NIA - Burlington, VT

		Instructors

Rebecca Boedges | Brenda Black | Linda Oats | Sabrina Gibson | Roxanne Scully | Terry Close | Sharyl Green | Tree Cleary | Alison Lockwood

Rebecca Boedges

Dance has always been a part of Rebecca Boedges’ life and she appreciates the healing that movement brings to mind, body, and spirit. She believes that through emobodiment, learning to live fully in our own skin, we access our potential for maximum wellness. Flexibility in movement can translate to flexibility in mind and spirit.

Ten years ago, Rebecca walked into a Nia class for the first time, immediately hooked, she began practicing regularly. In Nia, she found a home in her body, a joy for the class which kept her coming back again and again. After seven years of being a Nia student, Rebecca took the plunge and attended a week long intensive training to become a certified White Belt Nia instructor. Rebecca has been teaching for over two years in the Burlington area and continues to expand her class offerings.

Rebecca is a certified personal trainer. She also holds an M.S. in mental health counseling, and while not teaching Nia maintains a private practice in South Burlington. During her free time she enjoys dancing, hiking, skiing, biking, and spending time with her husband, a local artist.

Brenda Black

Brenda Black has a long history of appreciating bodies in motion. She danced as a child both formally and through every opportunity of creative play. She has taken that love of how bodies move into her practice as a licensed physical therapist for 23 years, working primarily with individuals with neurologic deficits. Brenda first ‘discovered’ Nia nearly a decade ago and was immediately drawn to the pleasure of moving her body joyfully, both in structured and spontaneous ways. She has taught Nia for 6 years and is currently a certified Nia Blue Belt instructor. She encourages individuals to connect to awareness, both in the dance of Nia and as they dance through life. She is convinced that Nia’s integrated and fluid movements have unique healing qualities not only for the physical body, but for the mind, spirit and emotional body as well. Brenda is excited to have recently moved back to the Northeast after nearly a decade in San Antonio, Texas, where she taught many Nia classes at the Synergy Studio. You can often find her with her family enjoying Vermont’s bounties: skiing, mountain biking, hiking, berry picking, and other outdoor adventures.

Linda Oats

I was introduced to Nia in the late 90s at Nia Space in Austin, Texas. Having been an aerobics instructor in the mid-80s, I was immediately intrigued by and drawn to the music, the movement, the creativity, the play, the bare feet, the toe rings, the JOY of Nia! How could the class have flown by so quickly?! Nia keeps me connected to my playful inner dancer, and I'm now a certified White Belt instructor. Although business travel currently prevents my teaching regularly scheduled classes, I'm occasionally able to substitute teach within Burlington's growing Nia community.

Alison Lockwood