I was terrified to walk into that studio at age 55. She took my hand and said: the body always remembers what the mind forgets. She was right.
1 month ago
Beatrice Anne Fontaine
March 19, 1960 – May 17, 2026 · 66 years
"She danced through life and pulled everyone onto the floor."
Biography
Beatrice Anne Fontaine was a dance instructor, choreographer, and performance artist from Montreal who made her home in Miami, Florida, for the last 30 years of her life. She taught ballet, salsa, and contemporary dance at her studio, Studio Fontaine, which she opened in 1994. Over three decades, she taught thousands of students — from toddlers to retirees. Bea was famous for her energy, her ferocious standards, and her equally fierce love for every student who walked through her door. She is survived by her husband Jean-Pierre, her students, and a dance floor that will never be the same.
Messages & Tributes (9)
+ Write a MessageBeatrice was on the floor demonstrating steps at 65 that most 25-year-olds can't do. She was electric. She will always be electric in my memory.
1 month ago
I took my first dance class from Bea when I was four years old. I danced professionally for twelve years. Every performance began with a thought of her.
1 month ago
My mother danced before she walked. She danced until she couldn't. And she taught me to love it the way she did — not for the steps, but for the feeling.
1 month ago
Bea, you made every room a dance floor. Even the hospital room. Even at the end.
1 month ago
She choreographed the piece we performed at the national showcase in 2015. Critics said it was the most emotionally honest dance they had seen that year. That was Bea.
1 month ago
She demanded everything from her students and gave even more back. I have never met a teacher who cared harder.
1 month ago
She taught my 70-year-old mother to salsa and my mother still goes dancing on Saturdays. That class changed her life. Bea changed a lot of lives.
1 month ago
Bea and I studied together in Montreal in the 80s. She was already extraordinary then. She only got more so. Miami got very lucky.
1 month ago