Kimberly lives in Central Massachusetts with her husband, son, daughter and their dog. When not in the studio, her passions include traveling, reading, writing, cooking and being at the ocean. Kimberly is a graduate from Framingham State University with a bachelor degree cum laude in Art History with a minor in fine arts/cinema. Kimberly regularly teaches both Liquid Motion and pole dance classes at North Shore Pole Fitness in Lawrence, Massachusetts.
1. Tell us how you got started with Liquid Motion. Were you always a dancer or is this a more recent endeavor?
When I first began my Pole fitness journey I found Liquid Motion by chance. My parents gave me a Groupon to a studio near me that I wasn’t taking classes at and based on my schedule their Liquid Motion class offerings was the only thing that I could use it for. I have had about 15 years of tap, ballet and jazz training, but it had been about 20 years since I had formally studied anything. I took it to see what it was all about and never looked back!
2. Why did you choose to get Liquid Motion certified?
Once I took my first class I was hooked. I loved that it was both challenging and rewarding. I definitely didn’t “get” all the moves on my first try, but I found it really satisfying just to be moving. I noticed how I maneuvered my body in Pole, floorwork, Lyra and even just getting out of bed in the morning was changing. Being fluid, being consciously aware of how my body moved and feeling more connected to myself was making a huge difference. I started going from one class a week to two or three religiously. That really made me think I should look into certification. I wanted to really get an in depth understanding of what the methodology was.I opted for the license because I wanted access to additional online content and tutorials. It also was greatly beneficial in putting together my showcase and competition pieces. I’ve been fortunate enough to be able to teach it and I am looking forward to continuing my certifications.
3. What is your teaching philosophy? Do you have a motto or mantra?
My big thing is “technique first, finesse later.” A lot f people get intimidated and aren’t sure they can “move like that” because there is a very connected, fluid and sensual way to how you execute this movement. But I don’t teach sensuality. I teach you the proper technique and body mechanics to add these movements into your dance vocabulary. Once students feel confident in how their body operates completing them, that’s when I see them make it their own. I teach men and women, people who have dance training and people who don’t, people who are flexible with great range of motion and those who have limited range of motion and flexibility- the beauty is that they all still can move and do this program. I empower them to be confident and own their own unique movement. Once we have the technical stuff down, then we finesse it out and they really make it their own. It’s an all-inclusive and all skill level dance movement which means everyone will always be challenged as well as have some “wins” and that’s an amazing thing to be able to offer all people.
4. What has been your most rewarding teaching experience?
Any time I get someone who takes a class for the first time and they come back again and again- that’s huge! I strongly believe this is something everyone should try at least once. I can’t think of anyone who didn’t get something out of a Liquid Motion class experience. People shy away because they aren’t sure it’s something they’ll be successful at, but by the end they’ve always had a move they really loved and one they want to continue to work on. I love when they leave more confident in themselves than when we began at warm-up.
5. What has been your biggest hurdle or learning experience?
My biggest personal hurdle has been my Plow. I had an emergency c-section when my son was born and I lost feeling in my lower abdomen. It’s really difficult in Pole Fitness and floorwork sometimes to do things because I can’t feel that area to trigger active engagement consciously. It means some things that require inverting I have to drill over and over until I create muscle memory for myself. Luckily, I have a great support system and resources to keep training this. I used to be really frustrated by it, but I changed my perspective: because I struggle with some moves I now know who to help others who have similar struggles and I also can give options on how to pull things off.
6. As a fairly new instructor, you’ve had great success so far. Tell us about your transition from student to teacher. Do you have any tips for others who might be thinking about teaching in the future?
I wasn’t sure when I got my certification and license if I’d have the opportunity to teach. I offered up my help substituting at first and still pick up those opportunities any time they are available. I live by the class outline format and it’s honestly what got me past the nervousness of teaching my first class. Liquid Motion gives us a ton of resources to have us set up for success so I lean into those. That helped me build my confidence in teaching. I stay a student by taking the class with other instructors so I’m always learning too. I constantly talk about Liquid Motion on my social media and in real life at least a few times a week to share this methodology- that’s really helped me connect people with the classes, regardless if they are mine or with another instructor. As my class sizes increase toward or at capacity pretty regularly I started doing recaps of the class online. It works two-fold: the students in attendance have a reference for the content we covered and can reach out directly to me with any questions and it gives people who are interested in trying a class insight to what to expect so they feel more comfortable giving it a go. If you are thinking about teach- go for it! The certification is incredible and you really are given so much support right from the start on how to be successful. Plus, other Liquid Motion instructors are always willing to help you and our resources in the Liquid Motion library are top-notch.
7. Where do you see yourself going in your movement journey? What are your goals?
I can’t imagine not having Liquid Motion in my life. I’d love to become part of the Liquid Motion Master Trainer team one day because I am so passionate about sharing this with people and empowering them to get deep into it. My current plan involves continuing my personal Liquid Motion education through our certifications and I’m working on being able to bring it into other studios who don’t have it yet or want to offer it to their students to see if there is an interest. I’d also really love to bring Liquid Motion to your more “traditional” dance and fitness platforms because the benefits of what we teach are really supportive and transferable to people whose fitness focuses are in those spaces as well.
8. What’s your all-time favorite song that makes you want to get Liquid?
My Liquid Motion playlist has a ton of variety and I’m adding to it weekly. But “Wicked Games” by The Weeknd has a soft spot with me. During my certification in Philly we used it for the Wall Sequence freestyle and I don’t think I’ve ever had a freestyle that I connected with like that. I had never heard the song before and had no idea it was over 5 minutes long. But there was something about the energy of the people in that room and that song that was just fire! When I feel like I’m in a rut, that’s my go to in order to recenter myself. I also can’t get enough of playing with “Wrong” by Max because of how I can play with the tempo- plus it makes me feel extra sultry!
9. Do you have any hidden talents?
I’m an artist by trade. My true love is ceramics, but I draw, paint and sculpt as well.
10. What one piece of advice would you give to someone who might want to try Liquid Motion?
Absolutely try it! Regardless of your fitness level or if you have any prior dance experience or not, this class is for you. It’s an amazing compliment to any fitness routine because it’s a total body workout that is guaranteed to be challenging as well as rewarding. Sometimes it looks like a lot of slinking around on the floor, but it’s going to make you use your body in ways that are going to be really beneficial for you and you are going to build both strength and endurance. The worst thing you walk away with is a great workout that helped you learn something new- so there is nothing to lose!