Social worker to dancing champion

Zana Coultas has danced from age four, taking a slight break in her early twenties and then returning. Coultas uses dance to escape workplace stress. As her job title is “service manager for recourse improvement and partnerships over placement teams and children’s services” she has numerous stresses she faces every day. Her job entails looking after an entire service of team managers that explore and identify placements for young people. Coultas says that her job isn’t a nine to five and she doesn’t switch off at five. Saying her job, “often bleeds into [her] personal life.”

Coultas uses dance as an outlet, she said: “Dance is another level for me, it has always been an outlet as soon as I put my shoes on and walk on the floor I don’t think of anything else.” She uses the time on the dance floor to escape, especially following the Covid pandemic as this made social work that much harder, with Coultas saying she has seen things following the pandemic she has never seen in her career.

 “ Dance is another level for me, it has always been an outlet as soon as I put my shoes on and walk on the floor I don’t think of anything else”

Coultas isn’t always up for going to dance, knowing being there takes mental and physical effort, but always pushes herself to go. She said: “I’m always far more productive when I’ve come to dance and got it off my chest as it’s a complete circuit breaker.” However, she doesn’t just describe dancing as a way to escape work stresses but believes the people within the dance community are a huge help too. She says that she has conversations with people at the dance school that wouldn’t necessarily happen at work or home, saying: “We all have such different experiences, but we all come here for the same reason.”

KMAD isn’t just recognised for being a high-achieving dance school but is also known for the support system it provides, Coultas said: “It’s not just about dancing, it’s about all the support, emotional and practical you get from this world as well.” Saying that everyone is like a second family to her, sharing all the highs and lows of her life.

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Coultas just reached both ballroom and latin nationwide finals and enjoyed every second of the experience, knowing she has worked hard for years to achieve this success. Kirsty Marshall said: “Seeing her hit two finals for the first time was the best feeling, she deserves it.”

KMAD strives for good ethics throughout the dance school, Marshall said: “Zana is the most driven and motivated individual that brings the word team to life at KMAD. I truly believe that Zana’s positive attitude and work ethic have been instrumental in KMAD being the school it is today.” This made her recent success at the dance competition more enjoyable for everyone, knowing how much she deserves it not just as a dancer but as an individual.

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Coultas loves being on a dance floor, she said: “I imagine a hundred-meter racer feels like this when they just cross the finish line.” Being able to let go of all her worries about work for a short amount of time means Coultas can tackle her high-pressure job with a clearer head and a sharper focus. Making her a well-loved individual inside and outside of dance.