Dance Your Heart Awake
Dance uncages the soul & allows you to feel completely free.
Dance Your Heart Awake
I have had a lifelong love affair with dance. A dynamic lover satisfying every primal need & desire from the tenderest sensual dance to the most raw, sexy, hot tango. Steadfast, euphoric, grounding, a catalyst for growth, holding up a mirror to my heart and always, always, bringing me back to my truth, freedom, & home in my magnificent body.
Here is a lil me getting her dance on at the beach, not caring who is watching. I wish I could say that I held that not give a F’ attitude in every moment. Alas, life happened, heartbreak, toxic cultural programming, uninvited & unwelcome attention towards my vessel, school & religion with sooooo many rules + regulations of how a “lady should behave…” (I get a knot in my stomach just typing that) - that my carefree spirit was beaten out of me & I had to retreat in order to stay safe in this wild world. I shrank when all I really wanted to do was expand.
(Free Dancing on the beach & getting my groove on at a family party)
I took jazz & tap for 4 years, but for some reason as I was about to enter high school, I stopped. I think at the time I thought it seemed uncool & immature. I would shyly & awkwardly hit the dance floor at school events but never fully & freely expressed. I was still very much contracted.
I danced at family parties, weddings, and then in my 20’s dancing took place on the weekends, at bars in New York City, after a looooong week of doing work not aligned with my heart & soul. I numbed out through alcohol (food and shopping too) so I didn’t have to really feel the pain I was in, how disconnected from my heart, soul, & spirit I had become, or the paralyzing fear I had of fully expanding into my power and stepping into the role I was born to fulfill. I forgot to keep dancing from my soul, not from the 2nd...3rd...or was it the 4th shot (?)...stumbling, foggy, & unsure of the steps.
In some ways being drunk is kinda like living life - no-one is really sure of the steps and we all stumble. But when we stumble from taking the steps guided by our heart (not alcohol or drugs or food or shopping or...insert the numbing tool of choice) we are actually AWAKE & can gain clarity from the falls & rebuild stronger & more empowered than ever. The numbing tool isn’t helping us live, it is just keeping us asleep and in a whole lotta unnecessary pain.
ON MY JOURNEY OF CONSTANT BECOMING & STEPPING INTO THE FULLNESS OF ME, DANCE HAS BEEN:
b one of my greatest healing tools
b the gateway to being embodied & empowered
b instant mood shifter + joy creator
Dance is the soul fully expressed.
In 2005 I discovered S Factor in New York City. I was part of one of the 1st classes ever, in this location. My mind didn’t realize how significant this was at the time, although my heart knew. It was an audacious act of reclaiming all of me & the start of my journey of helping resurrect the Divine Feminine. I wanted a good workout and I was curious & terrified of using pole dancing as a form of this, but as I left my apartment to take my first class, I knew this was going to rock my world. I had no idea just how profoundly it would impact my life.
Dance to feel ALIVE and EXPANSIVE.
My weekly pole dancing class, quickly became my therapy, my sanctuary, my church, where I learned to worship all of me. It was my non-negotiable time in an ever packed, always on the go, NYC life. To this day, over a decade later (I should add - I have NEVER stuck with a workout this long...maybe 6 months...maybe…), the S Factor studio is one of the only spaces I can ever truly get out of my head and where I never worry about time. When I walk into the studio doors it is like the rest of the world is on pause. After taking a 2 hour class I feel simultaneously that I have only been there for a blink, and for a delicious eternity, and that I never, ever, want to leave. It’s not just a pole workout, although being able to climb to the top of a 15ft ceiling is badass, it is a rediscovery & reclamation of your body’s truth, voice, and undeniable power. It is a movement that terrifies me because of the depth of emotion it can excavate, and the veils, the armour, it strips from me, and for all the same reasons it exhilarates and empowers me. When I dance I feel ALIVE. I feel like a Queen. I do not doubt how my energy moves, magnetizes, captivates, touches, and mesmerizes anyone I may encounter on the dance floor. I feel my force and it is infinite.
This is why I dance, to stay connected to my infinity, my Divinity.
I worship my body because she is my holy vessel and heart & soul home for this Earthly journey. She holds the casing of the compass directing me on the path toward my desires. My body is my truth barometer. I may not always listen but she never, ever lies. She knows when things are a F’ YESSSSSS! Or a F’ NOOOOO! She knows when it is time to slow down & rest and when it is time to get my hustle on. She knows when to jump off the cliff & soar, and when to take a step back & wait for Divine timing. She shows up for me every single day, rain or shine, no excuses...ever, working ceaselessly to keep me healthy & vibrant so I may live the life I am meant to LIVE. She loves me unconditionally but I didn’t love her until I learned how to dance in the light AND the dark of me and accept all of it...all of the glorious beauty & mess. This moment of acceptance converged with the moment I stepped into my full power and reclaimed all of me.
S Factor not only kicked my body into the best shape of her life, it uncorked my femininity. I wasn’t really aware I had hips until I entered the studio. It took me until my early 20’s to realize that I have curves and they are sexy, sensual, full of power and an incredible blessing, not something to be ashamed of. In my mid 30’s I was able to fully accept and embrace this incredible force that is me. The same force that is within you.
This flowing feminine, sensual, erotic dance transformed my life so much I became a teacher to give back what was given to me. Being in a space that held up a mirror so that I may see that, I am whole, worthy, enough as I am, that we are all sensual & sexual creatures & there is NO shame in that. That everybody, no matter what shape & size is a magnificent divine creation. That we are here to express ourselves, unapologetically. That if you do not unleash the fire it will consume you. That it is safe to embrace all parts of your luscious self. That ALL women deserve to be seen and heard. Our voices create change. Sometimes our bodies emote the loudest. You need to free yourself to express yourself.
I am honored to be a part of this community & force of inspiration, creation, fire and change in the lives of so many women. Which creates a ripple effect in the lives of so many men. There is nothing sexier than a woman standing confidently in her power. Plus, it really is a kick ass workout.
Reconnecting to dance as an adult has been one of the most beautiful, messy, hard, and rewarding journey’s of my life. Both as a student and teacher. I am still a student, forever committed to my own growth. To grow you need to keep meeting fear on the dance floor and over and over again reclaim the lead.
When you Dance, You are in Flow
WHEN YOU ARE IN FLOW, YOU ARE OPEN TO RECEIVE DIVINE WISOM, GUIDANCE, & INSPIRATION. YOU BECOME A MAGNET FOR YOUR DESIRES...INCLUDING LOVE & SACRED SOUL PARTNERSHIP
Wherever you are, I invite you to just dance. You don’t need a studio, equipment, or choreography. You only need your breath, your heart, your soul...YOU. Unleash your hips, let your hair down, move your arms. Rockin’ out in your living room, daily, is highly recommended, especially if you want to feel more embodied, joyfull, luscious, flowing, alive, and free. Trust me, just dance.
Dance Your Heart Awake. Feel your infinity. Commune with Divinity. Turn yourself on. Fuel your Desires in Love & Life.
With lots of love & dancing,
xoxo
CAN'T GET ENOUGH DANCE
READ & WATCH NOW
b If you are in the San Francisco Bay Area, come take a class with me or any of our magnificent teachers at S Factor!
b This video is a beautiful depiction of what it looks like to fully embrace your femininity. Click HERE to watch.
b Here is a glimpse into my very intimate and life transforming practice of embracing my femininity, unapologetically. Watch HERE.
b “Unleashing The Internal Fire” is the message that accompanied the above video when I first revealed it publicly, in 2016. Read HERE.
Dance Testimonials
Janet-Lee has been an incredible light for me with her strength and her beautiful way of teaching through her voice that guides me deeper into my body every time I’m in the S Factor studio with her! Her wisdom, how she witnesses her students and her ability to see the truth of our bodies is truly a gift. Her powerful and gentle presence creates a space where our sweet vulnerabilities and open hearts are safe to express themselves!
Brandie
San Francisco, CA
MOMMA'S STILL GOT IT
As an instructor Janet-Lee has created a clearing for me to discover truths about myself that have empowered me to make choices that fit a life I want to live. Through her coaching, meditation, loving feedback, and genuine listening, I have been able to ground myself and take hold of pleasure without feeling guilty. Her demeanor and true purpose to help women live powerful lives created a strong chord of trust between us, that allowed me to bring up past and present anger and suffering. With that released from my body, I could then start to heal. Once I was so full and overwhelmed with anxiety and frustration from all the people in my life, that I told her before my dance “I feel like I have swallowed a wasps nest and someone kicked inside of me and the buzzing and stinging is uncontrollable.” At the time I was twitching and pacing. Just the fact that I could say this to her should be testimony to her gifts as a healer. She helped me breath and she held me in her eyes and I danced. I had moments where the buzzing stopped but I was still choking inside. She asked if I could dance again and follow my breath, and stay grounded to the floor. I felt like she could see the energy inside of me, and I trusted her to help. So I danced one more time and with her guidance I was able to find my breath. We all hold emotion in our bodies and if accumulated it grows putrid and stagnant. Janet-Lee, as my teacher, has helped me tremendously to release this toxicity from my body, as well as given me strategies to protect myself while still being there for others.