Take a Load Off, Annie

Under normal circumstances I write a bunch of obnoxious crap. Today, I am going to stray from that and tell you what our classes are really about.  See, they aren't about slappers or sass mouths or spins or strutting; they are about real women learning from each other. We learn from women who are older, younger, thinner, and fatter. We learn from dancers and klutzes. We learn from women who have money and ones that are flat broke. Some of us have a bunch of fancy degrees and some of us barely made it through high school. Some of us have grown kids, some have babies and some have none at all. Some of us have giant asses and some have scrawny legs. We are all different colors. We are all women and that is all we need to stick together. 

For a bunch of salty tarts, we do an excellent job of supporting each other and we create an absolutely safe environment. In the studio walls there is no slut-shaming, no fat-shaming, and no self-deprecation allowed. We don't condone competition, judgment - of yourself or others.  On top of all that, there is also a place where you can lay your heart out and get someone to connect with you. 

Today someone who was a perfect stranger told me something very personal. I won't share any bit of it here, but it made me think about how alone we feel sometimes even when surrounded by friends and family. The people who love us are sometimes the hardest to share our deepest fears with. Even when they are great people and they mean to be nothing less than supportive, we can feel alone. 

Oddly, sometimes a stranger can be the best way to unburden yourself. I think that's probably because you don't care what they think or whether they agree with you or not. A stranger can't make you feel guilty and won't argue "what's best for you". Sometimes a stranger gives you a chance to voice your own needs to someone who has no stake in your life.

I was glad to be a trusted person in a place where women can unburden themselves without judgment. I think that is what we foster at WEW more than spins and dirty dance moves. We grow trust, confidence, and pride in other women. We are lucky enough to come along for that ride. 

If you hear us saying dirty words and you see us doing dirty things, please remember we are a safe place and people you can trust. It's not just Adena and me, it's all the women. We feel a responsibility to make our studio the place where women grow. 

If you think that is something you could use some more of in your life, or if you love someone who could benefit from some time with us, please send her over. We'd really love it if you did. We're some of the nicest nasty girls around. I hope that the person I spoke with today knows that I meant all of the things I said and that we will all be there for her, even those of us who don't even know what her troubles are. Side by side we'll spin and strut and dance and laugh and all of us who are so different find we are just the same.