Seattle Meet Your Teachers: Kit & Janu
Seattle, we know you’ve been holding tight with us through some big change. We love you harder every time you show up in a new dance space, with a new bopping neighbor at your elbow, and to check out a new teacher. This is a season of change, but then life is change and so is dance! (Like, not to get too philosophical, but literally every time you move your body you’re in the process of change, and we LOVE ittttt). All that said, we are OVER THE MOON about the addition of two new Seattle teachers, coming in hot in January 2025. Meet Kit Sprudzs (she/he) and Janu Sung (he/him). You may not know it, but Janu and Kit have literally been holding down and building up the fabric of Seattle dance and performance culture for YEARS, and we are beyond lucky to introduce them as new Dance Church teachers. If you’re not as excited as we are, you haven’t looked hard enough yet (we promise). So let’s go!
Okay, we talked you up big, but it’s not just hype. Tell us about your performance and practice life as Seattle dancers and movers!
Kit: I moved here from NYC in October 2019 and followed a path into the contemporary dance freelance scene but the pandemic had other plans. I pivoted to retail to support myself and pass the time, and kind of helplessly watched myself fall out of touch (but never out of love) with dance. Slowly but surely I got lured back in through this new form, burlesque, over the last 3.5 years, and now I perform with Verlaine and McCann Presents at the Triple Door, as well as with my collaborators Natalie Fernandi and Hannah Simmons under the moniker ATM. We debuted our first act at CO– Show 7 back in June of this year, and you can find us monthly at the Crocodile for their Gimme Gimme Disco night. We have some new gross and ridiculous acts in the works for 2025 so stay tuned!! I’m also a personal trainer at Rain City Fit and love training dancers in my community to combat injury and pain, and help them feel their strongest.
Janu: I’m a representative and organizer for the Seattle House Dance community, and I travel from coast to coast seeking the elusive high of dancing all night with other dancers. I also teach regularly at The Beacon Studio and have worked with the Seattle Art Museum, Circle of Fire Crew, Sekoū Herū, Dani Tirrell, Amy O'neal, The Henry Art Gallery, Massive Monkees Crew, Stormy Weather Jazz and more. Check out one of my recent projects; with the constant stimulation, pressure to “be productive”, and the lack of control we tend to focus on, it can feel like we’re trapped in our own realities. This piece attempts to express our personal power in creating a “way out”, the moments where I’ve been on the cusp of feeling free and flirting with that path, or discovering the “way out”. I hope people feel the somber and yet whimsical nature of the situation with the extreme contrast of lights and darks, inspired by the film noir era.
We love. A lot of our current Seattle Dance Church teachers are mostly embedded in the concert dance world. You know: big virtuosic dancing on stages with curtains (er… or in warehouses with heavy bass and epic lighting). Tell us about how your world differs from concert dance.
Kit: My instinct was to say “well first of all, I regularly take my clothes off” but honestly a lot of concert dance has that too haha. So the next first thing that comes to mind is how my face is SO ACTIVE, and the audience is my primary partner. I’m making eye contact, I’m egging them on to egg me on in return. Concert dance forms I participated in generally had me employ a more objective approach to the audience, and a more neutral expression so that I could let my “body” or the choreography do the story-telling. This can allow viewers to find their own way into the work, and potentially have a more personally relevant or thought-provoking experience. As a performer in burlesque and or nightlife environments though, I’m thinking about creating and paving as many clear pathways in as I can. This might come in the form of a well-built narrative, some element of pure entertainment, delight from comedic timing or stage magic, or ideally, a combination of all the above. Concert dance can have these things (and frankly benefits greatly from them in my opinion) but they are not necessarily the priority.
Janu: I am a House Head. Full stop. My dance transformation began in the dark lit room of Rebar, on floors with dried beer, shared with people from all walks of life. For street and club dancers, our “stage” is not one where there is a separation of “audience” and “performer”. Rather we are all the same and provide each other safety and space to express and share our collective artistry, rejoicing in collective freedom and healing. As a Social Dance practitioner, we honor each other’s story and expression in a cypher (circle), creating a central area that maintains energy, security and ceremony.
In a competition or battle context, battling/performing is an opportunity for an exchange with your opponent. It is an opportunity to be seen within the community, to share what you have within you, to test your metal under pressure. The audience definitely adds a sense of pressure and tension to the dynamic and can be a huge source of energy. For most of the time I do my best not to focus on the audience’s responses, and to also give a period of my attention to them. I believe it is very powerful to interact with audiences and “break the 4th wall”.
I am also a stage performer. For me when I am performing for an “audience” in a typical sense, I consider elements of performance like story, character, technique, intention and more. I believe that whatever is being created has a desire of its own. And that it is an honor to be able to share my perspective and creativity with others.
As an audience member, I move between moments of profound silence and ebullient joy and support. I believe that if you feel inspired or appreciative, why would you hold it in?
That’s big philosophy, Janu. But really, it also feels like everything you both mentioned – joy, desire, “audience” as partner, sharing with others, being seen, exchange via movement, energy, security, ceremony, delight – this is all alive in Dance Church too. What makes you excited to bring your particular magic stuff into Dance Church spaces?
Kit: I have a big, goofy personality. Looking silly or acting dumb in a way that not only disarms people but invites people to join in on the frivolity and say “f**k it, let’s get weird” is one of my superpowers. What better context for that than Dance Church???
Janu: I build community by creating a space where people can move, connect, and feel free to be themselves. I want to reach fellow street and club dancers, people new to dance, and anyone looking for a fun, welcoming way to express themselves and feel part of something liberating. I’m excited to explore outside the typical idea of “dance” and incorporate principles from martial arts practices like Chi Gong, Tai Chi, and Yoga.
More (and new) folks coming together to “get weird” and be with each other is always our dream too. Have you always valued movement and dance community in these ways? Like, did your dance journey start somewhere else, and if so, how did you find yourself where you are now?
Janu: In some ways yes, and in other ways no. I started dancing at a young age surrounded by Black American and Caribbean influences like: dancehall, reggaeton and hip hop party dances. Dance was introduced to me as a social modality - a means of connecting and attuning to another person. As I’ve gotten older I have developed a deeper and more nuanced view of how community surrounds cultural rituals and the responsibility of community members to uphold and sustain culture.
Kit: I started doing ballet when I was 3, began homeschooling at 11, and moved away from home at 14 in pursuit of that life. Dance has always been my socialization, my emotional regulation, my medicine. My close circle and support systems have always been made up of folks from that world. Getting my dance degree at The Ohio State University was a huge growing moment for me that filled a lot of gaps in my upbringing. I had the same general education requirements as any other major in the College of Arts and Sciences, and through those classes I learned how to think about the world critically, how to engage with my art practice in new ways, and how to be friends with normies. Lol. There was also a huge sports medicine influence on the department there. My newfound loves of movement science and kinesiology ultimately led me to being a personal trainer and fitness professional. Helping to create a space where fitness, community, and dance get tangled is a dream I didn’t know I had until I considered becoming a Dance Church teacher.
Describe yourself now in just three words.
Kit: Boisterous, obsessive, incisive.
Janu: Sore, tired, blessed.
Yesssssssss. Can’t wait to get boisterously sore with both of you. When can we move with you at Dance Church?
Janu: First class on Saturday, January 25th!! Get ready to get busy and experience Dance Church with a Janū Twist 😉
Kit: Tuesday, January 14th! GET READY TO SWEAT AND LAUGH AND CRY. I am a Cancer and will do my best to expose you to your full range of motions in brain, body, and heart. Thank you in advance for your kindness and grace on that day 💗
Sounds like you both already teach a lot, and that you’re bringing a huge abundance of teaching gifts to Dance Church. What do you love about teaching?
Kit: Hands down, it’s sharing the gift of embodiment. I’ve had dance as a way into myself my whole life (save the first 3 years). I know how well I know myself, and I know that is thanks to thousands of hours of moving mindfully. Movement is healing and I wish for everyone to have access to it as a tool.
Janu: I love seeing people let go and feel free in their bodies. I love the opportunity to learn from students and the experience of teaching. In Dance Church, I imagine that showing up as creating a space where everyone feels safe to explore, have fun, and just be themselves without judgment.
Obsessed. Can’t wait to move with you. In the meantime, get us hyped with a few favorite tracks?
Janu:
Kit: