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@connectiondancemke

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Partner Dance Confidence and Community

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Nursing a neck injury, managing my small businesses, care of my mother, complete emotional and physical withdrawal from zouk, I planned a trip to Utah out of perhaps sheer instinct.

I honestly tried to sell this ticket, but it was a month away and I had to book it.

I didn’t know my mom would pass away in between.

🪽🙏🏼💓🕯️🌸

@utahzoukfestival I’m so glad I stuck with this trip! Well worth it!!! I gained confidence, i lost weight, i met friends, i saw magic, i got to experience that bb zoukini excitement all over again.

My mother was the dancer in my family. She was never trained, she just liked to let loose. I was able to extend her legacy and dance all around the world with hundreds maybe thousands of people. She showed up for my big performances and events as she could. She came to every single thing - soccer, basketball, piano, amongst many other activities- I ever participated in as a kid: always present, always rooting for me.

One of the best memories I have of her was from my birthday get together in August of 2025. I showed her a 12 minute video of me training. It was dark in the room and I could see the video’s faint glow on her smiling face. Most people hand the phone back to you after 45 seconds, but Mom watched every single second of the video with sincere focus and she knew when the good parts were. She cheered me on in the video even though I was standing right there.

It felt as tho this was all planned by her. I was in a deep state of rust, of grief, of mourning, of a brave face. I was heaving and dizzy from the thin mountain air.

And then something that never happens to me happened. I got to dance with the pro!

I got the video shoot!

That has never happened for me. 🥹💜🪽

Thank you @leandrobandidozouk for creating with me! I super enjoy your style and I see your patience with me. My body can’t do tricks as much as even a year ago, but you made me look like a genius! 🙏🏼 maybe i can get it back with some more training this year 😉

Thank you @makana_media for capturing this amazing moment in time! This made me feel so special and like i was born to be on camera! 🎥 Your work is amazing as always!! taken in Club 90 by @connectiondancemke

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6 months ago

@charlestnkoho is my favorite genius. Cochair of the HotPot Fanatics Chapter of DC, he dances, writes, and even wrote this song we’re dancing to.

A consummate artist and friend, I feel like I belong here.

Thanks for the dances, always 🙏🏼🌟✨ by @connectiondancemke

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2 years ago

Birthday attempt to Lindy hop with the best!

@afrolindyhopper by @connectiondancemke

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2 months ago

Stellar times at @thezouklambadamarathon in Ottawa CA

One of the best birthdays ever 💓🙏🏼🎂💃🏻👯‍♀️🪩 taken in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada by @connectiondancemke

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2 months ago

Family 🥹🩷 taken in Ottawa, Ontario by @connectiondancemke

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2 months ago

17 JnJ’s
0 points 😎❤️‍🔥
Novice for life
#susanlucci
#blamecanada by @connectiondancemke

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2 months ago

@thezouklambadamarathon

#blamecanada taken in Ottawa, Ontario by @connectiondancemke

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2 months ago

@serenitydancefitness 🙏🏼

@compulsion2relate @izzy2buzy 🙏🏼🙏🏼

“I’m waiting for my real life to begin” taken in The Back Space Cedarburg by @connectiondancemke

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3 months ago

Partner Dance is an act of resistance.

Where comfort zones are imploded safely, and new layers form in our character.

How we work with others is how we work with the whole.

An opportunity to teach adults consent and platonic close embrace illuminates the brain! 🧠 💡

Here’s what a 20 second hug will do:
• releases oxytocin, dopamine, and serotonin while lowering cortisol, producing a measurable calming effect on the nervous system
• greater oxytocin release than the quick social hugs most people default to
• regular affectionate touch from a consenting partner correlates with lower blood pressure and heart rate, but the benefit appears tied to relationship closeness
• Touch deprivation, sometimes called skin hunger, is linked to increased stress, anxiety, and loneliness
• Not everyone wants or needs the same amount of physical touch, and that variation is normal, not a deficiency
• SA AND PDF survivors need to be taken care of with full support, care and attention to their consent needs being met and accepted by the community. This sometimes means overcoming survival mode by allowing a victims deep or unwanted feelings to emerge and be experienced hears and respected if they so choose to share a story, making space for whatever we can accomplish to make them feel safe to dance, hug and be touched how an individual consents to, and making space for community to not only confront abusers while also acknowledging, and this is truly a delicate and controversial idea, that some survivors can become advocates for other survivors. Some abusers can rehabilitate with the help of advocate survivors. Radical healing is anti colonial, tribal and predates prison systems.

Could you imagine if all of our senses were hijacked, censored and manipulated into obeying the 1%? If you believed that nearly everything you see is sexual, or taste or smelled? Touch has been demonized, weaponized and sexualized to such an extreme, we don’t know what platonic touch is. We don’t know that the body being sensual doesn’t have to be sexual. We don’t know that we are in dire need of hugs. contd in comments taken in Milwaukee, Wisconsin by @connectiondancemke

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3 months ago

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3 months ago

We added some new students both with a bit of partner dance experience and created a dance floor in less than 2 hours!

We caught up the last two weeks of partner dance concepts and also created a lot of technique in bachata - lots to practice!

It astounds me how fast students are able to create if they are given seeds of creativity! taken in Serenity Dance and Fitness by @connectiondancemke

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3 months ago

@compulsion2relate BABY’S FIRST BACHATA!! 🙌🙈😬😵‍💫🫨🫣🤯🤣🤩🥳 to name a few of the excited and thrilling emotions i observed in this beautiful beginner mindset.

Gabe! You did this in only THEEE HOURS time. 🧑🏼‍🎓🙌🏼🪽👏🏼🥳 With a whole week in between sessions! You related these concepts to real life, leading and following. You found what you already knew and practice in biking in the same content as weight shift.

Gabe has ZERO dance experience. Gabe can now more confidently step into ANY partner dance class.

Since last week, Gabe has learned somatic techniques to open the psyche toward connection and self, the basic step of five genres of music, rhythms and sounds of different genres of music, self awareness and consent, visual leading and following, mirroring, how connection feels, rolling, skipping, weight shift, bachata footwork muscle memorization, and final product: these videos!

How exciting for us to keep on building despite missing the others. I’m sure Gabe won’t mind catching everyone up!

Personally, i was in a rank state of grief yesterday and today and i asked for help. 🪽 i didn’t know all i needed was connection! Thanks for showing up!!#connectiondancemke taken in Serenity Dance and Fitness by @connectiondancemke

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4 months ago