No. 8: 40 Never Looked So Good: An interview with Lauren Borchard, JOMDC faculty since 2002, and 40th Anniversary Faculty Honoree
It wasn’t just yesterday that JOMDC opened its doors – it was 40 years ago! We’ve held thousands of classes and taught hundreds of thousands of students. We’ve met some remarkable people over the years, one of whom is Lauren Borchard. She is a New York native but Washington, D.C. has been her home since 1998. Lauren performs with the Glade Dance Collective and has worked previously with The PlayGround, CrossCurrents Dance Company, and DanceAntonini. Lauren teaches yoga at various DC-area locations and at Joy of Motion Dance Center you can find her teaching modern dance to very eager adult and youth students!
- At what point did you realize that JOMDC would be a second home for you and for your teaching career?
JOMDC is where I first began teaching, where Kelly Mayfield, former JOMDC dance instructor, helped me speak my first words as a teacher. I realized that JOMDC would be home as I went on a journey of dancing in three wonderful JOMDC studios where I explored many different types of exciting classes, and was introduced to the some of the most memorable students ranging from age 6 to 70.
- Our mission is very clear: Dance is for Everyone. How has your life changed over the years while teaching to this mission? Personal changes? Professional changes?
I started teaching and carrying out the mission of JOMDC while I was in graduate school. Since then, as I continued teaching at JOMDC, a lot has happened in my personal life! I’ve set aside my PhD, gotten married, started practicing and teaching yoga, bought a house, and had a baby. Through all of this I continue to cherish the idea that all people can find a movement idiom for themselves; Dance is for Everyone. And I treasure the opportunity to be a part of my students’ journeys. My professional goals are to help everyone express themselves more clearly and to be safe enough to dance their entire lives!
- JOMDC is all about education and opportunity. As we’ve gotten older, we’ve gotten more opportunities–after 40 years in the business, the White House calls us now! What is the greatest opportunity you’ve received through JOMDC?
Each time I am offered a new class to teach, and each time a student returns to my class, I consider it a gift. Through JOMDC, I’ve also connected with different choreographers and dance companies which gave me many opportunities such as performing at the Jack Guidone Theatre with Glade Dance Collective. However, the greatest gift I’ve received while teaching at JOMDC was meeting my husband. I signed him into his first class at the Bethesda studio!
- Describe what free dance classes mean to a person with a passion for dance but without the means.
I can tell you how much it has meant to me! When I came to DC for graduate school, I thought that I would have to quit dancing because I couldn’t afford classes. After a short time, a friend told me about the Workstudy Program at JOMDC. I checked it out and thought it was too good to be true! Here I am all these years later, still completely invested in the studio and connected to the communities that grow around the dance classes and dance companies. And I am still a cheerleader for the mission!
- What is the greatest lesson getting older has taught you?
To find patience and compassion for and with myself and others.
Don’t miss Faculty Honors featuring Lauren Borchard on stage at the 40th Anniversary Gala Concert and Disco Dance Party on Friday, March 11, 2016, 7:30pm.
Join us on March 11, 2016, as we honor Lauren Borchard.
What is your favorite dance memory with Lauren? Leave her a comment below!
