Hallie Kuperman is featured in this edition of Dance Spotlight! She is a dance instructor, performer, and owner of Century Ballroom located in Seattle! She was nominated Michael Burton Cahn. He said, “Hallie is a pillar of the community, and she has been a huge contributor to the Seattle dance scene over the years.” Check out fun and interesting facts about Hallie including her thoughts on the lead/follow relationship in dance and why having a Code of Conduct is important.
What (or who) originally inspired you to try Latin dancing? OR What are your first memories of latin dancing?
I was hired to teach on a cruise that was going to Mexico, and I thought I should learn some Latin dances to teach so I could do more than teach Swing dancing. I had a student in one of my Swing classes who started teaching me and from there I was hooked.
Describe a moment in your dance life that made you feel proud?
A moment? The obvious is watching students go from nothing to dancing in such a short time. But personally, performing always made me feel proud. It’s out of my comfort zone really; so to produce, choreograph and perform in shows (and remember any choreography) has always made me proud.
You teach a variety of dance styles. What is your favorite and why?
Impossible to answer, each is so different. LINDY HOP is pure fun! You can’t do that dance without smiling. It’s what hooked me and it will always be a dance I love. What I love about partner dancing is the language two people speak without words. SALSA for me is about the movement, momentum, music, and how you and your partner connect within that. When it’s good, there is nothing like it.
Century Ballroom is celebrating it’s 25th anniversary in 2022. That’s a great accomplishment! What changes have you seen in the dance scene over this time? Are these changes positive/negative?
I don’t really see any negatives. I see more people dancing. I see younger people dancing. I see a diverse group of people coming together to share the love of dance and music. I see more women in the DJ booth. I don’t see as many bands, or performance troupes, one could say that is a negative. Without bands, you don’t get new music and that’s a huge problem. I see people dancing without it being tied to gender, which makes me incredibly happy.
You have a Code of Conduct as part of your mission statement. I think that’s really great and not a common practice for most dance schools. Why is a Code of Conduct important and what recommendations would you give to other dance schools for implementing a policy?
It’s important for all staff to have guidelines, and to understand what the organization’s policies are for a number of different issues that might arise. An example I use is, when we rotate if you choose not to dance with the person next in line (usually someone of the same gender), you’ll be asked to leave the dance floor or take class elsewhere. I don’t tolerate discrimination of any sort.
Our staff put hours into writing this code of conduct. It came from all of us, I’d recommend the same, all voices need to be heard. Steal our code of conduct if it speaks to you. The point of our code of conduct is to make sure we create a safe space for everyone. Having it written makes it easier to implement if needed.
(You can find the Century Ballroom Code of Conduct on their About Us page.)
You’re an advocate of non-traditional lead/follow roles in dance, as it pertains to gender. Why is this an important part of your mission?
I’ve always led. I teach, perform and dance as a lead. Although learning both can make you a better (or more empathetic) dancer, the real reason is because gender has nothing to do with dancing. Full stop. I think I have been a model for many who aren’t as comfortable in a public environment. My goal is to make it a non-issue. I’m not here to tell you what role to choose, only to make sure you know you can choose any role you want.
What are your current favorite songs to partner dance to? Top two or three…
Salsa: “Acid” by Ray Barretto
Swing: Easy Does It, various artists
Favorite dance video you’d like to share?
West Coast Swing: Jordan and Tatiana. For me, pretty much anything they have done, but this is at the top of my list.
Related Code of Conducts posts on Go Latin Dance.
Dance Code of Conduct Questionnaire
Implementing Your Code of Conduct
