Welcome! Thanks for wanting to know more about me.

Raised in the DMV area (DC, MD, VA) I quit drinking at 22 years old once I found dance through club culture and immediately centered my entire life around movement, community, and music. I felt I had a LOT of time to make up for.

Arriving to LA at 27 years old I had absolutely no plan to "make it" as a dancer. I felt I was far too old and way too untalented. But, God had different plans. Within months of being there I booked a gig teaching youth abroad and from that, I realized I had a chance and fought with everything I had to be successful. And, well, it worked.

26 countries, 25 national cities, 18 battle wins in 6 different styles, 3 evening-length theatre shows, performing with world renowned groups such as Jabbawockeez, and countless other things later, here I stand, grateful and really proud.

Throughout my life I have struggled deeply with insecurity; wavering between triumph and severe doubt. I try stay close to Spirit, my intuition, personal development, meditation and of course, movement. I also deeply felt that I could see and sometimes feel others self-imposed limits and wanted to help liberate others. If you can't do it teach it, right?

I started teaching at the biggest industry studios in LA; the mecca of the dance industry. But, even from the beginning I knew the industry did not light up my soul. My classes were often referred to as "church" and we would scream and sweat and put our hands in the air and celebrate life. I absolutely loved being a part of people releasing their inhibitions and expressing their true Selves. I didn't want to perform, I wanted to connect to the human side of dancers.

I learned I was a bridge; someone who combined movement and self-confidence, someone who connected people to themselves, the music, to one another. I brought the essence of the club to the studio, and I do my best to bridge movement and wellness.

Teaching is my superpower, an enormous part of who I am and who I want to be. I believe it is the sacred art form that builds our communities and forms our trajectory. 

Near the end of 2019 I started to unpack and decolonize the systems within me, and this immediately led me to interrogate why I was taking up so much space leading in Black culture.

I didn't come this far and work this hard to now compromise my values in order to pay rent. So, I started limiting who I was willing to work with. I declined jobs and felt far less inclined to teach, judge, and compete. Shortly after this, COVID came along and during these past few years I've had a lot of space to reflect and process. But, I also needed to figure out how to pay rent, though.

So, I moved more towards mental health, specifically Shadow Work (created by Carl Jung.) I had been doing small workshops here and there that introduced this work to the dance community but with the slow-down of the pandemic and my desire to authenticate my life choices, I went full throttle into leading courses and 1:1 offerings through this medium in 2020. Almost immediately those courses took off and I was leading 10 containers a year minimum with anywhere from 15-35 people per session. I knew this is where Spirit wanted me to be.

And, God had other plans. At the beginning of 2024 I was invited to teach in New Zealand and after a lot of reflection, I accepted. From there, gigs started popping up more and more. I accepted some and declined others, but I began to feel more connected to the way I was moving through community.

That leads us to today.

I moved to Seattle in December of 2024 and absolutely love it here.

I really wanted to integrate all that I had learned, unlearned, healed and integrated about being a collective-minded community member. Most significantly, I made new choices in an effort to be a more responsible guest in Black culture.

I did this by: 

• Leaning into Black, culturally aware and sensitive mentors both in Seattle and elsewhere. I sought their guidance before making any decisions. I waited to be told to trust myself. 
• Whatever new pursuits I've done, someone of this culture (meaning Black and who lives here) has encouraged me to do it. I waited to be asked to teach instead of pursuing it myself. I was told what was needed was guest teachers, so I did that. People told me to start a dance company to help build foundation. Despite being in the community for 24 years I want(ed) to honor being a guest to the culture and to this city. 
• Before teaching I took multiple classes multiple times. I wanted to understand what was already being offered so that I could ensure I was providing something fresh, and most importantly, needed.  
• I asked Black local community members what they felt was needed to advance the community, listened, and created an event to support those informed opinions. 
• Before hosting my own intensives I asked long time community members what they thought about it, how much I should charge, and what pricing, sliding scale or scholarship options were relevant, etc. 
• I checked in with other leaders to ensure I wasn't conflicting with their schedules and if I was, I rescheduled quietly. 
• I worked to ensure I offered sliding scale on my intensives, promoting space for scholarships, and giving mutual aid to both local community members, ongoing needs, and mentors. 

I know reading this might feel like me patting myself on the back, but it's the bare minimum. I think every guest should be doing these things. I share it because I want you to have some insight to who I am, and maybe even (maybe?) some ideas for how you can participate if you are navigating similar dynamics. 

I am still (and will always try to be) in the practice of understanding how to move with integrity but I feel more informed and comfortable making choices for community rather than only for myself. 

Now, I combine all of these lessons into the way I move through life;

I bring my "church" vibe. I bring my insecurities. I bring my teaching excellence. I bring my decolonial practices. I bring my loud "Woo's!" I bring my somatic awareness and intuition. I bring my passion for trusting Spirit. I bring myself as a woman, as a 48 year old, as a winner, a loser, a friend. I bring my joy. I bring my mess.

Thank you for reading.