Meet Our Teachers
At Hajime, we believe in the power of community. Whether you have two left foot, or have an innate gift for dancing, we want to ensure you feel right at home with us. Teachers provide the foundation from which students grow from. Meet the team that will be right by your side, guiding and nurturing your dancing aspirations.
Teachers
Mandi
Woods
An educator with over 15 years of experience, Mandi’s true passion is Lambada. She fell in love with the energy, the vibes, the music, and the beautiful structure of the dance. Strongly influenced by her background in education, Mandi brings a thoughtful, student-centered approach to dance instruction. Her teaching style emphasizes inclusivity, a solid foundation through structured learning, and the power of a growth mindset.
She loves working with beginners and believes that with intentional teaching and dedicated practice, everyone can grow. Mandi has completed over 200 hours of Lambada group training, along with more than 50 hours of private lessons with regional and international Lambada teachers. She has completed Modules 1–5 of Lambada Mastery and continues to invest in her own development. Mandi looks forward to welcoming new Lambadeiros into the Japan community and hopes to see you in class soon!
Assistants
Joanna
Lam
Joanna first discovered the dancing scene when she moved to Tokyo in 2022. Starting with Hustle, she gradually discovered different dance communities such as Zouk, Lambada and West Coast Swing, and was warmly welcomed into their fold and fell in love with how the dance movements made her feel.
She then started dreaming of a place that could bring all the different dance styles under one roof, and thus, Hajime was born. Her passion and strong beliefs of the sense of community is evident in the way she teaches, providing patience and gentle guidance for newcomers. Despite her relatively young experience in dancing, her passion shines through in her teaching.
