Today we’d like to introduce you to Brittany Mora.
Brittany, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
After nearly 10 years of teaching dance to children in both the public sector, I left that full time commitment without an idea of what might be next. I spent a year offering skilled assistance to small businesses in the local community that focused on health and wellness through movement. During that time, I answered a call for a tap teacher at a local 55+ community. I began teaching that class and just 5 months later, the pandemic brought all those classes to a halt. However, the dancers contacted me and asked if I would be willing to take our classes outdoors since all their activities had been canceled. For at least a year, I held 4-6 classes per week outdoors in that community which led me to the idea to create Silver Shuffles and expand at the end of 2020.
Over the past six years, I’ve hired both permanent and guest teachers with a love for helping people and the knowledge to share dance and fitness safely with aging bodies. I’ve widened the scope by answering all sorts of dance class and performance requests or through word of mouth and now offer classes at additional 55+ communities, adult day care centers, memory care facilities and even 1 on 1 custom sessions for in-home clients.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I opened Silver Shuffles because I saw a need, knowing that it would be as rewarding as it would be difficult. We’ve faced the same struggles that other small businesses have, especially those in the wellness industry but nothing has been more challenging than finding good quality, invested teachers. The people that we serve appreciate getting to move in a safe and appropriate environment and there is nothing I enjoy more in my work than seeing them laugh together and find ease through dance. However it has been a struggle finding teachers who not only have the knowledge to serve this population safely but also who are willing to take a step away from what society has told them is a reputable job in dance – training pre-professional students, or performing or teaching in higher education – to serve a population who truly relies on this movement to maintain their quality of life.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
Silver Shuffles is a mobile studio that offers movement opportunities with a therapeutic lens for senior adults. Our initial offerings were in traditional dance styles like Tap, Jazz, Ballet, and Modern. Later, we added a signature dance cardio class called Movin’ & Grovin’ tailored for senior adults with abilities from fully seated to fully standing, as well as Yoga, Pilates, Fascia Manipulation for pain relief and specialty dance styles like Belly Dance, Musical Theater and Movement Improvisation among others. Our goal is to provide safe movement and functional fitness for the physical body, socialization through group activity while also capitalizing on the mental and emotional benefits that dance naturally demonstrates through ease of the nervous system and brain work. We are functional, everyday fitness in every sense of the word for the whole human. What makes us different from your run of the mill fitness instructor or studio is that our teachers have degrees in either dance or psychology in addition to certifications that include safe movement for seniors whether it’s through yoga, Pilates, or some other type of trauma informed or physical fitness modality. We also train our instructors in how to work safely with senior populations which is not something most dance and fitness instructors have the knowledge to provide. We are most known for the wide range of things we provide – from dance performance groups to pain relief for tight joints. Our program hits as many health and fitness points as possible from learning to get up off the floor to rhythmic and isolated brain and movement teasers that keep up brain fitness all the way to full length choreographed dance performance for the community. We meet our movers where they are and help them feel more at ease both mind and body.
Can you tell us more about what you were like growing up?
I grew up near Charlotte, NC in a family of six with a sprawling extended family on both sides. I was very active, in the same way that I am now and began dancing at a very young age. My schedule was loaded with as many physical and creative activities as possible including theater, various sports, jewelry making and even gardening. In my family, movement was a way of life and rarely would you find us sitting still. My teachers would have described me as talkative and sometimes difficult but teachers who opted for a more creative and challenging approach in their classrooms has much fewer complaints. Although it took me a while to realize it, dance wasn’t important to me because of the performance aspect but instead, because of the joy of the movement itself. I performed until I realized that, unlike what we are taught, performance does not necessarily equal success, especially at the expense of personal health. Instead, I realized that dancing for the pure love of it and within a functional and safe range was a much stronger type of medicine that is available to all.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.silvershuffles.com
- Instagram: @silvershuffles
- Facebook: @silvershuffles
- Youtube: @silvershuffles
- Other: silvershuffles@gmail.com for inquiries
