Anna Devuyst was Bigger than Life

Anna Devuyst, an accomplished ballroom dance performer, competitor, teacher, adjudicator, and proprietor of Koreatown’s Anna’s Dance Centre in Toronto, passed away on September 4, 2018, at the age of 63.

Amost everyone who has spent any time in the world of ballroom dance in Toronto – including many who have since migrated to Argentine Tango – will have, at one time or another, run across Anna Devuyst. Anna owned and operated Anna’s Dance Centre to the benefit of a wide range of fiercely loyal dance students and enthusiasts.

Anna was born on January 12, 1955, in Antwerp, Belgium, and began dancing at the age of six. She quickly developed a passion for ballroom dance and went on to compete in dance competitions throughout Europe. In 1976, Anna moved to Canada to pursue her love of dance.

Anna’s expertise in ballroom dance and her passion for teaching led her to open Anna’s Dance Centre in Toronto’s Koreatown neighborhood. The studio quickly became a fixture in the dance community, with Anna’s students achieving success both locally and internationally. Anna was also a respected adjudicator and judge, serving on the judging panel for many prestigious dance competitions across Canada and the United States.

With a bigger-than-life personality and an approach to teaching which could at times seem almost intimidating, Anna was always deeply supportive and encouraging to her students. Her legacy will live on through the countless dancers she inspired and taught, and her contributions to Toronto social dance community will be remembered for generations to come.

If Anna could miraculously be reached by phone, she would probably hear the words below played at her Celebration of Life Ball on February 22, 2019.