On this Creative Friday, or shall we call it Cinco de Danza, I’m going to let dance speak for me. Because I’m tired. Because it’s been a rough week. Because I’m realizing how I can overcomplicate or overexplain things when actually all that’s needed is a dance. Here’s my dance video and story. I hope you dance, too, ...
Read morethe kind of dance that’s needed with urgency.
Back in the spring of 2014, I walked to the park to find a place to dance. It was the kind of dance that was needed with urgency. It was the kind of urgency that was felt at the start of spring, when new life is ready to bust out from all angles. It was the kind of spring that was much needed after a long winter. And it called for the body to MOVE, to shake off the winter, to welcome in spring, to find release in the midst of a transition ...
Read morewhat dancing in public has taught me
Dancing in public places has taught me a lot. Some people really see you and some people don't. Some people smile and some people give you weird looks. Some people want to dance along, but most do not. (Except for the children. They usually dance.) My own confidence and fears get tested. My comfort zone gets shattered. Why go through all of that? For me, it’s for connection. On Valentine’s Day, I decided I would wear ...
Read moredance is not a luxury. here's why.
Throwback to June of 2011, a bit over 5 years ago. I was living in my parent’s basement temporarily after having to leave my Brooklyn apartment quite suddenly. It was 6 months after my dad’s stroke, 2 months into a new romantic relationship, and I was making dance videos like crazy.
Why?
Because those precious moments I had alone in the basement for a few minutes were the only times when I felt I had the space to express myself. There often aren’t words to describe the feelings of big life transitions, and so that’s why dance is there.
I didn’t have (or make) time to take dance classes. I didn’t want to.
I wasn’t interested in learning choreography or auditioning for a show.
I basically didn’t care to do any of the things I previously did in my past dance life.
But I DID want to say something that words couldn’t express.
I DID want to move my body and channel some of the tough emotions.
I DID want a break from the stress and pain of things that were happening in my life.
So I danced it out, in my own way, to music that moved me, and I made a video of it. (multiple times. still doing it.)
This is not a dance-making act of luxury. This is a dance-making act of necessity. This is dance-making like my life depended on it. Because it did.
Who are we without the acts that move our souls?
Who are we without exercising our human ability to create?
Who are we without dance?
I’d argue to say we’d be prettttty boring and dead inside without any of those things.
Not the kind of life I want to live.
How bout you?
If dance is part of YOUR soul, don’t ignore the calling.
Go dance in your basement or bedroom or boardroom and unleash the spirit inside of you.
I know it’s sometimes easier said than done, so I am here to help. In fact, outside of dancing myself, helping other people to revive dance in their lives is my favorite thing in the world. And I’m really good at it.
The reason why it's my favorite thing is because I see what happens beyond the dance itself.
When women reclaim their dancer identity IN THEIR OWN WAY - in a way that empowers them, frees them, and unleashes parts of themselves that have been hidden or squelched - they take different actions in their LIFE.
They no longer keep their mouth shut when they really want to speak up. They walk into a room with confidence and knowing their self-worth. They feel a deep sense of belonging and connection to a tribe who understands them, which becomes a foundation for launching their dreams.
Again, this is not a luxury. It is a necessity if we want to create a world where women have the power to change it for the better.
So let’s dance, shall we?
I’m gifting the first 5 people who comment below with a free ticket to one of my Pop Goddess Dance intro classes on Monday 10/17 or 10/24 in NYC.
(There's also an online intro if you can't make it live!)
And if you’re not in NYC or Pop-Goddess isn’t your thing, there are other ways I can support your dancing process, so just contact me now with a little bit about your dance story and where you’re feeling stuck and I’ll get back to you asap.
to freeing our dancing souls, Jess
the bold act of being messy
In a world that demands perfection, it’s a bold act to let yourself be messy. To let yourself express something authentic, versus what you think everyone else wants to see.
I could end the post right there, but I’ll share a little story to back it up.
In the studio with a private dance client yesterday, I was helping her develop a solo dance piece for our show next week. She had lots of ideas of what she wanted it to look like - there were props, costume pieces, and steps set to the music. But every time she went to dance it, she would stop and think. Something wasn’t flowing.
I asked her to think back to a recent dance video she had made - one in which she was moving freely and so like herself.
“What compelled you to make that dance video?” I asked.
“I was feeling all this sadness and didn’t know where it was coming from... I was craving a space to call home and didn’t know how to find it… so I danced.”
And then I asked her to pick a new song, one that spoke to her soul, and to improvise to it from where she was right there in that moment.
What happened after was beautiful to watch, vulnerable, and authentic.
She decided to scrap the idea of the complicated dance piece because she realized it was mostly driven by her head: by what she THOUGHT would be funny, what she THOUGHT people would want to see.
It turns out, what her body and soul wanted to share and express are much different.
It takes courage to realize that and even more courage to follow through with it.
Because again, there’s so much perfection demanded of us - especially in the dance world. It’s safer to think up something and create calculated movements than it is to move from your truth in the moment, as messy as it might feel.
But really, don’t we all want to see what’s real?
I know I do.
If you do, too, and if you’re in NYC come out to our show next Friday.
And if you’re craving support in finding YOUR messy realness in the dance studio, contact me and let’s set up a time to talk to see how I could support you in bringing out your truest self, on and off the dance floor.
to the beauty in the mess,
Jess
enough of the mopey energy. we need your creative power.
You can wait for the stars to alignYou can wait for the right kind of sign You can hope and pray for an answer You can tiptoe around like a dancer
But no matter the season or time No matter if you don’t have a dime If there’s something you want to do The power of creation is in YOU.
Because the stars reflect your light The signs show up with your might The answer was in you all along The dancer can choose her song.
- Jess Grippo
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Enough is enough, *|FNAME|*.
It's time to take your power back.
We can't sit around and wait for the answers to appear, for some made-up hero to save us, or for justice to happen by chance.
We need to live by our values.
We need to dance powerfully into our answers.
We need to be clear on who we are and what we desire so that we can start magnetizing dream opportunities, instead of being a victim to things not working out.
Mopey energy attracts mopey things.
You are not the 8th dwarf named Mopey. There are only 7, and they can play happily or grumpily or dope-ily with Snow White in their own fairy tale.
This is your world.
You write the script.
You are a powerful, creative force and we need you to step up your game do what you came here to do.
Create. Dance. Share your gifts. Connect with humanity. Be the change you wish to see in the world. (to quote Ghandi)
If life throws you a crappy situation, or if someone or something doesn't quite work out the way you expected, be angry or upset or whatever you need to be, and then follow it up with gratitude for that lesson. It's there to help you let go of what's not working so that you can hone in on what will work better than you could have ever imagined.
What do you want right now? What do you wish was happening in your life? What's the dream that seems out in the distance?
And the most important question - Who would you need to BE in order to receive all of that?
Be that person now.
..........
If you're ready to reclaim your creative power more fully than ever before and let go of what's been holding you back from your greatness, join me in NYC on July 29th and 30th.
I've created a 2-day experience designed to:
- strengthen your confidence & self-expression
- discover the truth & creative solutions inside of you
- create spontaneous art in community
- be stretched, challenged, & supported as you move physically, emotionally, & spiritually into higher vibrations and power
Get the details and register here.
with a fire in my belly and a torch in my hand, Jess
p.s. Ever get stuck in wishy-washy energy? Here's a 2-word mantra to help you get your creative power back:
