Reflections After Omni
A little over seven weeks ago, Omni closed.
In the time since, my wife, our son and I have had the privilege of a long break. We went to Ireland to be with Sharon's family. No work, no expectation of being productive. It was the first proper stretch of rest in years.
Somewhere in that rest I finally had the time and space to process the closing of this school, and to grieve the loss of it. What came after the grief was something I hadn't been able to feel while I was still in it: an immense amount of gratitude for the people who made five years of this possible.
I'd like to use this last message to say that properly.
To the instructors. Not only in Zouk, but in swing, in bachata, and earlier on in salsa, hip hop, Afrobeats and Urban Kiz. Some of those programs lasted years and some didn't last long at all, and every one of them changed somebody's life. None of you were ever paid a meaningful wage. Many of you drove long distances and rearranged your lives to be in the room. I watched what teaching did to people. Some of you arrived shy and unsure of yourselves, and through the act of teaching chiselled yourselves into genuine leaders of the communities you served. That was the best thing I got to witness.
To the administrative staff, in the Philippines, Pakistan, Egypt and elsewhere. You built most of Omni's back end. You worked through your own nights so that a school on the other side of the world could support its students during the day. Almost none of what ran smoothly would have run at all without you.
To the volunteers. What still surprises me is that most of you didn't need the free membership. You gave far more hours than anyone asked for, just so the people around you had less to carry.
To the DJs, who made our socials and practicas that much better with their music.
To the photographers and videographers. Nearly everything that still exists of Omni and its memories exists because one of you chose to point a camera at it.
To Olivia and Julie, my co-founders, for shaping the community in those early years and for believing in a crazy idea to build the school we wished we had. Countless hours, no pay, just to see it exist. Omni would never have existed without you.
To the board, who came in for the last few years. After my co-founders moved on, you were the people who could hear a problem and help me think it through. I would have lost my mind without you.
To the investors and donors who put money in, often at the moments when it was most needed and least certain. You took a chance on me with your money, your time and your energy.
To everyone who showed up for the fundraiser earlier this summer, whether you gave something to the auction or bid on it. That happened at a moment when many of you were about to shoulder the work of building what comes next, and you made room for it anyway.
To the venues who gave us somewhere to call home. Trilliant, Flying Studios, Artthaus and the Oak Grove. And to Allegro Ballroom, for giving OmniFest a home.
To our students. Thank you for showing up, and for giving us a chance, sometimes several. For your patience through staffing and program changes. For the encouragement you gave instructors teaching a hard topic or teaching for the first time. For telling us honestly when something wasn't working, and then giving us the time and space to actually fix it. Every group I've named above was working to build a community, and you were the community.
To Sharon, my wife, for being there in the darkest parts of this. When there was no one else I felt I could talk to, there was still you, always open and always available. I would not have survived this journey without you.
And to Kairos, my son, who arrived as the light at the end of this particular tunnel, and who has made it very easy to know what matters.
Every one of these people gave so much. Despite my imperfections, and the many mistakes I made and lessons I learned as a first-time founder, Omni had quite the run. Because of them, it left a legacy and had a greater impact than any of us ever imagined.
Writing this out is the first time Omni has felt complete to me.
I'll share more soon about what I'm up to next.
In the meantime, if you come across any of these people, or if you are one of them, I hope you feel a little more loved today.
Imaan
