Nico Kaburia is a local dance teacher and owner of Flying Dance Community. His dream for the past 20 years has been to bring a love of dance to his local community.
Not only does Nico manage a dance studio to encourage people to start dancing but he also holds dance lessons in the park every summer.
He is also the driving force behind the Flying Dance Festival, an event that brings dancers and dance enthusiasts to the city every year.
Nico’s dance classes had a huge impact on Chris Rumley’s life. When she saw the call for nominations for a Random Act of Kindness on GuelphToday, she was compelled to put forward his name.
“A while ago, I went through a hard time in my life,” Chris shared. “Nico’s dance classes were recommended to me to boost my mental health. So I took up dancing!”
Chris explains that Nico’s kindness and warm personality helped her through a difficult time and that the community that he has built at the dance studio is inclusive and welcoming.
“I feel fortunate to know Nico,” Chris told us. “He changed my life.”
GuelphToday surprised Nico at the Flying Dance Community dance studio.
“It is so humbling to think that people's lives change when they come into contact with our studio,” Nico shared. “I feel touched that my students, who have become my friends over the years, see the value in what we have built.”
Nico states that many of his students over the years have found his dance studio to be supportive through life events.
He believes that the amazing group of people who have helped to establish the Flying Dance Festival have helped it to become something special.
“Dancing is about listening,” Nico said. “Not just to the music, but to people. It helps us to connect with people in different ways.”
Over the past 20 years, Nico has seen the impact of his work in Guelph. Where he used to need to travel to Toronto to find a salsa dancing community, it now exists right here in Guelph.
Not only that, but Nico has seen how dancing is growing in neighbouring cities such as Kitchener and Cambridge.
“This wouldn’t be possible without the people in our local community,” Nico stated. “There are so many staff and volunteers who have helped along the way - we wouldn’t exist without them.”
Nico gave special mention to Richard Overland, Randon Hill, Nemanja Vukelic, Katie Giddy and Jennifer Redmond for helping Flying Dance Community to become what it is today.
Of the person who nominated him for a Random Act of Kindness, Nico said, “I care for Chris so much. She inspires me to keep dancing!”
When nominating Nico, Chris made sure to mention that not only is Nico a mainstay in Guelph’s cultural scene, but he is a wonderful father to his two young children, too.
We therefore reached out to our community partners to help us surprise Nico and his family - and three fantastic local businesses stepped up to show their support.
Thank you to our generous co-sponsors who helped us to include the whole family when celebrating Nico’s impact in Guelph: Donkey Sanctuary of Canada, Splitsville Entertainment and Na Ha Thai Kitchen.
GuelphToday is proud to also announce our support as a media sponsor for the 2024 Flying Dance Festival in Guelph.
If you know someone in the community who deserves recognition for their selfless actions, positivity in the face of hardship, or just for being a great person, you can nominate them for a Random Act of Kindness. Fill out our nomination form today!
If you would like to support our Random Acts of Kindness program, please email [email protected].
GuelphToday is proud to make a difference in our community by highlighting extraordinary individuals and organizations with our Random Acts of Kindness, a foundational piece of our GuelphToday Cares program.
The GuelphToday Cares team's mission is to create meaningful change in Guelph - and inspire others to do the same.
