Formidable Woman Magazine’s “POWER 20” Online Magazine spotlights 20 accomplished women making extraordinary strides in their industries. These women inspire the next woman to be bold, to be unapologetic, to be great!
FWM: Who is Kelly and what is your superpower?
This is a great question! I am a daughter, a sister, a mother, a friend, a partner, an author, a business owner, an educator, and a youth empowerment coach. I have been a dance educator for 28 years. Dance has always been my passion, but I learned very early on that teaching youth and mentoring them was my purpose. The addition of empowerment coaching was the perfect fit for me because building a child’s self-confidence through positive self-talk, gratitude reflection, and resilience has always been of utmost importance to me.
Without a doubt, Empathy is my superpower. As a young girl growing up, the Golden Rule was imprinted on my soul. Do unto others, as you would have done to you. My father would always remind me in situations that I must put myself in the other person’s shoes and this resonated on a very deep level for me. To teach children require a great deal of empathy and patience. You must be able to put yourself in their shoes to understand what they may be going through in their life that could be contributing to their lack of confidence.
FWM: How can women who want to do what you do gain access and support?
My first piece of advice would be to get accredited. It is very important to make sure that you have certifications that support your talent. Secondly, always keep learning and growing and reflecting. This world is ever changing, and you need to stay current and relevant. The more you know, the more you have to offer. Next, be sure that you LOVE it. You cannot work with children for a pay cheque. Children need and deserve more from us. Finally, be kind, be humble and be fierce! Yes! You can be all of those things at the same time. Our industry is small (even though it is massive) and it is a tight, supportive community so it is important to be a contributing member in the best way you can.
FWM: You are a serious BOSS! Tell us, what are you working on and what’s next for you?
I am currently working on new content for a series of empowerment workshops and programs for youth in sports. I have been unable to be in my dance studio since the beginning of March so we made the switch to virtual learning and listening to my high performance athletes speak about how it was affecting them to be away from their sport, ignited a whole new idea for programming to support them. I am also working on writing another book. An interactive book for youth.
About Kelly
KELLY GIFFORD –E.C.E, A.D.A.P.T, ICI LIFE & YOUTH EMPOWERMENT COACH, LICENSED PBT INSTRUCTOR, AUTHOR
Kelly Gifford has been teaching dance for 28 years. After completing her dance training she continued her post-secondary studies in performing arts at Randolph School of the Arts. During that time she worked in the industry performing in live shows, film and television (Road to Avonlea, Blues Bros. 2000).
Kelly decided to further her education and extend her love of dance and performance to younger children. She graduated with honors as a certified Early Childhood Educator.
She is a certified Tap and Jazz teacher with A.D.A.P.T Her choreography has won many prestigious awards and titles. She has adjudicated at many large dance competitions across Canada.
Kelly has integrated her Fitness, Personal Training and Children’s Fitness Coaching background into her dance instruction, developing a specialized conditioning program for dancers (including strength and cardiovascular training and yoga)
She recently became a certified Youth Empowerment Coach with ICI because she saw a correlation between self-confidence and maximum potential and wanted to be able to provide her dancers with inspiration, goal attainment skills and the most positive environment for success. In the fall of 2018 Kelly co-authored her first book titled Your Child, My Student.
Kelly is a certified and licensed Progressing Ballet Technique Instructor. Progressing Ballet Technique is an innovative program developed by Marie Walton-Mahon for students to understand the depth of training muscle memory in achieving their personal best in classical ballet.
Along with dance, Kelly has a passion for drama and musical theater. She has produced, directed and choreographed 15 musicals to date.
Many of Kelly’s students have gone on to have successful professional careers in both Canada and the United States.
STUDENT CREDITS INCLUDE:
- Broadway – Jesus Christ Superstar
- Performing with Janet Jackson, Brian McKnight, and Britney Spears
- Stage productions of Dirty Dancing, Tap Dogs, Cats, Rock of Ages, Mamma Mia
- Film and Television – Once Upon A Mattress (Carol Burnett), Luna Petunia (Cirque Du Soleil Jr, Netflix)
- JUST TO NAME A FEW!
Instagram – @believeyouthempowerment
Facebook – Believe Youth Empowerrment
