About Karin
Karin is a writer and social dance instructor in Anchorage, Alaska. Her dance training includes salsa and social Latin, Argentine tango, west coast swing, West African, jazz, and modern. She currently teaches social Latin dance for The Alaska Club and has also taught for Anchorage Community Schools, the Anchorage Folk Festival, and the University of Alaska Anchorage. Karin is a member of the National Dance Education Organization (NDEO).
In December 2007, Karin started Joy in Motion, a website and monthly newsletter devoted to the celebration and exploration of social dance. Since then, she has been researching, teaching, and writing about topics that emphasize the uniting of spirit and movement in social dance, including connection and musicality. She recently completed a six-part series on flow in social dance and is now focused on researching the concept of grounded energy. Karin also conducts interviews with instructors and performers of various partner dances to supplement her research and reflections. Her most recent include interviews with Argentine tango instructor Alex Krebs and west coast swing competitors and instructors Arjay Centeno and Melissa Rutz.
Karin graduated from the University of Alaska Anchorage with a Bachelor’s degree in Spanish and Russian. She is also a nationally certified personal trainer and fitness instructor through the American Council on Exercise with a background in sports conditioning and coaching. Because of her knowledge and experience in fitness as well as language and culture, she is particularly interested in the mind-body connection and the intersections between dance, culture, community, and health. Her background and interest in these areas both informs and inspires her research in social dance.
To contact Karin, visit the Contact page.