comedian

It was mid-winter in Montreal and powdered snow left a calm in the entire
city. Leela Francis was 16 years old and attending her cousin’s wedding
with the man she most admired, her father: The kind of dad who smiles at
you and you know that everything will be okay. They danced with radiant
smiles on their faces to one of their favorite songs,” I Will Survive by Gloria
Gaynor.” This moment was definitely one for the keeping. Yet, fate reared
its head and a sudden heart attack ended the life of her dance partner less
than hour later.

The untimely death of her father became a crucial turning point in Leela’s
life and a step towards her true purpose. That profound moment pulled
on Leela’s heartstrings more than she could emote and she started using
dance as a healing path to process the grief.

Dance allowed her to open her heart again. And opening up her heart led to a thirst for discovering expression through art and the nurturing of the body and mind. She was destined to learn how she could help others to do the same.

Leela’s “dance to heal” experience stems from over 10 years of formal dance training in a wide range of styles from Jazz, Flamenco, Belly dance, to Rhythmic Gymnastics. Her natural gift for articulating through movement has earned her placement in several competitions.

With an extensive understanding of the needs of the body, Leela totals over 20 years experience as a Certified Yoga & Nia Instructor, Certified Trance-Dance Facilitator, and a Registered Massage Therapist. In addition, she has trained in integrative body psychotherapies and different expressive healing arts
modalities. The euphoric memory of dancing with her father provides her with an overwhelming appreciation of life. “Our bodies are birthed once… Our hearts are born over and over again in our lives.” Leela Francis is helping connect people’s lives to the things that truly matter. Finding fulfillment. Finding peace. Finding freedom. Finding self love. And that is something that she knows
her father would be smiling about.