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| Kristin and I, post 2FLY |
I sat down with Kristin Sudeikis after 2FLY, a 90’s hip-hop
dance class she created which is taking the New York workout scene by storm.
“Should we go grab a coffee somewhere?” I asked. “I’m good to just chill on the
floor here, if you are,” she said relaxing onto the linoleum tile. This chick
is so cool, I obviously followed.
Kristin is the type of person who you meet and instantly
love. She is so easy to talk to, so comfortable and assured about life, and truly
makes you want to be a better human. Sounds like a lot to be able to ascertain
about a person in the span of two minutes, but it’s true.
She's wearing a dope Just Do It t-shirt, camo shorts, and a snap back hat that looks oh so effortlessly cool. Most importantly, she wears a bright and peaceful smile that makes you want to smile back.
So, we started our interview on the floor outside the 2FLY
classroom.
P.s. world, I must make a shameless plug for 2FLY at Crunch Fitness
with Kristin and Rachel – it is the MOST fun you’ll ever have exercising.
Still sweating from our workout, I asked Kristin the
question I love to ask people who seem to do everything – “how do you define
yourself?”
“I’m an active, curious listener. I’m always looking to create a conversation through movement. Dance is my first language, and I live to speak that language with as many people as possible.”
It might have been the best answer I’ve ever heard. This
woman has chosen to spend her life changing lives of people through dance. I
felt like a lighting bolt of epiphany struck me. Wouldn’t the world be a much
happier place if we all danced through life and freed our bodies through
movement? If you’ve seen the Pharrell ‘Happy’ video, you know what I’m talking
about.
She then spoke the following "equation," which I found incredibly prophetic (like, HALLELUJAH!).
We then got into a deep question and answer "session" (there is no serious formality here, Kristin converses with like you've known her for years) about
the way she hopes to change women’s lives through dance. Much of it has to
do with building confidence, and how movement leads to true freedom.
“We’re meant to move,” she said. “From the time we’re babies,
we are constantly moving. We hear music. We dance. We move our arms to hug. We
move to stay in line with the universe. The sun moves, the planet moves, our
hearts beat to keep our bodies moving. We can never stop moving. And when we
do, we have to start moving again for the fear of staying still for too long.
Movement is instinctual.”
She explained how movement gives us freedom. Staying still
makes us feel stuck. Life and happiness
are about feeling free within your body, and movement gives us that freedom.
In the tune of JustSaraJane’s mission to help women feel
more confident in their bodies, I also asked Kristin about confidence. ‘’It’s
simple,” she said. “Confidence needs to come from the inside out, never from the outside in. Feeling good
in your body is what it’s all about. It’s what everything is about.” Amen, sista.
This is specifically why Kristin teaches dance. She explained
to me that her classes are about helping people feel good and present in their
bodies. Her work is about creating a space for a real, honest conversation with
music, and using our bodies to explore.
We talked a lot about exactly how we go about feeling good in our bodies. Kristin jokes that in
some of her dance classes, she encourages people to verbally “thank” parts of
their body. “Thank you leg for being AWESOME today. Thank you knees for being
total ROCKSTARS.” I LOVE this. Our bodies are incredible vehicles that move us
through this life. They are made to support us. Move us. Carry us. They are
made to love. On that note, definitely check out Kristin’s latest video “Made to Love,” featuring her contemporary dance company Kristin Sudeikis Dance (of which she is the artistic director).
We have the choice to remain thankful for the beauty we get to create with our bodies. That, to me, is empowering and just straight up cool. As we wrapped up our talk about the theme of confidence, she
said something that particularly stuck with me. “It’s really about always being
present. Be present in your frame. Be present in the room. Stand tall. Be YOU. Being
you will change the world.”
I guess it’s really that simple, folks.
“Anything else?” I asked her. “Oh yeah, back to how I define
myself,” she said. “I’m someone that laughs most of the day.”
“I can see that,” I replied with a smile, joyous from one of
the greatest conversations I’ve had in years.
Until next time,
x
SJB
P.s. Friends, go forth and DANCE. Whether it's in your bedroom, on the subway, or in the street. Dancing makes people happy. Happy people = happier world.
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Thank you to Kristin for your work, passion and for being an
inspiration.
JSJ friends, stay tuned, I’ll be doing more upcoming pieces
on Kristin as she continues to change the world through movement.
For more information about Kristin and her amazing work,
visit her website at http://www.kristinsudeikis.com
.
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