The Eileen King Story
By Ava Chand
5,6,7,8! The distinguishable sounds of sneakers, jazz shoes, and bare feet rhythmically hit the floor. Each breath exhaled by dancers releases the tension of the outside world. Each inhale takes in the energy of a loving family and constant support. This is a reflection of the environment of Eugene’s own Unity School of Dance founded by Eileen King. King is a Eugene public figure known for her dedication to the Oregon dance community. She regularly hosts showcases and accompanies her students to compete at various dance competitions. King is the definition of a success story, however, the success did not come easy.
King was born in Florida and was put into dance by her father at age 4. Just as her dance journey began, tragedy struck her family with the suicide of her father. King and her mother ventured to Eugene to be with her aunt following her father’s passing, however, this did not mean the dancing came to a stop. Very quickly, King felt the spiritual releases dance could offer a person. “Dance helped me feel connected to him,” she stated in reference to her father. By age 9, King immediately knew, “This is what I’m meant to do.” King channeled her grief into expression. King spent her youth training at local studios discovering her own unique style. As adolescence turned to adulthood, King decided to pack her bags and move to San Diego, California knowing that many successful dancers are produced in California and she was on a mission. During her time in San Diego, King was enlisted as an instructor at world renowned studio Culture Shock and was recruited by the crew Urban FX. King reflects on these times fondly expressing endless nodes of knowledge from her experience. She reflects on her peers and colleagues, “I got to dance with people who were back up dancers for Janet Jackson and, oh my god, Justin Timberlake!” King says that her time in Southern California is perhaps the most inspiring time of her life. However, her time in this cultural hotspot was short-lived because an unforeseen event was about to change King’s life.
In 2005, Eileen King was horrifically struck by a semi-truck and was totaled into three other cars on the road. This event completely flipped King’s world upside down. This crash resulted in a completely shattered knee. When asked to describe the accident, King softly expressed “It's just gross having to think back to it” with tears welling up in her eyes. Following the crash, doctors told King she was never going to dance again, and to that she responded “I refuse to give up. If someone tells me ‘no’ I want to prove that I can.” She continues, “It’s hard when someone says you can’t do something that you just know you were meant to do forever” through an emotional voice. After 6 months on crutches and severe depression, King continued to remind herself that she has a strong head and can accomplish anything. This headstrong resilience is a testament to how driven King is as a person. This was a life altering setback, and King continues to battle with the repercussions to this day. However, through constant reminders, King persists through her injury.
Following her accident, King returned to Eugene to continue her recovery, however, she was quick to continue her dance journey in a different way. In 2006, less than a year after her accident, King produced a dance collective of nine friends. This collective quickly developed into a Eugene local collective, Kings Krew. Kings Krew was asked to perform at a local Eugene showcase and quickly made waves in the community. The standing ovation Kings Krew received from their performance inspired King to create Kings Krew Minis, Evolve, a contemporary style of dance collective, and eventually Unity School of Dance in 2009.
King’s students are considered an extension of her own family. Two of King’s former students, Lauren Diama and Emilia Allen, spoke very fondly of their relationship. Diama recounted her first audition at Unity School of Dance and shared, “I remember my first audition, I forgot my Hip Hop shoes and Eileen let me borrow hers.” This was the beginning of a lifelong friendship as well as mentorship. Both Diama and Allen describe the school as a safe space. In 2015, King underwent surgery for displaced vertebrae in her neck, meaning her students saw her in a very vulnerable state. Allen recalls seeing King in a neck brace, “Growing up with her as this strong woman figure in my life and seeing her push through this injury made her even more beautiful in my eyes.” King was a huge figure in both Diama and Allen’s lives and continues to make waves to this day.
As for the future, King continues to build her school with more and more of Eugene’s talent as years pass. She feels immense reward seeing her students grow and become beautiful and successful dancers. The pride King feels for her community and her students is bigger than ever. Eventually, she hopes to expand the Pacific Northwest dance community and bring more attention to the talent that surrounds it. Eileen King is not only a dancer or a teacher, but she is also a survivor. She is the face of strength and persistence. Her mantra that she continues to tell both herself and her students is to “Stay true to yourself. Know your worth. Remember why you are here, that other side is so much better.”
