“Hot, Sweaty and Sexy”: Heel dance brings feelings of empowerment to its practitioners

Blue and pink lights bounce off the mirror, walls and beams in the small room. Four women sit in a circle, chatting and stretching, their stiletto heels tucked into the corners of the room. The women don the heels and prepare for class to begin. Once the music starts, the dancers move in synch, hair flying.

Sass’N’Strut, a dance studio in Austin, Texas, presents the Heel Expressions class every Friday featuring rotating instructors. They teach heel, a style of dance performed in stilettos blending elements of hip-hop, Latin dance and jazz. The style is distinguishable by its focus on sensuality and the heels each dancer wears.

“Heels is an open dance style that focuses on feminine shapes and movement in a heel,” said Stephanie Rodriguez, one of the Heel instructors at Sass’N’Strut.

According to Dance Magazine, the dance style boomed in popularity after Beyonce’s 2003 “Crazy in Love” music video featured the star dancing provocatively in heels. Since then, hundreds of Heel these classes have popped up around the country.

But it’s more than just sensual dancing for many of the women who attend the classes.

“[It’s] one of the few safe havens for women to express themselves freely and sensually without shame or judgment,” Rodriguez said.

The Sass’N’Strut classes open with a simple mantra. Students are instructed to raise their right hand and promise not to judge themselves, then raise the left hand and promise not to judge others. The hands are then brought together in a hug.

“It’s not just cute; it’s essential,” Rodriguez said.

Rodriguez started dancing in middle school. In high school, she started experimenting with choreography for her drill team, but was often told her moves were too provocative.

“At the time, I didn't grasp why I was singled out, feeling that my style shouldn't have been deemed inappropriate or overly sexy,” Rodriguez said.

When she found heel, she said it helped her reclaim dance as an empowering space.

“The movements in heel dancing are designed to highlight a woman's curves,” she said. “As one becomes proficient, [it] evokes feelings of confidence and sensuality.

Both of these experiences made Rodriguez want to create an inclusive class.

“I focus on creating a safe and open environment in the classroom, especially for themes that are more sensual or intimate,” she said. “This involves planning activities and discussions that encouraged students to explore their sensuality without feeling self-conscious or restricted.”

Fig Copeland co-owns Sass’N’Strut and said she wanted to create a space with these values in mind.

“I hope to offer a space that gives [people] the courage to do what makes them feel scared and instead make them feel courageous and sexy,” she said.

She is also a Burlesque performer and takes the Heel Expressions class to maintain the technical skills needed to perform.

“It’s definitely a technique-based skill so it makes me feel strong and challenges me to slow down even when I’ve got to be fast,” Copeland said.

Kamryn Rudison has been taking heel classes around Austin for two years.

“I take the classes as a form of self-love, empowerment and confidence,” she said. “I have reached a level of confidence and acceptance with my body that I couldn’t have got anywhere else.”

Rudison has been dancing since she was young and uses it as an emotional outlet. She is also on a heel dance team, which has given her a community where she doesn’t have to worry about being judged.

“I can be sexy, beautiful, confident, strong and all the positive qualities you can name, but I can also be struggling, having a bad day, not feeling sexy, disempowered, or insecure,” she said. “And it’s okay. I’m loved on, nurtured and supported.”

Rudison also said that the things she learns in heel carries into her daily life.

“Dancing in heels is hard. Being sexy can be hard, but when you overcome all of that, you have no choice but to feel empowered,” Rudison said. “There’s no giving up, only persistence and perseverance.”

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