Our Story

The Story of Vive Movement

Vive Movement was born from a deep desire to bring joyful, accessible dance to the heart of Kimberley. While recovering from her fourth endometriosis/adenomyosis surgery and feeling pretty isolated in the post-pandemic world, Diana thought a lot about movement, healing, and community. That's when a clear vision took root and the seed for Vive Movement was planted.

Soon after, Diana and Laurence met and instantly connected. They quickly became close friends through a shared passion for dance, creative expression, and community building. Fluently bilingual, they share a commitment to supporting French language and culture in Kimberley and together began shaping Vive Movement.

The name Vive Movement comes from the French verb vivre, pronounced "veeeeve" meaning “to live,” reflecting our intention to move with joy.

Vive Movement launched in June 2023 with adult ballet and contemporary dance, alongside creative movement for children. As the community grew, we moved to Centre 64 in September 2025 and welcomed Anna Malvin to our team to expand creative dance programming for kids. Since then we've added the Royal Academy of Dance’s Silver Swans program for ages 55+ and have partnered with Chanse & Kristin Kokolski-Swedgan to offer Ukrainian Dance workshops.

Our Mission

Vive Movement is dedicated to making movement joyful, meaningful, and accessible for all.

Founders

Diana Dearden

Diana has always loved ballet. Growing up in Cranbrook/Fort Steele, she began dancing in the 1990s and trained at the Goh Ballet Academy in Vancouver during her grade 10 year. After injuries led her to step away from dance, she shifted her focus to other interests, such as travel and French language studies. Diana holds a BA in History, a certificate in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages, and a Master’s in Adult Education with a focus on literacy. She has been teaching at the College of the Rockies since 2012. Diana lives in Kimberley, BC, with her family and has also been teaching adult ballet for over a decade. A founding member of Vive Movement, Diana believes ballet is a unique art form that can be enjoyed by everyone, regardless of age or mobility.

Laurence Rondeau-L’Écuyer

Laurence is a Montreal native, dancer, choreographer, and educator with a commitment to arts education. She holds two bachelor’s degrees—one in Dance Interpretation and another in Dance Education (K-12)—and recently completed a master’s degree in education. Laurence has spent much of her career in the private education sector, creating and teaching dance programs for students aged 3-18. After completing her Dance Interpretation studies, she became active in Quebec’s professional dance scene, co-founding the dance collective “Danse To Go” in Montreal in 2013. Now based in Kimberley, BC, Laurence is passionate about promoting French culture and the arts within education. She is a founding member of Vive Movement and aims to make contemporary dance accessible to all.

Instructors

Anna Malvin

Anna Malvin began dancing at age two and trained for thirteen years in Albuquerque, performing with Ballet Repertory Theatre of New Mexico and Festival Ballet Albuquerque. After moving to Kimberley, she joined Vive’s adult classes and quickly found a welcoming dance home. With a background in environmental education, climbing instruction, and youth programming, Anna loves working with children and, in 2025, helped launch Vive’s Creative Movement for Kids classes to share the joy of dance with young learners.

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Chanse + Kristin

Chanse Swedgan and Kristin Kokolski-Swedgan are Ukrainian-Canadian dance educators with over 35 years of combined teaching and performance experience. Raised in vibrant Ukrainian communities in Alberta and British Columbia, they are passionate about sharing the traditions of Ukrainian dance. Chanse is a Royal Canadian Navy veteran whose leadership and community spirit enrich his teaching, while Kristin brings a warm, inclusive approach through her background in education and community support. Now based in Wycliffe with their two young daughters, they are excited to share the energy, culture, and joy of Ukrainian dance with the Kimberley community.