As an adult, it can be hard to find a place to express your creativity amid a busy schedule. Impulse Dance and Fitness, an adult dance studio in Fort Collins, ensures every member feels like an accepted and cherished part of the Impulse family.

Having over 300 members, Impulse runs as an enrollment-based studio, offering both dance fitness classes and more genre-specific technique classes. 

Nadia Duncan, the founder, owner, business director and hip-hop fitness instructor, founded the studio when she realized she couldn’t find many places to dance as an adult in Fort Collins. It had been an integral part of her life, and it was something she wanted to continue, so she created a space to do so.

“When you’re 18, there (are) not really a lot of places for you to go as a dancer, unless you are pursuing it professionally or you’re doing it at a college level,” Duncan said. “At the time, CSU didn’t have the styles of dance I was looking for.”

Taking matters into her own hands, Duncan started the process and eventually opened the studio July 28, 2018. The studio quickly created an outlet for many adults, fostering a strong community within Impulse.

Amy Smith, a lifelong dancer, originally joined the studio as a student and eventually came into her current position as studio director.

“My very first day there, Nadia, the owner, sat down with me and just made such a point to make me feel seen and recognized,” Smith said. “Not just another body, not just another new person. And that kind of blew me away. She just sat down with me and asked me, you know, what brought me in and what my background was. And I was just like, ‘Damn, nobody ever cares that much.’ Usually you’re just some random new person and you blend in.”

Impulse fosters a welcoming environment filled with passionate people of all skill levels. And they are all there for the same reason: dance.

“It’s really great because everyone who’s in class, you know, they chose to carve time out of their day to come and be there, which I think is really special,” said Kira Patrylak, office manager and instructor. “As adults, our lives are so busy all the time, and so it means a lot when someone is choosing to spend their time here.”

Instructors keep an open mind in learning new things from their peers and students, making Impulse a place filled with collaboration. 

“A teacher is only as good as their awareness of their students’ experience,” Smith said. “I think it’s pretty difficult to be a wise teacher if you are not deeply clued in to how your students are experiencing class every day.”

The relationship between everyone in the studio can be felt, creating long-lasting bonds through sharing this interest.

“And so many friendships and even life partners have come out of Impulse because they’re just in this environment where they’re seeing the same people on a routine basis,” Duncan said. “Also an environment where you’re, like, exploring and allowing your walls to come down, which is also allowing these other people to see you, like some vulnerability. It also brings people closer together, too, when they feel safe and supported and are able to do that.”

When classes had to be shut down during 2020 due to COVID-19 regulations, Impulse Dance and Fitness continued to show their commitment to maintaining a tight-knit community by hosting classes on Zoom and eventually doing hybrid in-person classes with limited capacity.

“That’s the only reason our studio survived; it’s that very stubborn community of, ‘We will dance even if it’s in our living rooms, and being able to see each other every week online,’” Smith said.

As things were being canceled, Impulse came up with the idea to join a film fest by recording minutelong performance pieces that students could learn in class. They would go outside and film to then edit and polish the dance videos, which were later watched at The Lyric on the outdoor screen.

“It’s really special to see the hard work everyone puts in and then see how great it looks — it’s a super fun time,” Patrylak said. “I think that’s my biggest priority, is how can we just make sure that we’re having a good time.”

This has become an annual event, as Impulse Dance Studio continues to participate in the film fest in addition to their winter showcase later in the year. 

“Everybody’s welcome, and that’s the big thing: We don’t want it to feel competitive at all,” Duncan said. “We’re not trying to be professionals or compete in competitions. It’s for everyone.”

Reach Janaya Stafford at entertainment@collegian.com or on social media @RMCollegian.