WHAT MOVES YOU
I’ve always been a class person. Meaning: most of my life has been structured around a favorite dance class or instructor who rocked my world. When I was a little girl it was Pam Russell or Donyel Banks after school in the cafeteria, in college it was trekking downtown on Saturday mornings for Katiti King’s classes at Dance Space, and just a couple of years ago I could be found sweating and weeping with joy in the healing light of Ryan Heffington at the Sweat Spot. It’s what keeps me whole.
I’m not a professional dancer in the way that some of my friends are – in the world of theatre I'm an "actress who moves well" – however, all of that changed when I started taking Yoga Booty Ballet (yes, that’s the name of a real class and OF COURSE I had to try it) at a studio called Swerve in Los Angeles. After a year of obsessively taking class, my instructor, Gillian, convinced me to take the Yoga Booty Ballet teacher training – that was ten years ago. I’ve been teaching ever since.
Teaching dance fitness, group fitness, and training people one-on-one is an incredible gift I didn’t see coming until I was right in the middle of it. In hindsight, it makes all kinds of sense but at the time I was like, “Well, that contract for the show in New York isn’t happening so I guess I’ll stay here and learn how to teach YBB???” And teach I have. I’m well past my 10,000 hour mark; experience has changed my perception of the body, fueled my desire to educate, and solidified my awe for our capacity to transform again and again.
But here’s the thing: I’m still a class person. Even though I get to be the teacher, host the party, hold the space - I still love to be the student. There’s something about the ritual of having a place to go, a mentor to admire, and a community with whom to share these values of sweat and movement that means everything to me. A year ago I moved to the Bay Area, leaving behind the teachers, studios, and communities that I leaned on for inspiration in LA. I’m still finding the great classes, people, and instructors in my new home. That's where Sweat Please! comes in: this blog is where I can share my discoveries, offer what I know, and write about what moves me.
My hope, of course, is that it moves you too.
See you in class,
- P.
photo: @dianarothery