Bodyfulness — Seattle Nia with Dina

Why are you into Nia?

I love the way my body feels after Nia. I feel loose and calm and flexible. I didn’t anticipate the effect of the community. I made a deal with myself when I started Nia that I wouldn’t look at anybody and I wouldn’t look in the mirror when I was dancing, and I wasn’t going to get to know anybody so no one could ruin this exercise for me. I was afraid if I met somebody and it was weird and we didn’t get along, I wouldn’t come anymore. But that didn’t last for very long, cause I’m very outgoing.

What would people be surprised to hear about you?

People don’t often believe me when I say I don’t like to dance…unstructured dance, anyway. So freedance can be a very frightening moment for me. During freedance, I’m trying really hard. I have a seventh grade, junior-high moment with freedance. But I think it’s good for me and stretches me in a way I might not be comfortable with. I know it’s all inside my own head.

What do you do for a living?

I just quit my job placing nannies for 6 years. I was a nanny myself for 10 years. I have no idea what the next thing is that I’m going to be doing in my life. I have nothing pulling me any particular way.

What do you do in your free time?

I have a small addiction to Sudoku. I spend a lot of time playing it on my computer. And I play with my cat, Antigone Hecubus Prange.

Is there a story behind that name?

There is. I’m a huge Kids in the Hall fan, and I loved Hecubus the Evil Manservant. Our cat has this beautiful, black, sleek coat, and there’s this character from Greek mythology, Antigone, who was thrown up into the cosmos for pride about her beautiful hair. Our cat is a prideful, manxy cat.

So you’re married to a Doctor of Philosophy in Physics.

Yes, but I am not calling him Dr. Micah.

And you might be getting your white belt sometime soon…why is that?

One is that we might be moving to Tennessee soon and I can’t imagine a life without Nia now. So if I want to have Nia around me, I might have to teach it. Also, I dance Nia everyday and there’s some mysticism around the white belt that I want to learn more about. And lots of good things come out of Portland. I’m convinced this is something I need to do.

Where are you from originally?

Salmon, Idaho. Town of 3,000 and it’s not close to anything. Three hours south of Missoula, MT. Micah and I both are from there. I’ve known him since I was 17 and he was 16. We started dating when we were 20.

You do a lot for Nia Underground…what all have you done to support this program?

I’ve done check-in for Barb and I do sub check-in sometimes. I do the towels sometimes and I clean the bathrooms [as a Nia trade].

How long have you been doing Nia?

My first Nia class was Dina’s first Friday night Nia. It was a freedance class. I said to my friend who came with me, “I could do that again.”

It’s shocking to me that it’s been a year. I do all these things differently now. I ride my bike everywhere and I feel so much more present in my body. I can bend down and get things way under a chair where before I would have used my foot.

When did you start noticing the change in your body from Nia?

When my bras started feeling too big, which was the best day for me. It was probably about three months before I was sure it wasn’t just all in my head. I can put all my shirts in the dryer now without worrying they’ll shrink. At this point, I’ve lost about 40 lbs.

It was my new year’s resolution that I was going to make all these lifestyle changes, but you know how you never keep things like that. Now I eat a pretty low-fat diet and track more of my food types and quantities. We eat a lot more fresh foods and I discovered I like fresh vegetables.

And you got Micah into Nia, right?

Micah came because he dislocated his shoulder and I was dancing around saying, “I can’t believe how great I feel.” So he started coming and he bought an 8-punch card after his new student card ran out. Then he just got addicted like me. Our friends think we’ve joined a cult.

There is someone in class who you find inspiring to dance with. 

And then there’s this person you spoke to during towel time who made your day. 

Oh, and then there’s this person who you recently found out has a really cool job, and is, like, totally amazing.   

Well, why not nominate them as our Featured Student?!  With their permission, we’ll blog-post about this community member so everybody gets to learn more about this lovely person who inspires you.  What a wonderful way to appreciate somebody!     

So why not look around in your next class, and comment on this post or send me an email and let me know who you’d like to have featured.  I’m excited to share your discoveries.