GREEN BAY (NBC26) — After twenty years in the corporate world working in marketing, local dance instructor Lisa Pritzl was looking for another purpose.
“The answer really dawned on me and said Lisa you need to take your gift and love and joy for dance and bring it to individuals who otherwise wouldn’t be able to be provided that opportunity,” Pritzl said.
After having danced for the first twenty five years of her life she knew she wanted to share her passion for dance. That’s why in 2018 she decided to launch Empowerment Dance, a class designed for people with limited mobility.
The class uses chair work to accommodate those with movement concerns.
"What we like to do is always start seated. It provides a really safe environment for them," Pritzl said. "Once we get comfortable, we start to rise to our feet, we use the back of a chair as we would like a ballet bar, and then from there start to move across the floor and do things together but in a very safe, controlled type of manner.”
Participants can join in person or tune in over zoom. Pritzl began offering zoom classes when the pandemic began. She says it never slowed down her business.
“When COVID hit, I think it took us about two weeks to turn around and go 'okay we’re going to do this thing called zoom'," Pritzl said. "They didn’t skip a beat over this last year and now that we’re back in person of course there’s that element of being together and that sense of community.”
Participants say that sense of community is another benefit of the class. 71-year-old Bruce Piette, who has Parkinson’s disease, is one of Lisa’s regulars.
"Being active is part of my routine and this class became available," Piette said. "I wanted to try something different, and I’ve been here for two years now."
Bringing people together and showing that anyone can dance is what Lisa says her business is all about.
"She's just a super instructor, a super person," Piette said. "She puts a lot of time, energy, fun into her classes."
“I get a little choked up when I think about how blessed I am everyday to deliver movement in a way that brings people joy," Pritzl said. "When they leave, they walk out a little bit taller, they walk out a little bit happier, they take that joy back into their lives with them and that's what it's really all about."
Empowerment dance meets every Tuesday at the Western Raquet & Fitness Club from 1:30 to 2:45. No dance experience is necessary. For more information, you can visit the Empowerment Dance Website.
