The Empowered Dancers Podcast

Stellan Jara is one of the longest running salsa teachers in the Bristol area and is very black and white when it comes to dealing with report of inappropriate behaviour. Join us as we explore his story into the salas scene, his commitment to dance etiquette, and his proactive approach to handling sensitive issues on the dance floor. What to expect in this episode: (00:00) - Introduction. (01:44)...

Join us for an inspiring episode with Sandra Burdet, a bachata instructor, who believes in a continuous growth journey for herself and her students. Learn about her journey from dance to fitness and back again, and how she integrates these experiences into her holistic coaching practice as well as her bachata teaching. In this episode, Sandra shares her insights on the importance of giving space t...

Discover Lisa's bold, straightforward strategies that can empower you to achieve your dreams. Lisa helps thousands of entrepreneurs worldwide, focusing on passive income and business growth. Her success is also reflected in her recent launches and her advocacy for supportive and inclusive business environments. Join us as we chat with the incredible Lisa Johnson, a global business strategist...

Tune in for interviews with inspiring individuals who share their stories, experiences, and perspectives on and off the dance floor. Ready to boost your confidence on the social dance floor? In this episode, Lea Avrany and Bobbie Miles share their thoughts on the shared responsibility of the community to look after each other and speak up to inappropriate behaviour and bad intentions.. Lea has dev...

Tune in for interviews with inspiring individuals who share their stories, experiences, and perspectives on and off the dance floor. Ready to boost your confidence on the social dance floor? In this episode, Ysenah Bosle, Diana Liu, and Bobbie Miles shared their experiences and perspectives on empowerment and confidence in Latin dancing. They emphasized the importance of practice and perseverance...

Dancing is more than just movement; it's about confidence and feeling fantastic. However, taking those initial steps into the dance world can be quite challenging, especially if you lack prior experience. From those first beginner steps into dance and now inspiring others to take their first steps into the bachata community, Coach Wil delves into confidence-building techniques, his own storie...

Neurodiversity's impact on movement and social interaction, particularly within the context of dance, is a topic often overlooked. This episode highlights the challenges faced by some neurodivergent individuals in society from moving to adulthood to dance spaces, particularly those who struggle following instructions. The discussion also opens the potential of dance as a safe and empowering o...

This episode discusses creating safer spaces in dancing communities, particularly focused on preventing sexual abuse. Lara is a co-founder of the Safer Dance Spaces initiative and in this episode, she talks about the importance of education and bystander intervention in preventing abuse. Dancers are encouraged to speak up if they feel unsafe and to intervene if they witness inappropriate behavior....

In this second part of Bobbie's interview with Diana Liu, they talk about her experiences, performance dancing, and joining a competition. Diana shares about her first time auditioning and joining competitions, how it helped her understand the differences from social dancing, and how it made her more confident to take on future auditions. Gaining more wisdom from that experience, she confiden...

Diana and Bobbie catch up and talk about their festival tips and tricks and how they keep their energy alive to have a good time and for a memorable social dance experience. Prepare to make a list of Diana’s practical tips from preparing for the festivals to selecting the sessions to join and enjoying the social dance events. Listen to this chill conversation as if you’re sitting down with your fr...

Creating safe spaces and boundaries is the responsibility of the instructors of the class. But how aware are the instructors and how do we open up this uncomfortable topic of conversation to help create a safe environment for dancers? In this episode, Vanessa and Bobbie share their thoughts about the roles of the teacher and their responsibility in creating a safe environment that will keep dancer...

Who leads and who follows on the dance floor? When the music comes on, you and your dance partner, more often than not, naturally jump into the leader and follower roles. But what if we swap these roles every so often? How do equal dynamics work? In this episode, Laura and Bobbie talk about the leader-focused heavy culture of dance classes and socials and how Laura is changing the game. They also...

Finding the perfect festival is all about the environment and the energy it brings. You may have the best dancers in a room, but if the atmosphere does not bring out the best in you as a dancer or if the energy of the people around is not right, the experience won't be as great as it could have been. In this episode, Grace and Bobbie talk about dance festivals and how the quality of dancing a...

In this second part of Bobbie's interview with Pierre Henry, the discussion takes a turn to the changes in the dynamics of the dance scene worldwide. Pierre gives his deep observation of how teaching dance has changed from 'creating students' to 'creating a brand of dance for instructors.' He also gives his reflective thoughts on the impact of social media in promoting dan...

How does one become a Bachata dance teacher? Join us as renowned Bachata and Salsa instructor Pierre Henry share his inspiring journey to becoming a dance teacher. He talks about his passion for dance, teaching philosophy, and the importance and approach to creating a learning environment for dance classes. This episode is part one of a two-part interview where Bobbie and Pierre explore his unique...

Some of the big questions… How can you maintain boundaries in a dance? Why is it so hard to say “no” to a dance? What are teachers actually thinking in lessons? The salsa, bachata and kizomba space is a special one. It’s one where lifelong friendships begin, where people discover a passion, where community becomes family. That’s not to say it doesn’t have a dark side: Everything and everyone does,...