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Leslie Kuny

@lesliekuny

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followers

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Dance Educator • Adjudicator • Choreographer •
Coaching dancers with humour + joy
Host 🎙️ Dancing Through It Podcast on YouTube

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4 days ago

✨ DUMB THINGS I DID THIS WEEK ✨

Called a woman old enough to be my mum “kiddo” in tap class. 🫠

In my defence, I teach children, teenagers, AND adults, and apparently my brain has decided that everyone I teach is just… a kiddo. Age? Irrelevant. Context? Also irrelevant.

Anyway, please pray for me. 😂🪦 by @lesliekuny

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8 days ago

SO MANY FAVOURITE PEOPLE 💚
Too many to fit in this short reel. My job offers me the opportunity to meet and work with so many INCREDIBLE humans - sometimes for a weekend, sometimes just a night, or sometimes for years 🥰 Every person I’m lucky enough to interact with impacts me and I can only hope they take a little of my joy and energy with them out into the world after we’ve said goodbye.
TAG YOUR FAVOURITE PEOPLE AND LET THEM KNOW 💐
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#misslesliek #danceducator #dancefriends #arethebestfriends by @lesliekuny

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12 days ago

What a whirlwind it’s been!!! We’ve been having so much fun in the studio we haven’t been able to show you all the things.
✨ here’s what you need to know! The studio is bumping at AMPD! If you’ve thought that this ought be the year your or your kiddo wants to try dance - then this is your sign!!!
#contact us today or check out our website for all our classes!
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#dramafreedance #AMPDstudio #southrockmoms by @lesliekuny

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a month ago

In Episode 12 of Everyday Conversations with Amin Mombani, @lesliekuny opens up about the messy reality of business loss, navigating betrayal, and finding your unique “special sauce” when starting over.

If you’ve ever felt like you aren’t doing enough or are struggling to rebuild from a setback, this episode is your reminder to exhale.

🎧 Listen and watch now on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts! (Link in bio to listen to the full episode)

What is one boundary you’re setting for yourself this week? Let us know in the comments! 💬

#everydayconversations #aminmombani #lesliekuny #podcast #episode by @lesliekuny

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2 months ago

Kinda chic. Kinda chaotic. Kinda building the life and career I always wanted. ✨

A little dance, a lot of life, and a whole lot of community. 🫶

Swipe through → by @lesliekuny

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2 months ago

The best thing I did for my teaching today had nothing to do with teaching. Let me explain!

Today, I stepped onto the other side of the audition table, and onto the stage.

Most days, I’m directing, choreographing, giving notes, and helping others tell their stories. Today, I was the one waiting to be called in, managing the nerves, taking a deep breath, and hoping I’d done enough to prepare (I did - I think 😉)

As teachers, choreographers, directors, and leaders, it’s easy to become comfortable in the role of the expert. And while I love it, you could argue that’s not where our best work *comes* from.

I think our best work comes from continuing to be students.

Every audition, workshop, class, or creative opportunity reminds me what it feels like to be vulnerable. To take risks. To put yourself out there without knowing the outcome. And every time I do, I become a little more empathetic as a teacher, a little more thoughtful as a choreographer, and a little more connected to the dancers and performers I have the privilege of leading.

Whether I get the role or not almost feels beside the point. Honestly I just wanted to get through the audition remembering my lines and not puking - wins on both counts!

Today was about saying yes to something that stretched me creatively.

Because the moment we stop learning, taking risks, and stepping outside our comfort zones is the moment we stop growing.

Here’s to always being willing to take our own advice - especially when it’s hard by @lesliekuny

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3 months ago

Over 15 years in, and I still don’t have it all figured out. 🫣

When you’re first starting out as a dance teacher, choreographer, or artist, it’s easy to look at people who’ve been doing this for over a decade and think, “Once I get to their level, all my insecurities, control issues, and imposter syndrome will magically vanish.” 😂😆
I’m here to lovingly burst that bubble: They don’t disappear. You just get better at handling them.
Swipe through to see the very real, very active things I still wrestle with after 15+ years of teaching:

The Perfectionism Trap: That sneaky voice telling you that your worth is only tied to “how good” your work is.
I don’t know what it is about the arts, and dance in general that tends to attract Type A, perfectionists 🤷🏻‍♀️ It’s a double edged sword, because our desire to be great makes us incredible at what we do, but sometimes at the cost of our selves

The Struggle to be Led: Loving to challenge and carve my own path—which makes hearing feedback a practice in breathing through the spiral. Don’t you *dare* tell me what to do lol😝
If we’re peers and we’re sharing and there’s mutual respect it’s a lot easier. But when you think you know more than me, I’m gonna get SPICY

The Control Grip: Wanting to micromanage the chaos because you’re terrified of being judged for “failing.” Because somehow everyone else knows what they’re doing and you don’t!
Choreographing and teaching has so many unknowns and so many variables and things you can’t control! I try to remember a piece of advice from “Who’s Line is it Anyways?” - Everything is made up and the points don’t matter

The Self-Care Guilt: Falling into the trap of thinking you are only valuable when you are actively producing, creating, or teaching.

If you are a young teacher or an artist just starting your journey, please hear me: struggling with these things does not mean you are bad at your job. It means you care. It means you are human.

Our art is built on passion, which means the boundary between our work and our hearts (and sometimes the entire perception of our selves) is incredibly thin. The goal isn’t to become a perfect, emotionless robot—it’s to build the confidenc by @lesliekuny

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3 months ago

A dancer’s success cannot be measured by a trophy, a scholarship, an exam mark, or a score.
The dancer who walks into the room when they don’t feel confident but do it anyway.
The dancer who tries again after a mistake.
The dancer who truly celebrates someone else’s win.
The dancer who takes correction and says “okay, let me try it again.”
THAT is the kind of growth I want to see. 💚
Because at the end of the day… we aren’t just training dancers.
We’re helping build humans.

Now I’m curious 👇
What’s one thing you think matters MORE than winning in dance?
Parents, teachers, dancers — I want to hear your answers. by @lesliekuny

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4 months ago

The longer I work in this industry, the more I realize the scariest thing isn’t missed choreography or costume malfunctions…
It’s how hard dancers can be on themselves.
Yes, we want excellence.
Yes, we want growth.
But I hope every dancer who crosses my path knows this:
You are already worthy before the trophy, before the placement, before the perfect pirouette 💚

And while we’re at it, if someone could invent indestructible tights , that would be great by @lesliekuny

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5 months ago

Happy International Dance Day!
Dance has been the thing I’ve done the most • I dabbled in other activities - volleyball, choir, drama, student government. But dance has always been mine. It is my longest love and the place where I feel most myself. The idea that I have made my life (and my living) around my passion is still WILD to me. I don’t think 8 year old Leslie would have EVER believed where she’d be in 2026 😭 And it feels like I’m just getting started on a new exciting chapter of this dance journey. by @lesliekuny

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6 months ago

There’s something people don’t always see about being on the other side of the table…

Every comment matters. Every word sticks.

This message from an incredibly kind “Dance mum” stopped me in my tracks because it’s exactly why I do what I do. Not just to critique—but to *see* dancers, to encourage them, and to remind them that they’re more than a score on a sheet.

Because years from now, they won’t remember the number…
They’ll remember how they felt.

And if I can be even a small part of making that feeling a positive one—I’ve done my job.

To my fellow educators and adjudicators—this is your reminder: your words carry weight in ways you may never fully see.

And to the dancers (and dance parents) reading this—what’s one piece of feedback that’s stayed with you?

👇 I’d love to hear it in the comments

#DanceTeacherLife #RaisingResilientDancers #MindfulTeaching #misslesliek #aspiretoinspire by @lesliekuny

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6 months ago