Mariah-Jane
Training
Dance
Mariah-Jane has been training in numerous dance genres since she was a child. Her focus on dance pedagogy began at age 17 and has been ongoing.
Kinesiology
Mariah-Jane has been studying the materials of applied kinesiology and Brain Gym since 2008 and Rhythmic Movement Training since 2011.
Somatics
The journey into somatics began in 1999 upon discovering The Patterns of Total Body Organization and years of attending Feldenkrais sessions.
Speaking
Speaker training came through life experience primarily. Upon joining Toastmasters in 2018, Mariah-jane was able to hone her skills.
Personal Development
Life's challenges directed Mariah-Jane to dive into numerous areas of personal development including the work of Louise Hay, Dr. Joe Dispenza and Esther Hicks.
Energy Medicine
Beyond her studies in Brain Gym and Touch for Health, Mariah-Jane has explored Emotion Code, EFT, Flower Essences and attained her Reiki Level II.
Dance Training
Mariah-Jane began her dance training at age 7 with ballet and tap. A severe ankle injury on the playground ended her dance training, until her good fortune to attend a high school that had a dance programme.
From 15-18, as she was the studio accompanist for ballet classes she observed and learned a lot that gave her an amazing pedagogy foundation by observing all ages. By 17 she was transitioning back into dancing and by 18 it was her focus. She studied ballet, tap and modern taking exams in all and began choreographing her own works.
Mariah-Jane was thrilled to be the last cohort to graduate with a dance teacher degree from Grant MacEwan College in Edmonton, Alberta. In college, she studied ballet, modern, drama, anatomy, psychology, music and nutrition.
Upon graduation she went on to become an RAD (Royal Academy of Dance) registered teacher and began her formal teaching career at 24, in 1994.
In 1999, Mariah-Jane took the leap to open her own dance studio, Prism Dance Centre: Transforming the Mind and Body. She had a staff of ten and student body of 250 with classes in ballet, jazz, tap, lyrical, modern, musical theatre, ballroom, creative movement and stage. During this time she produces numerous full scale shows doing the choreography, stage management and lighting design.
At 29, she had the amazing good luck to discover the work of Bill Evans and has been attending 1-2 week dance intensives since 1999. She studied Laban Movement Analysis and the Bartenieff Fundamentals. These intensives have also included extensive pedagogical training, multiple intelligences, anatomy and kinesiology.
Mariah-Jane has delved into the world of somatics, studying Feldenkrais, Body-Mind Centering and the Barteneiff Fundamentals.
She has also completed the Franklin Method Level 1, which teaches about imagery for embodied anatomy.
Mariah-Jane is honoured to be a requested content provider on the new online resource for dancers and dance teachers, The Library Aesthetic Dance Media.
The Library Aesthetic Dance Media
Kinesiology Training
Mariah-Jane discovered Brain Gym 101 in 2008 while googling Brain Dance!
She has had the pleasure of studying with:
- Paul Dennison
- Gail Dennison
- Dr. Carla Hannaford
- Colleen Gardner
- Rose Harrow
- Carol Ann Erikson
- Denise Hornbeak
- Claire Hocking
- Sher Smith
- Lisa Marcovici
While attending the Brain Gym Summer Institutes in Ottawa, she was introduced to Rhythmic Movement Training. She immediately jumped in and studied with Harold Blomberg, Claire Hocking and Moira Dempsey.
She reached her certification in Brain Gym in 2014 and Blomberg Rhythmic Movement Training in 2015.
Mariah-Jane has attended the conferences in:
- Damme, Germany
- Portland, MA
- San Diego, CA
- Denver, CO
- Banff, AB
- Online Conferences
Mariah-Jane has also done her Touch for Health Level 1 and learned how to help clients with the Injury Recall Technique.
Somatics Training
The study of somatics began with Mariah-Jane's first Bill Evans class. While working on the pattern of Breath, Bill said "Be Willing to Let Go of what you No Longer Need." Immediately, she knew she was in the right place.
The yearly gatherings brought in the best of the best with a particular highlight getting to learn from and even be roommates with the amazing teacher, dancer and author Peggy Hackney.
The pioneering Bonnie Bainbridge-Cohen, founder of Body-Mind Centering, has been a strong influence in both her in person classes and online sessions. A career highlight to date, was presenting at a Body-Mind Centering International Conference in Montreal, Quebec.
The principles of Feldenkrais became absorbed and applied thanks to decades of Feldenkrais sessions with the expert teacher, Suzie Lundgren.
Speaking Training
While Mariah-Jane presented at numerous dance teacher conferences beginning in 2010, she began to get some training in speaking from the stage by joining Toastmasters International from 2018-2023.
During her stint with Toastmasters she served on the executive board in several clubs, including advanced clubs.
Mariah-Jane honed her skills under pressure by competing at the club, area and division levels.
Winner in:
- International Speech
- Evaluation
- Table Topics
Mariah-Jane's bucket list item in speaking was to speak on a TED stage. In November 2021, this dream came true with her talk, "Your Movement Habits Create Your Life."
The creation of this talk was a labour of love and a leap of faith to be so vulnerable on stage.
If you choose to watch the talk and like, please click like. If you feel so inspired please make a comment and share. This message is important and the more it is shared the better, even as a first step for people wondering about an additional inroad for healing.
Energy Medicine
For all of Mariah-Jane's adult life she has been interested in energy medicine.
Her personal development journey began to include energy medicine when she finally went to deal with her stuck grief over losing her father when she was 18. The use of meridians and the connection to our emotions was the inroad, along with movement, to unsticking the grief and beginning to heal and open her heart again.
Personal Development
Mariah-Jane has always been a voracious reader, and for over 20 years, has focused on various aspects of personal development. She has had a business coach and been a part of ongoing coaching programmes that work for work/life balance.
Mariah-Jane has been a fan of T. Harv Ekert and took numerous courses with Peak Potentials followed by several years serving on the Karma Krew.
She has studied many areas and even has certification as a Louise Hay coach and intuitive card reader. Her library is extensive and now thanks to Youtube and streaming services such as Gaia she is able to continue to deepen her knowledge.
Mariah-Jane has attended live workshops with such luminaries as Bob Proctor and Michael Loiser.
