Simply Swagg Dance Studio – Turning dance into a full-fledged art form

BY SIMONE J. SMITH

“A good teacher is like a candle — it consumes itself to light the way for others.” Mustafa Kemal Atatürk

He breathes dance in and out like oxygen.

Beyond the compulsion to share what he loves with others, he is enthralled with the art and act of teaching. He revere’s the craft and his role as a teacher. It is what makes him a great teacher; he keeps working and learning to develop his teaching skills and is dedicated to providing the highest quality experience to his students.

He is sensitive to the needs of each student, regardless of ability or innate talent, and works to find the best way to encourage each student that comes into his dance studio. His students know that he believes in them; he encourages them, cheers their successes, and helps them understand and correct their mistakes.

At the age of 15, Paul ‘Kaze’ Thurton became the youngest member of the Canadian breakdance crew Supernaturalz, which gave him the opportunity to compete internationally and launched his incredible dance career.

Paul has choreographed and performed acts for Drake, Busta Rhymes and the Wu-Tang Clan, just to name a few. Even though these might be some of his personal highlights, his real joy came in 2009, when he opened Simply Swagg Dance Studio located in Scarborough, a place where youth have flocked to, just to get a chance to work with this dynamic artist.

Dance is an ever-changing mixture of the intellectual and the emotional, the physical and the spiritual, which brings the art a mix of subjectivity. It offers a unique means by which we can explore ourselves and our position on stage, and in the wider world and is a way to exchange with other people about what we; see, feel, think and sense. Dance is a way of opening dialogue within and between individuals and communities.

Paul has turned dance into a fully-fledged art form, a means of allowing a human being to express their inner feelings, thoughts and experiences. For him, it is a natural form of self-expression: the body expresses itself naturally and so therefore does the spirit.

Through dance, Paul teaches his students to express how free they actually are, while also highlighting the restrictions their minds impose on it.

When I spoke with Paul, he was able to authentically share with me his story, and why dance continues to bring him joy, even years after being involved in the industry.

“I attribute my music affinity to my father,” Paul shared with me. “My dad had a studio right underneath my bedroom, and I remember toe-tapping on the foot of my bed, when I heard him playing jazz music.

I think it was in Grade seven that glimpses of my talent were noticed. I must have done some type of move, and it came so naturally to me. During music class, kids would play instruments, and we would cipher to the music. I finally performed on stage for the first time in a Junior High talent show. I saw the reaction, and I thought, “Let’s take this somewhere!”

Paul’s next big break came when he started to hang out at the recreation centre in Scarborough Town Centre.

“I attribute a lot to that place. It was a world of Hip Hop and dance. It was Supernaturalz stomping ground. It is where I met Lego, my mentor. I went there and paid my dues. The Supernaturalz saw me and took me under their wing. They brought me and my friend Teddy in. It was with Supernaturalz that I was able to experience some pretty cool things.”

Having support from parents is key in developing a child’s passion, and Paul shares that his parents provided support from the very start.

“My parents were amazing. My mom would take me all around the city. Of course they reminded me that education came first, but both my parents were super supportive. Dad and I would have dialogues about dance, and where I wanted to take it.

My first trip was at 16 years old, and that was to Rochester, New York City. It was for a dance battle “The Ultimate Breakdown ”. We competed, and I started making a name for myself. It blew up from there. I have travelled all over the world: China, Singapore, Taiwan; I haven’t done Africa yet, but it is on my list. I am still humbled when I see children from different parts of the world doing a dance that I choreographed. I once got a video sent to me from Rwanda with a kid doing one of my routines. Incredible!”

Paul was going to follow in his father’s footsteps and work in engineering and construction. After he graduated with a construction engineering degree, he did a year and it didn’t work for him.

“I was up when it was dark, and home when it was dark. I knew right away that this was not the life for me.

I remember when the idea about opening the dance studio came. Parents were requesting me to teach, so I decided to get a little space on Progress. I broke even three weeks after opening it. The lease was for three years. It was a huge undertaking at 20 years old. It kept growing organically, over time, and my relationship with the children grew.

As I matured, the business matured. I was just doing it for the dance, but I see how deep this can go. Dance is the tool, it is the connector that allows me to work closer with children.”

It is a special gift of dance teachers to be able to translate movement concepts into a language that makes sense to students. Paul communicates concepts over and over in multiple ways until everyone understands. It is worth it to him to attempt to reach every student because he feels every dance student is worthy of his best.

“It’s all about alignment. This is why I love working with these kids. Anything is possible. I breathe faith into them.

I make it super affordable, and I do not have hierarchies at the studio. I don’t separate competitive kids from recreational kids. I keep them amalgamated. The beginner kids start dancing like the competitive kids, just because they are around higher-level students.

COVID-19 actually gave me a break. I had been grinding for 11 years. I took that year and a half to learn about myself, and learn about my students. We just moved to a 6,000 square foot facility just before COVID-19, so we had to stop renovations. During that time, I focused on myself.

When we opened the doors again, parents were waiting with their children outside the door. It blew my mind. I know that this is exactly what I am supposed to be doing.”

“Treat people as if they were what they ought to be and you help them become what they are capable of becoming.” Goethe