MEET YOUR MAKER

GALIYA ISKAKOVA

MY PURPOSE:

To positively transform people’s lives and relationships through dance.

WHY I DO THIS:

I dance because it frees my soul and mind. I feel connected to myself and to music, like we are one.

However I do this specific work because there is no greater feeling than to witness a person transform, find joy, shift perspective, and step into their greatness… and deeply know that I am a part of that — that I created the opportunity for that to happen.

MY STORY:

I’d first like to say that I come from the greatest country in the world: Kazakhstan! My father was a bodybuilder and my mother worked in a textile factory. And although my life was different from many Americans, dance made a lot of it the same. It was like a universal language that everyone understood, in their own way.

I remember my first time dancing. I was 5 years old, wearing this crazy-colorful dress. My dad put music on the TV, and I could not help but move. I just started performing for everyone in sight. I felt on top of the world! Like a superstar! I’ll never forget that moment. I think we still have it on tape.

In the years after I attended university, got a corporate job, and along the way… somehow lost my zest for life. I yearned for excitement and purpose again. So I began searching for it, while dancing even more. I wondered what the bigger picture was and why dance kept calling me. I knew there was something inside me that I could give people. I wanted to serve others; I just didn’t know how. But after teaching dance for long enough, I realized something: I was changing people’s lives. I began to see my student’s lives change in front of me, and their relationships transform. And eventually, I came to understand my purpose: To positively transform people’s lives and relationships through dance.

In my heart, I think I always knew there was a greater message behind dancing. I just could never find the words... But I realize now, my purpose was always in front of me. I never left it.

I SPECIALize in:

— Salsa, Bachata, Ballroom, Hip Hop, Ladies Style

if i were an ANIMAL (or VEGETABLE) i’d be…

— A Lizard Raspberry

Find Me At:

— www.instagram.com/missgaliya_/

GALIYA IN ACTION

My PAST Experiences