About Me

 

Kara Danas is a Lowell, Massachusetts based dancer, choreographer, and performance artist. Her high energy, sassy, and unique choreographic style is a fusion of urban dance, lyrical, hip hop, and contemporary with added elements of waack and vogue influence. Kara started her journey into dance at the young age of 14, when she was dance captain of her show choir at Lowell High School. Kara has been dancing for 9 years, with a main focus in the Urban Dance genre for 5 years now. Over the last 4 years, Kara has taught multiple dance workshops for ProtoHype Dance Crew. Her choreography for ProtoHype has been showcased onstage numerous times for both competitions and showcases all around New England and was most notably competed with at Prelude New England’s 2018 and 2019 national dance competitions. Kara was also a featured guest workshop teacher at Planet Dance and Fitness’s 2019 Summer Dance Intensive. Since her immersion into the world of urban dance, Kara has danced with numerous local, Lowell based crews and projects, including Mill Advised and Inner Mission Dance Crews, The Neighborhood, Five978, and UMass Lowell’s ProtoHype Dance Crew, where she most recently was Captain before she graduated from UMass Lowell in May 2019 with her B.A in English. As of 2022, Kara currently holds a Master’s Degree in Community Arts Education from Lesley University and teaches dance for teens ages 13 to 18 at the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Lowell. Kara is forever grateful to share her personality and dance style with the rapidly growing and always electric New England dance community. Kara’s life motto as a dancer and human is to always #TrustTheProcess

 

 

TEACHING PHILOSOPHY

I am from Lowell, Massachusetts, where the dance community is strong, vibrant, and flourishing daily. Artists from all modalities in the Lowell community support one another, and make this city a warm and accepting place that sparks the creativity in myself as a dancer. I feed off of the ever growing love and gratitude that I have for my city and the wonderful humans within it, and my love for dance and choreography comes from the electricity and drive that all of the dancers in Lowell and it’s surrounding areas have on a daily basis.

Dance to me is not only a form of self expression, but a form of self empowerment. Every move I create as a dancer has a strong intention behind it, and each of these individual moves of passion then turns into a sequence of moves, and eventually a whole routine. My routines truly encompass the spirit of life that dance ignites in me. The choreography I make is a direct reflection of myself, as it is high energy, sassy, and a unique choreographic style that is a fusion of many diverse movement styles, including lyrical, hip hop, and contemporary with added elements of waack and vogue influence.

I have taught many dance workshops, and dance ignites a different spark in everyone’s soul. My workshop technique is a direct reflection of my teaching philosophy; to be as open and honest with yourself as you can be. We are humans first, and dancers second. Dance should allow complete freedom of expression and creativity in those using it as a form of art. Movement in itself is a gift, and every person moves differently, in their own unique way. Those that I am lucky enough to teach will leave my workshops with a new sense of self empowerment and a new community to be a part of. Dance brings people together, and community in dance and the arts is what I champion, always.

My goal is to inspire those that I dance with and teach to be unapologetic with themselves and to walk away from a class or a rehearsal with a heightened sense of who they are in the world around them. Dance, movement, and expression, just like life, are all gifts that we as humans should be grateful for. Whether I am teaching my teens at Boys and Girls Club, or a room full of seasoned dancers, the first thing I always say before starting my classes is to have fun and let go of whatever expectation that you think I, or anyone else, has for you in this teaching space. I make sure a sense of safety, belonging, and community are established, and creating this atmosphere is the first step to everyone, including myself, being able to enjoy the process of dance, of sharing, of community, and of being a human that spreads understanding and love through movement.