am one of the oldest students there! My favourite memory is the feeling of strength and power I felt as I performed the veils choreography with Maryll, Mary, Elizabeth and Lori at the student showcase this past spring, and my husband telling me I was the most graceful one there (in his eyes only, to be sure). Thank you, Wild Lily.

Jen Hartman

I started bellydance at Wild Lily after a lifetime of being self-conscious about my rather zaftig body. The year before I started, I had taken control of my life, started my doctoral degree, lost over 100 pounds, and was even lucky enough to marry a man who appreciates me for who I am. Mynew husband suggested that I take bellydance so that I could finally feel like the beautiful lady he saw. When I started at Wild Lily, I had a little secret that not even I knew…I was four weeks pregnant with my first baby! I continued bellydancing all through my pregnancy, and hip circles and figure eights got me through a 34-hour labour, which ended in my beautiful eight-pound baby girl coming out with only three pushes! Something tells me (well, the nurses told me) that I wouldn’t have gotten through as well as I did had I not stayed active and moved my hips while I was in labour. Taking bellydance classes in the friendly, warm environment at Wild Lily was the best thing I could have done for both my health and my sense of self worth. Even though my body is still far from perfect-I still have quite a bit of weight to lose- I’m now an empowered momma who understands that confidence is more critical to beauty than a magazine-worthy figure. This picture was taken at the spring 2011 student showcase, at which I was eight and a half months pregnant and feeling more feminine and confident than I ever had before.

Sara Hawkins

If I had to choose 1 word to describe what Wild Lily means to me, it would be confidence. Before I started classes there, I tore my ligaments in my right ankle and was told to give up all exercise and dance (which I love). At the same time, I was diagnosed with arthritis in my hips. How was I supposed to deal? I had to give up a passion of mine. Through determination, physio and just plain stubbornness, I started to slowly learn how to modify my daily life. Through this though, I had gained weight and did not feel my sexy self. I was nervous about starting bellydance. I thought that the only people who could bellydance were the skinny, flat stomach girls. Wild Lily changed that mindset. They always said that it doesn’t matter body shape and size and that bellydance is about being comfortable with who you are (on the inside and outside) and that we are all beautiful. Wild Lily has given me the confidence to do feel pretty and beautiful. It also heled me get over my focusing on what I can’t do, but on what I can. I may never be able to run a race, but I can shimmy!

Nic Hartman

I was exposed to Wild Lily via my wife, who started taking bellydance there. I’d come along, to be a “bellydance husband,” and felt at home in the studio’s warm atmosphere. Not long after, I developed a dance bug, which I satisfied through Wild Lily’s adult ballet class. I had been wanting to study ballet for some time, but wasn’t, for the longest time, in the best physical condition to do so; Wild Lily helped me to get my feet wet through a positive, empowering atmosphere that left me hungry for more.

Though I’m only one of a few guys who are involved with the centre, I feel nothing but welcome there. The joy, the challenges and the bonds I have built while there are immense, and dancing jostles my soul in ways I never imagined.

Maryll Lister

The wild lily dance centre has been a wonderful help to me in tough times. I am going through some tough stuff and the positive attitude laughs and giggles always help. I have also gained confidence just by attending classes and learning to love myself and my own body, I am no longer the super quiet girl I was when I started dance. I am now full of giggles laughter with the rest of the girls. I enjoy every class even on my bad days. These classes are incredibly fun and have helped me to get out and meet new people, the friends you gain are amazingly creative wonderful people. Students are very friendly and inclusive never competitive. They truly care. Wild lily is a safe place like a home filled with tons of amazing people. To be honest I just can’t express how helpful and how much wild lily means to me. Without Wild lily life would just be dull.

We can’t thank you enough for your kind words and your testimonials for the studio. Keep ‘em coming.