Earlier this summer, Dance Initiative announced the hiring of its new executive director, Joan Dizon. A second-generation Filipino immigrant, mother of three, professional dancer and real estate investor, Dizon is excited, honored and humbled to assume the position.
She and her family lived in the Philippines before moving to the Valley a little over three years ago. After seeing a flyer stating that Dance Initiative was looking for instructors, she decided to take a chance and joined the organization in October of 2023, beginning with teaching hip-hop dance in the schools. Once she got in touch with the dancers in the community, she said it was a welcoming experience.
“Once I got connected, everybody was very welcoming and extremely nice, and the community was warm and open. They welcomed me and my family with open arms as I entered the scene,” Dizon explained.
She was drawn to the Dance Initiative’s accessibility when she first got involved, especially for children in the Valley. Dizon, despite having an expansive background as a professional dancer, had limited resources for learning as a child.
“Being a child of immigrant parents growing up here in America, I would have friends going to dance studios for dancing and jazz and tap and heavy dance programs. My parents didn’t have a lot of resources when they came to America. They worked all the time, and even then, we didn’t have any extra income for recital fees, studio fees or classes,” Dizon shared.
She practiced in her room and then started taking professional classes, mainly hip-hop, at the age of 18 after graduating high school. While studying at the University of Texas at Dallas and working, she could afford to pay for classes. She joined the college’s dance team and broke further into the dance world through teaching at fitness studios and performing professionally.
“Eventually, I danced for both the NBA and NFL for halftime shows, and then I also danced for some fitness programs with Nike,” Dizon revealed. “From there, I continued teaching because that’s what I loved.”
The opening for the executive director position became available while Dizon was already working as an instructor. The initial warmth she felt from the dance community was a driving force behind her applying for the job, as well as aligned values of community outreach and accessibility.
“Everything I value in dance aligns with Dance Initiative’s missions and visions of dance. It was an aligned position for me to come into,” she stated.
Dizon is dedicated to building upon the strong foundation laid for her by the original and current board of directors and staff. “I’m just so grateful for our founding members of our board and the people that set our foundation with their mission,” she stated. “As executive director, I want to build even more of a community of dancers.”
Dizon looks forward to the upcoming teaching season and other events this year, including an annual fundraiser Oct. 27 which will be themed around Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” and in-school hip-hop classes with Quincy Gray. In addition to planning new events in her role, Dizon said she and the organization are open and welcoming to feedback from the community, as well as new dancers.
“I would love to invite anyone out there to give us feedback or ask any questions you may have. For our kids, we’d love to see more dance out there. I’m excited to see how our programs expand and to get more dance out into the community,” she concluded.
For more information about Dance Initiative, including classes and events, visit www.danceinitiative.org
