Danse 501

“When I was very young, I only had one dream: to dance. But with six siblings, that dream was unaffordable to our family. But I have entertained this passion for dance for as far back as I can remember,” says Linda Howell. Dance remains a central part of Linda’s life to this day: she now teaches it to students of all ages at her own studio, Danse 501 Dance, which she opened in the 1980s.

“I started my career working in a travel agency, then a bank. Both those jobs had this one thing in common: how boring they were!” Linda recalls. “So one day, I decided I couldn’t handle it anymore, and I studied in New York City, where I learned to teach various dance styles. I didn’t want to specialize in just one style, I wanted to teach them all! When I came back to Montreal, I opened Danse 501 Dance, and look at us now,” she says.