hidden heroes of the dance world

Suzanne Brown came to KMAD through the covid pandemic with her daughter Holly after leaving another dance school. At the time KMAD was doing lessons online before social distancing came in, which was when both Brown and her daughter met everyone face-to-face. Although the transition wasn’t easy while classes were online, Kirsty Marshall did everything she could to make them both feel settled within the community, with Brown saying Marshall would send back-and-forth messages.

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Brown said that when she and her daughter could go dancing in person, within minutes the dancers made them feel settled: “It just felt like you were part of the team within minutes of being here, everyone was so welcoming,” Brown said.

According to the World Health Organisation, multiple people said that during the pandemic they were experiencing symptoms of anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic distress. With most of the population having to stay at home, many individuals felt trapped and isolated. Brown explained that during the pandemic she struggled with her mental well-being and the negative impacts work was having on her. Brown went on sickness at work saying: “I made the decision to not go back to work because it was depressing me.” Brown struggled for a while before being prescribed anti-depressants by her doctors, saying it was a difficult period of her life. 

As she was off work, it allowed her to have the time to work on her headspace, shifting her concentration to things that helped her heal. Brown ignited her passion for dance again and found a love for baking. She danced when she was a child but didn’t dance at KMAD due to anxiety. When Marshall learned this, she managed to convince her to take up what she used to love doing which is when Brown started dancing again on a Saturday at the dance school. Marshall said that later that year Brown competed at a dance competition, the Supadance finals, where she had “the best samba.”

Brown also opened her own business, “Mrs. Brown’s Brownies”. Brown said she used to bring her brownies into dance class where Marshall then told her she needed to sell them, which is exactly what she did. Her business has now reached a high volume of followers on Facebook and Brown says she is now in a “completely different place head-wise.” Marshall couldn’t be prouder of how Brown's confidence has grown, Marshall said: “I’m so proud of how much Suzanne’s confidence has grown since she joined us and very proud of her brownie business that I personally indulge on far too many times.”

Brown believes that the social side, as well as dancing itself helped her when she was struggling. She said being able to have conversations and watch people dance helped: “Sometimes it’s as soon as you get through that door, you kind of forget your worries, and massively when you get on the dance floor you don’t think about anything else, just the love for dance.”

“You don’t think about anything else, just the love for dance”

She describes KMAD as one big family, where everyone is supportive, no matter what is being discussed, explaining that she can tell those at KMAD anything without fear of judgment. Knowing she can talk about her feelings if she wants, or she can talk about something completely unrelated. Brown believes that the dance school has also allowed her daughter to thrive in her dancing and has overall been an incredibly good move for the pair of them.

Brown no longer takes anti-depressants and looks back on that period of her life knowing how far she has come. She can be seen laughing and smiling with the KMAD community and has become a well-loved member of the dance school.