Feel the Beat Dance Instructor Spotlight: Kelli Dotts
For the current Team Member Spotlight in our series featuring our amazing staff and dance instructors at Feel the Beat, we are featuring our dance instructor, Kelli Dotts.
Tell us your dance origin story and a bit about you.
I began dancing at age 8 in a ballet/tap combo class. I never enjoyed ballet too much, but our small studio didn’t offer tap-only classes. In high school, I switched from dance to drums, which is where I developed my love of rhythm. But it wasn’t until I was 40 that I fell in love with tap dance all over again. Today, I enjoy many styles of dance, from contemporary to hip-hop to Broadway, and yes, even ballet—but I’m still a tap dancer, through and through. I dance in two performance groups, TAP! Lakewood and The Rockeyettes, and when I’m not practicing or performing, you can usually find me taking a dance class or attending a tap festival. Finding dance again—and being able to share it with our special community at Feel the Beat—has given me a sense of belonging and purpose I didn’t know I was missing.
Tell us about your role at Feel the Beat. How long have you been at Feel the Beat, and what drew you to the organization?
I’m a new teacher with Feel the Beat. I currently lead two creative dance classes for the Denver Green Autism Program and will be teaching a few adult group classes soon. I also love assisting in other classes and learning from more seasoned teachers.
What is your personal mission statement, and what about that mission statement resonates with you most?
I once read that being an effective leader isn’t about showing people YOUR superpower—it’s about showing them THEIRS.
The most powerful and meaningful relationships I’ve had in my life were with people who, without ego, showed me—and continue to remind me—what I’m capable of.
So, that’s my mission: to help people see their potential through encouragement, through community, and through DANCE… and through laughter because, you know, I’ve been told I’m pretty funny.
Is there a person in your life you credit as being a key to what motivates or inspires you daily? How have they impacted your life both personally and professionally?
I have to give this credit to the first dance teacher I had when I decided to take up tap as an adult. From day one, Michelle Farrell made me feel like a dancer—this may sound like a small thing, but to someone who still carries that clumsy, ungraceful kid inside, this was huge. She has a wonderful ability to always highlight a person’s strength, even when we’re struggling the most—that is her superpower. You always leave her class feeling better, stronger, and more confident than when you entered. I can only hope I impart even a small amount of that positivity to all who take class with me. And now I’m honored to not only call her teacher, but friend, and I still take class from her several times a week.
Tell us about a recent experience you’ve had in your role at Feel the Beat – something funny, inspiring, challenging, etc.
I had only been with Feel the Beat for a month or so when I was assisting in a youth class. Now, for those of you who haven’t met me, I’m a burn survivor and have noticeable scarring from head to toe. As I was about to go across the floor with one of the dancers, he grabbed my hand, looked at it closely for a moment, and said, “Hey, you’re different, like me!” We strive for inclusion at Feel the Beat, but in that moment, I realized inclusion runs both ways, and I don’t think my heart could have been any fuller.
Outside of dancing at Feel the Beat, what do you like to do for fun?
Tap dance! But when I’m not dancing or running my small design business, I’m kind of a foodie; I love trying new restaurants and beers. I also love to paint, bake (it’s one of my love languages), and hang out with my 17lb cat, Teddy (he’s also a foodie).