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

Zachary , appreciate you joining us today. Can you talk to us about how you learned to do what you do?

Starting at an early age I was constantly dancing to the beat of my own music. Whether I was at home or shopping at stores with my parents , you could always find me seeking out a place to dance. My parents knew I needed to harvest this energy into something productive and made the life changing decision to put me into dance class. Since then I couldn’t get enough. I began my training in Ottawa with the styles of Jazz and tap. As I grew older my mother would drive my sister and I to Brockville to train with Thrill dancers in other styles such as Lyrical, Ballet, Hip-Hop, contemporary and more. I began competing at regional and national competitions at the age of 8 receiving recognition for my emotional conviction, stage presence and partnering skills and achieving top scores and overalls for Solos, duets/trios and large groups.

As time past I began teaching recreational classes and found my love for teaching. I discovered I am passionate about sharing my devotion to dance and want to share the joyous feeling it brings to everyone which is why I decided to open Devotion Dance Company in 2018.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

Dance has been a constructive way for me express my emotions my entire life whether it be happy or sad. It is an amazing outlet to let your inner emotions out and has helped me through a lot of my life. Being a male dancer did not always make me feel the most comfortable in certain situations which hindered my ability to learn. I believe dance is for everyone and is beneficial for every soul on this planet which is why I opened Devotion Dance Company. We provide a safe space for all ages and mobility levels to learn at their own pace. Our mission is to help guide every individual on their journey to developing confidence and coordination while creating everlasting memories within the studio. Dance is more than just a sport to us; it encompasses discipline, support, determination and creativity which leads to self-assurance.

We provide affordable dance programs for ages 3 to adult for all mobility levels. We offer classes in styles such as Jazz, tap, hip-hop, Ballet, contemporary, Musical theatre, Acro, Lyrical, and more. All classes are offered for either recreational or competitive no matter your age.

We offer classes for low-mobility students both online and in person with instructors who also face the same challenges.

Funding for low-income families is also available.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

The most rewarding part of my Job is seeing large transitions within my own students. Some students start their dance journey with low self confidence and unsure if they will ever find a place where they feel comfortable enough to be themselves. Being able to provide this safe space and allow children to flourish into amazing people who exude confidence is what brings me the most joy about my job. Teaching dance is only a part of the job – the real job is helping them find the confidence to be who they truly are.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

I believe the pandemic forced everyone to Pivot their business into new process’s and provided greater challenges. For our studio we were forced to close our doors for in person classes and had to rely on doing everything online. It was a struggle to keep students attention through zoom and made us realize how much social interaction plays into our happiness. We were able to continue most of our classes through zoom and compete in virtual competitions although we are glad to be back in person.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.DevotionDance.ca
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/devotion.dance/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063696034314
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7oUnOPVHSAg7CPsJXa3MdQ
• Other: Mobile App Google Play Link https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.devotiondancecompany.mi iTunes Link https://apps.apple.com/app/devotion-dance-company/id1635640768