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Jana Filcich Ashcroft
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Dancing is at the heart of Jana Filcich Ashbrookâs life and family. Daughter of folk dance teacher John Filcich, Jana has danced since she was walking. Croatian by decent, Jana had a multinational upbringing among the immigrant communities in Los Angeles, California. Jana grew up assisting her dad teaching dance at folk dance camps and events, international festivals, and cultural affairs.
Jana holds a bachelors degree in Dance as a Healing Art from Humboldt State University, and deepened her study of movement, the body, and health at the Heartwood Institute, earning her Holistic Health Practitioner certifications.
For Jana, dancing was never about performance, but about the life-giving experiences of moving for the purpose of celebration, story-telling, and community togetherness. As a lifelong body worker, Jana approaches dance from a foundation of body-mind connection, intentional muscle activation, and connection to the music. Jana is especially interested in helping bodies with movement issues or chronic pain.
She supported her father, John Filcich, to continue dancing until the age of 102 and she herself recovered from major physical disability through practicing cultural dance. The spirit carries the body and the body carries the spirit: "When we dance, both are uplifted."