Month: May 2021

Featured Instructor of the Month: Danielle Byrd

Hi.  My name is Dani.  I am a registered nurse who loves dance, laughing, and having a great time.  I am located in the metro Atlanta area.  I teach at Excluzive Dance studio in Riverdale, GA.

1. You have been certified in all three levels of Liquid Motion® training and have been running some of the most successful floor work classes in the state of Georgia! Tell us how you got started with Liquid Motion®.

Getting started with Liquid Motion® was a blessing in disguise for me. In 2010, I was involved in a head-on collision which left me with plates and screws in my right ankle and leg. As the years passed, the bones in my right foot collapsed and my orthopedic doctor instructed me not to do any dance on my feet for long periods of time. Being that I love to dance, this news depressed me.  I soon began searching for some type of floor work class and ran across a Liquid Motion® Certification course that was held at Vertical Joe’s.  I decided to research the course, signed up for two beginner classes of Liquid Motion® at Vertical Joe’s, and then later became certified. Level 1.0 certification led to Level 2.0, which ultimately led to the Heels certification. After getting certified, I started renting space as an independent instructor and teaching Liquid Motion® at Pink Poles studio. I later transitioned to Excluzive Dance studio, where I host my Liquid Motion® Classes today.

2. What is your teaching philosophy? 

My teaching philosophy is to ensure my students are having fun while learning new movements. My teaching philosophy involves me not only having patience for myself and my students, but also teaching my students to have patience with themselves.  Relax, have fun, and enjoy the journey (good and ugly).

3. Do you teach any other styles of dance? Are there any movement forms you haven’t tried but would like to?

I also teach twerk fitness and Feetup Yoga. I teach twerk fitness as an online virtual class and I teach Feetup Yoga at Excluzive Dance Studio. I am always open to trying any forms of dance. Sometimes I feel like I would love to try some type of ballroom dancing. Other times I do not.  Lol!

4. How do you apply Liquid Motion® as a methodology outside of the studio? Do you feel that it impacts other areas of your life?

When I am outside of the studio I think about the position of my pelvis when I am doing certain moves, trying to determine if I can correct my alignment. I do feel Liquid Motion® impacts other areas of my life. It has helped with my range of flexibility and body awareness.

5. What are your goals in your own personal movement journey? Has Liquid Motion® changed the way you work toward these goals?

I would love to become more fluid, gain more strength, and gain more flexibility in my own personal movement journey. Liquid Motion® has definitely changed the way that I work toward these goals. I feel like I have more body awareness and understanding of my body while working towards these goals.

6. How do you keep your students motivated and excited to come back to class every week?

Lol. This can be a challenge depending on whom is in the class. As we all know, Liquid Motion® is an open level class. With that being said, I have to find that fine medium that will keep my regular participating students coming back to class while attracting my newcomers. Most times I will hint towards a move we will be doing in the next class which usually gets them excited. Other than that, I always remember to tell them that we are here to learn and have fun in a nonjudgmental zone. I encourage them to explore and think outside the box.

7. The year 2020 was crazy for everyone! How has this past year changed your outlook or approach to your classes or your own training? 

Yes, 2020 was a crazy year for everyone. The craziness carried on into 2021 for me with learning my diagnosis of breast cancer. When teaching classes I always try to remember that we all are on different levels and our bodies all function differently. Believe it or not, I cannot sit on my heels. Actually, there are many things that I struggle with, but due to my natural body struggles, I have learned to make sure there are plenty of modifications for those who have similar struggles, while also teaching and talking through full technique for those with minimal to no struggles. After being diagnosed with breast cancer, I continued to teach classes at the wish of my father. It was not that I wanted to give up, I was down and out trying to take in this life changing moment and diagnosis. While teaching class I maintained my same positive spirit, encouraging others to do their best with all moves whether they were failing or succeeding with the move. This further helped me to change my approach with my attitude and spirit with classes and my own training.

8. Do you have any hidden talents?

I like to sew and feel as though I can sew leggings with my eyes closed. I also will sew an outfit here and there.

9. Do you have any tips for aspiring dancers and/or instructors who are hoping to build a supportive community for themselves?

My tip would be to always be yourself. You are your own unique self. Even if you are doing something that is common and others are also doing the same, apply your own unique spin to it. Soon enough, people will see you for the amazing individual you are and be supportive. Have patience and work hard towards your goals while having fun and making friends.

10. In one sentence, share a life lesson you’ve learned. What do you think everyone should hear at least once in their lifetime?

I am sure this is pretty common, but my advice would be: No matter how hard or impossible your dream or goal may seem, take a chance and NEVER give up on YOURSELF!

What is Sensual Movement?

How do you define sensual movement?

The definition of the word “sensuality” (according to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary) is “relating to or consisting in the gratification of the senses or the indulgence of appetite.” This is what we help our students to understand and achieve.

The definition of the term “sensual movement” (according to Liquid Motion®) is as follows:

If you actively use all your senses, you will undoubtedly have a heightened sense of awareness in all areas, including body awareness. To be a successful mover in Liquid Motion®, you must have total body awareness. If you have that, you can create successful movement that your body understands – or what we call Sensual Movement.

If one understands how we perceive the word “sensual” as it pertains to movement, along with the actual definition of the word, then it is clear that the confusion lies within modern culture.

We believe the problem is not fear of sensual movement itself, but rather a misunderstanding of what it really is.

Society has created confusion between the words “sexuality” and “sensuality.” The confusion reaches so far that it parallels pornography or adult entertainment (whatever the hell that means). Because of this, anytime the general public hears the word sensuality, they cringe. Within our own industry, this word has been so watered down, that no one even takes it seriously any more.

We at Liquid Motion® are determined to reclaim the term “sensual movement” for what it really is…

The Activation Of The Senses To Create Total Body Awareness.

It is only when you understand this heightened form of body awareness will the exploration of your body’s natural movement allow you to embrace your individuality and confidence, not only in dance, but in life.

Definitions can begin to collide. As you will quickly see, many of our practices and ideas may challenge or contradict what you have learned about sensual movement up until this point. Leave your preconceived notions at the door. Be open to a new perspective. Don’t let expectations inhibit your movement journey with Liquid Motion®.

Understanding Liquid Motion®

The ability to fully understand how your body naturally moves and what that feels like will ultimately give you the fluidity and Liquid style that you are looking for. Liquid Motion® does not teach you to be sexy, but it does teach you to be sensual and to be proud of it. We are in no way limiting you or telling you that other forms of movement, whether sexual or not, are wrong or right. We are simply leaving that exploration up to you and giving you the tools to keep exploring. We want to make sure you understand how we as a movement culture understand Liquid Motion®.

To understand Liquid Motion® is to be able to recognize and apply our methods. The ability to understand how the Liquid Motion® methodology changes movement is what truly gives you freedom and confidence to create your own Liquid Motion®. That is the final goal, and that final goal will take time. First, you need to learn, understand, and apply our Five Fundamentals and our Five Techniques, as these are your foundation!

Like this content? Learn more about how to access your sensual movement in our 1.0 Certification! Sign up now.

Connecting to my Body and my Community: What Liquid Motion® Means to Me

by Kimberly Joyce Nobrega

 

“What does Liquid Motion® mean to you?”

When I was asked this question recently, it gave me pause. Since my very first class several years ago, I have grown into a version of myself that the “old Me” would not have believed possible. Is Liquid Motion® the sole source of my personal evolution? Of course not… but to be fair, it is a very big part of it. I had no idea when I took my first class, under the color-changing lights of the darkened studio on a Sunday morning, what lay ahead and how integrated it would become in my life.

At the time I took my first class, I was the heaviest I have ever been in my life. I was just starting to slowly come away from a traumatic birth experience and I felt like I was a floating shell in a world where I was invisible. My sister had spent months encouraging me to try pole dance classes, insisting as a former dancer I would enjoy them (she was right). It was through beginning pole classes that I found Liquid Motion® on the schedule.

As a former dancer, Liquid Motion® was certainly intriguing, and it felt slightly familiar moving my body again. It became the class I could not wait to attend each week and the class I would try my hardest not to miss. The more I went to class, the more I noticed Liquid Motion® was showing up in my life. It was not just weaving its way into my pole classes, but even into how I moved out of bed in the morning and how I began to become more aware of my own movement just going through the everyday routine.

To compartmentalize my trauma, I had disassociated my body from my mind; they were two separate entities within me.

My body had become a landscape of trauma, grief, shame, and self-loss which was woven deeply into my self-perception and worth. My mind had become resilient in its effort to ignore, bury, and disassociate from the very vessel which housed it. Liquid Motion®’s methodology acted as a catalyst, challenging my body and mind to collaborate together to create the desired seamless, intentional, sensual movement.  Slowly I started to notice a truce being called between these two entities as they began to reconnect and work together again.

It only took a few months before I knew I wanted to become certified and licensed in this movement modality. I thought I understood what that decision entailed. I knew I was going to learn how to move on a more technical level, and if the opportunity ever presented itself, I could then teach Liquid Motion®. Seemed straightforward enough, right? Except that is not all I got out of it. Upon completing my certification, I discovered I had received so much more than I signed up for.

Our instructing, our branding, our ways of expanding this incredible program of intentional movement operates in business-centric industries. After all, if you are teaching, it is not unrealistic to expect that you should be getting paid. That is just the surface stuff though.

The most unexpected thing I have received since joining Liquid Motion® is the community we offer.

To me, that has been more beneficial than any paycheck I have received. Plugging in, staying engaged, asking questions, mentoring your peers, being mentored, focusing on how you can continue to learn and become more versed in Liquid Motion®… all of it is what has helped me feel confident, supported, and appreciated in my affiliation with Liquid Motion®.

I believe you get out of things what you put into them. Liquid Motion® teaches us to invest in ourselves by providing us with unparalleled resources and training content, a vast majority of which is no additional cost to the licensing. We also benefit from steep discounts on things which are not included, not something you typically see in other membership programs. It is because of that level of investment into me as part of Liquid Motion® that I truly believe I get so much more out of it – far more than simply learning to move technically and teach movement that is sensual.

The personal connections I have made with fellow instructors, from the start of my journey until this moment, have been incredible – especially as we were able to lean on one another during an unprecedented global pandemic. Whether group conversations or private chats, I have been able to learn and be inspired by this community.

So, what does Liquid Motion® mean to me?

It means I feel supported, knowledgeable, and confident in what I teach. It means I have an international network of highly talented people who I can engage with to make me a better mover and instructor. It means because I have world-class resources that I can share what I love with people and help them not only to feel confident but to recognize their own unique magic. That is what makes Liquid Motion® invaluable to me.

 

Author Bio:

Kimberly is a Massachusetts native with over 15 years trained dance experience. She joined Liquid Motion® as an instructor in 2018. Kimberly teaches regularly for North Shore Pole Fitness, sharing her passion that dance is for every body.