We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Savannah Svoboda a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Savannah , appreciate you joining us today. Naming anything – including a business – is so hard. Right? What’s the story behind how you came up with the name of your brand?

“Full Expression! A Dance Collective” was born out of many iterations of trying to find a name that encompasses everything we do and value. For my personal journey, I was never to able to find a place where I felt I could truly be myself, as a queer dancer I didn’t feel safe to actually fully express my humanity and I wanted to create a place for others who felt that way. We want any dancer, instructor, volunteer, etc. to feel like they can fully express themselves in our space, especially those who have been historically marginalized. For us, this means creating a space that all bodies feel welcome to explore dance without fear of judgement, bullying, or harassment. Through embodiment of the actual dance movement to how we move and navigate systems of oppression, our hope is that you can do that at Full Expression! in a more safe and equitable way. The “A Dance Collective’ part of our name aligns with all of the incredible programs and offerings we have that aren’t just dance. We are dedicated to arts advocacy work, theater, dance, and performance art and as a collective we tell stories through these different efforts and forms.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

Of course! My name is Savannah Svoboda (she/her) and I am the Founder and Artistic Director of Full Expression! A Dance Collective, where we work to create more safe and equitable experiences for dancers though movement, education, and community investment. My days are filled with teaching dance classes, creating marketing strategies, collaborating with different leaders in our community, coaching dance leaders, building curriculum, and anything else that goes into running a business. I resisted a career in the performing arts for a very long time before it became pretty inevitable that I couldn’t stay away from this work. The arts are the center of so many people’s worlds and to be part of those worlds is an honor. I started studying dance when I was 10-years old and 23-years later I am still learning new things daily.

Dance and movement are surprisingly part of many big life events. I have worked with birthing people on how to integrate movement into their birthing plan, I have created first dances for couples on their wedding, and I have seen the power of healing dance has on those during their lowest days. Being part of these experiences in a very intentional and vulnerable way is a unique and special part of my job.

This year has been an incredible year of abundance for us and I am proud that we kept going and didn’t give up. There are days that go completely wrong and that voice starts creeping up. The voice that says, “That’s it! you’re done! give up!” and I am proud that even on those days, I find a way to keep moving forward. I am also deeply proud of our dance leaders and the community we have grown, this work can’t be done alone! We want everyone to know that you are worthy of a safe dance experience and deserve to be thought of when you enter a space.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

Having a social media presence has helped us expand and it’s also been a creative way for our team to create something together! As we have built our brand, we have been dedicated to learning about different platforms and what works for us, not just what is trending. Being in the performing arts world, we felt that our voice was just going to get lost in all of the TikTok dances and popular audios but the truth is if you are consistent, you will find your groove. For those trying to build your brand, create a schedule strategy and narrow in on what message you want get into the world. Our team posts every Monday and Thursday and we collaborate together on what the priority is that week. Also, don’t do it for the likes or views, just get your content out there! Follow us: Instagram/@savboda TikTok/@fullexpression

We’d love to hear about how you keep in touch with clients.

Personal connection and being inclusive of people’s needs in our space fosters our mission of creating more safe and equitable spaces. We use email, text messages, personal notes, social media shoutouts, and more to keep in touch. If a dancer needs an accommodation, we do everything in our means to make sure that happens. When someone knows they will be taken care of, they will come back.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.fullexpression.net
• Instagram: @savboda
• Other: TikTok: @fullexpression

Image Credits
David Ovitsky Seth Pickett