Body Movin' with Alexis

My Journey into Dance:

I spent many nights YouTubing dance routines in my room as a teenager and trying to teach myself to twerk in the mirror, looking absolutely ridiculous. For four years, I danced for my high school drill team and my senior year was elected 1st lieutenant.

After high school, I really lost my identity, as drug addiction and alcoholism took ownership of my life. Unable to maintain a job, living on people’s couches, in and out of treatment facilities, I was completely lost. I managed to maintain a year sober in my early 20’s. Shortly after, I entered into a toxic relationship, the drugs and alcohol came back with a vengeance. After four years of this, I was depressed and desperate for a change. I started working with a life coach who asked me this simple question, “what was it you loved to do before addiction took over your life?” The answer was simple, it was “DANCE!” I then remembered an old friend had sent me a flyer for the Austin Spurs dance team tryouts. Preparing for tryouts ignited my passion for dance and, lo and behold, I made the team. This was more than just a dance opportunity for me, this was the beginning of my transformation. It gave me my autonomy back. I had been isolated in my relationship for so long that I had lost myself. I built true friendships with the women on my team and really learned what it meant to have strong women in my life. These ladies carried me through that next year without even knowing it. I went on to dance for the Austin Spurs one more season. The second season, I would do it sober. 6.5 years later, I am still sober and dance continues to be an important part of my life.

Since my days on the Austin Spurs, I became a mother to a beautiful boy, a licensed vocational nurse, then continued my education and am now a registered nurse. I work at a psychiatric hospital with patients who struggle with mental health including addiction, depression, anxiety, PTSD, schizophrenia, bipolar and many other disorders. My journey into this field has opened my eyes to the complications of mental health. Treatment does not just require medication management, but treating all parts of the mind, body and spirit. I truly believe dance and fitness can provide this for so many. Our ability to be vulnerable through the expression of dance allows us to feel a deeper sense of purpose and connection. And exercising literally increases your production of serotonin, a chemical found in your nervous system that contributes to a sense of happiness and wellbeing. This is the beauty of Dance Fitness.

My mission is to provide a fun and emotionally safe space to express yourself through dance while honoring your body and mental health.