AMBER BARTON
Stories & Testimonials
AMBER BARTON
- Halfmoon Bay, British Columbia
- Contemporary Dance
- Career Pathway: Yoga Instructor and Yoga Therapist
Amber Barton: Born and raised on the unceded and ancestral lands of the xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), and Səl̓ílwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations, Amber received her professional training with Goh Ballet Academy, Arts Umbrella, Ballet BC’s Mentor Programme and the Banff Centre for the Arts. Her career as a contemporary dance artist spans 20+ years of performing, choreographing, producing and teaching dance. Amber was also the artistic director of her own contemporary dance company, the response. from 2008-2021.
AMBER’S STORY
“I had been thinking about transitioning as a dance artist for a couple of years, but it was the pandemic that helped me put it in motion. I knew that values of kindness and empathy were important to me, and I tried to weave them throughout the various facets of my artistic practice. I love helping people feel better and to feel better in their body. Eventually, this led to a thought, like a seed, while taking a yoga class. As I lifted my hands above my head in Tadasana, I thought, “Maybe it’s this?” Soon after, I received a Career Exploration Grant for my first training as a yoga facilitator and then Retraining and Subsistence Grants to pursue my training in yoga therapy.
From my initial inquiry to myriads of questions and even the application process, the staff at DTRC was extremely patient and provided insight and guidance when I was unsure of how to build a strategy to explore a new career opportunity. In addition to the obvious financial assistance, I am also grateful that I was able to receive such support and care during the uncertain time of the pandemic. My experience has also given me the added benefit of enhancing my dance practice. Through the skills I have learnt as a yoga therapist, I feel that my teaching skills have improved greatly, and I tend to weave much of what I learn into my care with artists. With the training I have received I am excited to explore how I could potentially serve my dance community from a different lens of engagement.
With the support of the DTRC, I have been able to see the potential for a new chapter in my life, which has fortunately been an organic transition and an evolution of my dance practice. I am so grateful that I have received skills and training that can allow me to support myself in a different, flexible, and meaningful way.”
DTRC’S SUPPORT
- Career Exploration Grant
- Retraining (Study) Grant
- FTS-II Subsistence (Parallel Pathway) Grant
