a workshop to move you through life transitions and questions
Don’t you wish sometimes that someone could just make decisions for you?
I do.
But since that’s not going to happen, I’m grateful to have acquired a tool that helps me navigate life:
DANCE. And I’m talking about dancing in a creative, self-expressive, intentional, and authentically-you way, which has the power to bring real change and clarity to our lives.
After all:
“Dance is a language of physical exercise that sparks new brain cells (neurogenesis) and their connections. These connections are responsible for acquiring knowledge and thinking.”
Judith Lynne Hanna, PhD, author of Dancing to Learn: The Brain’s Cognition, Emotion, and Movement
Here’s what we’re going to do in this workshop:
I’ll guide you through a warm up and guided freestyle movement to get your body activated and your mind present
We’ll move through a dance-based therapeutic tool to help you find clarity on a particular struggle or challenge, which you can keep on file to use anytime you need to access the truth inside of you
We’ll have time for discussion and shares, and I’ll share my 5 go-to practices (a.k.a. healthy coping mechanisms) for moving through a phase of transition or the unknown in your life and actually finding answers.
You’ll be guided in shaping your “danswers” into creating a short expressive dance piece that you can share with the group - or keep for yourself. Because dance is a mirror of life, so we might as well create something with it.
F.A.Q.
Who’s leading this and why should I trust her?
Oh, hi! I’m Jess. Almost forgot to introduce myself. Though I was once a shy, obedient ballerina who followed dance steps like a technical machine, I now dance freely in public and performative contexts. From holding up a “DANCE WITH ME” sign in a busy airport lobby, to being stuck on stage with no music in front of an audience of 200 people, I’ve learned a thing or two about what it means to trust yourself through dance. And the more I do it, the more authentic, fulfilling, and exciting my life, career and relationships have gotten.
What if all the other people who come are weird? What if I don’t fit in?
Chances are if you’ve gotten this far on the page, there’s something in what I’m sharing that resonates with you, which means we’ll get along. Which means that other people reading this and resonating will also get along. Which means we’re all the same style of weirdo. Know what I mean?
But I’m not a dancer - is that ok?
Yes, that’s totally ok! I personally will argue that everyone is a dancer, but we don’t have to get into that here. All you need is a desire and willingness to dance and move your body. You don’t need “training” or previous dance experience. There won’t be any fancy flip moves to learn, and I certainly won’t make you do anything you’re not comfortable with. (That would be weird.)
But I am a dancer - is that ok?
Oh yes! Dancer-dancers welcomed, too. You might be worried this will be beneath your technical capabilities, and it probably will be. But this workshop isn’t about technique. There are plenty of other places you can go to get a good contemporary-jazz class in. This workshop is about helping you undo whatever you’ve learned that’s stopping you from fully trusting yourself and your truth - both on the dancefloor and in life.
I’m scared of dancing in public. Do I have to do share my dance with the group?
Sharing is totally optional. Of course you’re encouraged to partake, but again, I won’t make you do anything you don’t feel comfortable with. Arrive with the intention to just be present and make a choice that feels good to you, and you might be surprised by how you feel at the end.
Grab your spot now - because you know you won’t actually do it tomorrow. Now is the time.
feedback from past students:
"I took my first ever dance course with Jess! It was called “Dance Into Your Answers”, and it was life-changing on many levels. First, I realized that I CAN dance, despite holding limiting beliefs my whole life that dancers were tiny and petite. I also loved the format of the class—improv was combined with journaling and movement. I left with an answer that I had been wondering about for a long time—whether or not to scrap my second book and forget the whole project, or whether to revamp the idea and move forward. I am now reworking that book--and my experiences from this class will be featured in chapter one! I am grateful for the creativity work Jess continues to do with her clients, and I’m looking forward to dancing again.”
~ M. Shannon Hernandez, NYC, Founder of the The Writing Whisperer
"I love the intuitive way in which Jess led us. She created a space in which I was able to connect to my heart and to an inner truth that I hadn't yet realized until that point in the workshop. Ever since, things have been concretizing in big ways and my creative life is blossoming. Jess, you're a somatic genius!"
-Melissa Guttman, Voice Coach, NYC
“I haven’t taken dance class in a LONG time. I had no idea how much stuff from the past was in the way. Dancing with Jess is so much more than just dancing. She walks the path of what she teaches. She lives her creativity and gives all of us permission to do the same.”
- Emily Whyte, Actor, Alexander Teacher, M.AmSat
the post-workshop glow from last month's session!
