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.
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Beatrice Anne Fontaine
19 de março de 1960 – 17 de maio de 2026 · 66 anos
"She danced through life and pulled everyone onto the floor."
Biografia
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.
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Mensagens e Homenagens (9)
+ Escrever uma MensagemBeatrice 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.
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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.
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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.
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Bea, you made every room a dance floor. Even the hospital room. Even at the end.
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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.
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She demanded everything from her students and gave even more back. I have never met a teacher who cared harder.
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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.
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Bea and I studied together in Montreal in the 80s. She was already extraordinary then. She only got more so. Miami got very lucky.
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