Joy Of Dance Centre & Teachers College

Jennifer Lambert Jones, CEO and Dean of Joy of Dance, has too many men. Many dance studios wish they had a similar problem. The ballroom dance lessons at Joy of Dance studios have become so popular among perceived “leaders” (the dance partner who decides which direction to turn and traditionally a man) that “followers” (the one who is swept along for the ride and traditionally a woman) are much in need.

But Joy of Dance is far from traditional, and Jennifer points out that “we don’t care if you want to lead or you want to follow. They’re positions only.” So men lead or follow as needed or, when the proportion of leaders and followers balances, as they would prefer.

Joy of Dance offers dance lessons for just about every type of dance — jazz, tap, lyrical modern, urban, Bollywood, burlesque, oh, and ballet — taught by a cross-section of teachers, 33 in all, for dancers aged three to 93. Joy of Dance is also the only accredited ballroom dance college in North America. How appropriate then that back in the 1930s when the space was home to the east end’s premiere dance hall, Guy Lombardo’s big band would play there, sending couples spinning across the dance floor.