Next week, Emily Rose will be coming to Lotus Fitness Studio and she is taking over! If you aren’t familiar, Emily’s brand of freestyle exploration is liberating and exemplifies the idea of “being in the moment.” She was generous enough to give us an amazing interview so you can get to know her a little better before her visit.
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Lotus Fitness Blog: Your background includes so many types of acrobatics and dance, from gymnastics to collegiate-level cheer leading, but most of your movement seminars now seem to focus on a more fluid, sensual style of movement. What do you love about this style and what do you think drew you in the most?
Emily Rose: Originally it was the gymnastic element that pulled me into pole, spending hours of open gym time learning how to push my body on a physical level with this new apparatus. Over the years, with exposure to all types of new styles, and experiencing some difficult life events, I leaned into movement that felt more honest for me. Dance organically evolved into a healing modality as I learned how to move through things I could not put words to or even make sense of. In a time of numbness it helped me feel, and It helped me gain more awareness of who I am as a human, as a mover, as a teacher. The beautiful thing about dance and pole dance in particular is, it is limitless. You can be who ever you need to be or want to be, the key is just listening, to yourself essentially. Sometimes it’s sexy, sometimes it’s soft. I think the possibly is what always draws me in for more, and as well as finally feeling comfortable in my own skin, whether my butt cheeks are out, or I’m rolling around in socks and a sweater.
LFB: Your repertoire now extends into movement as healing, in modes such as reiki. Can you tell us a little about that?
ER: We all have purpose here on Earth, we spend most of our life on this plane trying to figure that conundrum out. I think I was sent here to be a healer, a facilitator… a light worker if you will. But with the light comes dark of course, so I’ve expanded my Movement practice into other forms of this work, like reiki and art “therapy”. I put it in quotes Bc I would not say I’m a therapist, but I do strongly believe in gratitude, possibility and joy and feel it’s my soul duty to help spread and honor that in people, no matter what modality I am using to do it. Dance just happens to physically help us move through our shit, and that’s what I love it so much.
LFB: What is the Sacral Chakra and why is it important to learn to tap into it?
ER: The Sacral Chakra is your passion and pleasure centre and it is located in the pelvic area. While the Root Chakra is satisfied with survival, the 2nd chakra seeks enjoyment.
The gift of this chakra is experiencing our lives through feelings and sensations. It is the centre of emotion, sensuality, intimacy, and connection. The energy of this chakra allows you to let go, to move, and to feel change and transformation occurring within your body. It allows us to experience this moment as it is, in its own fullness. The Sacral Chakra is also represented by the element of water, evoking fluidity and encompassing all the metamorphosis this element embodies. This Chakra in particular for me, aligns with all the experiences that make movement fulfilling and purposeful for me in both a tangible and spiritual sense. The Sacral Chakra is responsible for sensuality, creativity, emotion and is represented by the element of water, evoking fluidity, all things that make movement fulfilling and purposeful for me.
LFB: You are a facilitator for Finding Your Freestyle. What is different about freestyle dance, and what benefits do you think people can get from it?
ER: Freestyle is limitless, which can also be an overwhelming experience for some people. It (and FYF in particular) has helped me find my voice (which I’m still working on) while uncovering pieces of myself I probably would have never discovered without freestyle, and the beautiful thing about FYF in particular is that Tracee has made it her souls purpose to develop the tools needed to dive into that journey, so overwhelm and fear transform into opportunity and joy during your own personal movement voyage. It’s a process designed and catered specifically for the person diving into it, so the only way it wouldn’t be for someone, is if they are just not ready or willing to walk, well dance, down that path of discovery.
LFB: Congratulations on your recent retreat in Costa Rica! You have so many photos and videos of you dancing in different locations, many outdoors or in indoor settings with great views of the outdoors. What is the draw of connecting your movement with a natural setting?
ER: Simplicity. Nature is simple. It exists on its own. It survives without question. It’s unaware of its beauty. Water and the ocean for me in particular really make me feel at home, but I grew up in the middle of absolutely no where north NJ. Cow farms and corn fields baby, and it took me 10 years of being away from it, living a gypsy lifestyle and emerging myself into loud, energetically chaotic cities, that brought me back to my roots of nothingness, which I appreciate probably even more these days. It’s simple, but it’s so so full.
LFB: What is your favorite thing about teaching?
ER: Oh man that’s a tough one! I’d say giving women (and men) that hour or 90 minutes of time that can be selfishly theirs. Life is busy, sometimes we forget to invest in ourselves. When I teach I really like to stress that their time with me is actually THEIR time. Do what you need, leave what you don’t. Plus there is this warm feeling I get deep in my soul when I get to share my passions with people. It’s important to make each other feel good, and teaching has always been circular for me. I get inspired with every class I teach, even on the days I feel burned out. I’m constantly learning which makes me a better facilitator. And also watching people’s journeys…being able to provide them with some joy or fun or creativity, or solace, even for just an hour really makes it worth it for me, every time. It’s an honor that my students allow me to hold space for them to experience whatever it is they need on that given day.
LFB: Your travel schedule is frequently crazy packed. If you ever get a little down time, what’s your favorite way to spend it? Any upcoming projects we should watch for?
ER: My schedule has been cray! But I like it that way, makes the down time so much sweeter. When I’m not dancing I’m most likely doing artwork. I’ve got a lot of fun collaborative projects coming up ( you can see in @healingartsociety on IG) so besides dance I run an art business, teach Rec gymnastics and run yoga at a drug and alcohol rehab center. Life is busy, But it’s so full. When I do get a moment these days, I try to spend time with my friends and family, I’ve got 2 nieces and a nephew that are amazing. And truthfully, for the first time in my life I have a wonderful partner, so when I get to come home to him, it really does recharge me. He’s also creative and supports all the wild things I do daily, he makes me laugh, and let’s me collapse literally onto him and talk over the Tv after a long ass day, so quality time with him is the perfect grounding remedy for a beautifully busy life.
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We extend our deepest thanks to Emily for taking time out of her jam-packed schedule to complete this interview for us, and for gracing our studio! If you haven’t already signed up for some of Emily’s takeover classes, get on that! And keep an eye on our schedule for more amazing workshops with your favorite aerial stars. See you in the air!