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Beek on being A DANCER · Beek on being

• 0:00
  Melissa Shere Beek: Hi, I hope you are well. This podcast is a place for people to share personal and professional perspectives, talk openly, and ask questions. From serious to silly to sublime, it's all about communication and connections. Always coming from a place of kindness and curiosity, we talk about shared humanity, discuss ideas, and highlight people creating a better world. We've got to keep learning, keep growing, keep being.
• 0:25
  I'm Melissa Beak, and this is Beak on Being. Today's episode is Beak on Being a Dancer. Historically, dance has always been an important and comprehensive part of communication, ceremonies, celebrations, a method of bonding and self expression. Dance is significant across so many cultures, spiritually, religiously, part of storytelling, a nonverbal form of getting and receiving information, and complete artistic expression. I'm not sure if dance came before or after speech or if they developed together.
• 0:58
  I just know it's a universal language that connects us all, no matter our history, traditions, religious, or cultural beliefs. There's a quote from Legally Blonde that I use often in regards to dance. Exercise gives you endorphins. Endorphins make you happy. Happy people don't kill their husbands.
• 1:17
  After dancing, I feel elevated. Sometimes I think it's better for my brain than my body, just pure elation and happiness. And any stress I might have had prior has been left on the dance floor. I hear the music, my body just goes. I was never a runner, my knees won't let me, but I can only imagine that the high I get from dance is comparable to what they call a runner's high.
• 1:39
  Today, I have two incredible women here with me in the studio. Yay. They are my fellow dancing queens. I love these ladies. We have danced together for decades upon decades upon decades upon decades.
• 1:55
  We're going to talk about how dancing affects our brain, body, and spirit, how it reduces stress, improves mood, cognitive functioning, and physical agility, and is an opportunity to be creative as well as make community connections. So let's get into it. Ladies, please introduce yourselves and tell our listeners a little bit about each of you.
• 2:19
  Nikee Trespalacios: Okay. Hi. I am Nikee TresPalacios. . It's pronounced Tres Palacios. And so I do a lot of different things aside from dance because I am a choreographer at heart, but I am also a yogi, a yoga teacher, a yoga therapist, and a holistic health coach.
• 2:42
  That's basically You do it all. Who I am. Yes. I do. There's other things, but we can save that for another podcast.
• 2:47
  Melissa Shere Beek: It's a different podcast.
• 2:50
  Nikee Trespalacios: Yeah.
• 2:50
  Kim Miller: Hi. Thank you for having me. I'm Kim Miller. I'm a licensed psychologist. I have a private practice in clinical and neuropsychology here in Miami.
• 3:00
  I have general clinical practice. I see people of all ages, anxiety, mood disorders, personal growth. But I also have a portion of my practice where I work with people with aging and older adults, life transitions, retirement, menopause, death of a spouse, grief, and cognitive issues. So So
• 3:24
  Melissa Shere Beek: you do it all too?
• 3:24
  Kim Miller: Cognitive impairment. I don't know. This is my one one thing I do.
• 3:29
  Melissa Shere Beek: I love it. It's everything. So we're gonna talk today a lot about dance and music and everything. I was thinking about how music and movement and memory are all interconnected. So tell us I I guess both of you can answer anything, but I was thinking, Kim, tell us a little bit about how dance improves memory and cognitive function.
• 3:49
  Kim Miller: Okay. So we know that all exercise is good for us, but dance has this a unique benefit of cognitive, you know, functioning. We talk about neuroplasticity, and we talk about aging, which is the brain's ability to form new neural connections.
• 4:04
  Melissa Shere Beek: Mhmm.
• 4:05
  Kim Miller: It tends to decrease with age. So dance has these unique features where we really are exercising our neurons, and it comes in with executive functioning if I wanna get into Yeah. Into the biology and all of that of it. But executive functioning is attention and focus, multitasking, cognitive flexibility, and planning, and that all.
• 4:27
  Melissa Shere Beek: So we're getting better with age with this?
• 4:29
  Kim Miller: We are getting better with age and learning and memory. Okay. Because we know use it or lose it, and active learning and working memory, short term storage, long term storage, not sure how much of this you wanted to go into No.
• 4:40
  Nikee Trespalacios: I love it all.
• 4:40
  Kim Miller: And recall, and retrieval of memories. And so in dance, we are actively doing all of these things.
• 4:47
  Melissa Shere Beek: Okay. So we have to keep dancing forever and ever.
• 4:50
  Kim Miller: Absolutely. Okay.
• 4:51
  Melissa Shere Beek: I like that.
• 4:51
  Nikee Trespalacios: I like that.
• 4:51
  Kim Miller: We need choreography so we can learn the dances too. But, yeah. Activating.
• 4:56
  Melissa Shere Beek: No pressure. No pressure. We can talk about that later. But, okay. So Nick then, how does the body help with the physical parts of it?
• 5:04
  The balance, flexibility, coordination? Yeah. All those things. I mean, dances it depends too, I
• 5:13
  Nikee Trespalacios: think, like, what kind of dance you're doing and who you're doing it with, like ballerinas, and they're also taught so many different things. We're taught discipline, communication. We're taught how to be in a community with others, how to surround ourselves with the right people, and what was the question?
• 5:30
  Melissa Shere Beek: No. We're talking about, like, the the physical ability of, like, what it gives you from the physical standpoint, dance. Oh. Because you were trained.
• 5:38
  Nikee Trespalacios: Yes. But even, you know, just like in a dance in a class or dance at home in the kitchen Oh, yeah. You know, it feels Or here
• 5:45
  Melissa Shere Beek: in the studio.
• 5:45
  Nikee Trespalacios: Feels really good. Yeah. Your body just you release in in you're releasing endorphins. Right? Yeah.
• 5:51
  And your body's just releasing and also I like like what Kim said about memory because I think music Yeah. Has so much memory to it. So anytime you hear a song like and I do this all the time, like, dance to that. We dance to that. Yeah.
• 6:03
  We dance to that.
• 6:04
  Kim Miller: And then do you try to remember it? So it's like, you know, for movement?
• 6:09
  Melissa Shere Beek: I do. I'm pumping the brake in the car to the song. Mhmm.
• 6:12
  Nikee Trespalacios: Yeah. Yeah. So it, you know, it it's imprinted on your body and in your soul.
• 6:16
  Melissa Shere Beek: Yeah. I think so. Yeah. And the soul too. I absolutely believe that.
• 6:19
  It's imprinted on the brain, the body, and the soul. Okay. So you were talking a little bit earlier about neuroplasticity, then the brain adapting to new learning and new skills and cognitive functioning. Can you well, maybe you already did this. I was talking about, like, expanding the focus and the the attention on problem solving, like, you talked about short term memory, long term memory, like, does dance help us with those sort of cognitive abilities?
• 6:45
  Kim Miller: We're exercising our brain and where our neurons are firing. Yeah. Right? When we're doing something new, everything is firing. When we're doing something new, and so, yes, that absolutely helps with our problem solving.
• 6:59
  It it keeps our brain active. So, you know So staving off dementia?
• 7:03
  Melissa Shere Beek: Yes. Or Okay.
• 7:04
  Kim Miller: It helps it helps our cognitive health as we age. Okay. Absolutely.
• 7:08
  Melissa Shere Beek: So everybody needs to start dancing? Yes. Okay. Come join us.
• 7:13
  Nikee Trespalacios: I think also especially learning dances. Yeah. Instead of just dancing, like, actually learning choreography and remembering, that builds the Muscle. Problem solving muscle too. Yeah.
• 7:24
  You know, where you're like, I figured that out. I got this. And even for someone who's not really who feels like they might have quote unquote two left feet, and they're really figuring some stuff out.
• 7:33
  Melissa Shere Beek: They're really working Yeah. No. I like that. That is a part of problem solving because those of us who do it on a continual basis sort of have the rhythm and the movements down, but I do see when new people join us, they really the ones who love dance really Mhmm. Work that muscle,
• 7:50
  Nikee Trespalacios: so to speak.
• 7:50
  Melissa Shere Beek: Mhmm. The brain and the body muscle.
• 7:52
  Kim Miller: And it's the same they say to learn a new language, to pick up an instrument, to do something new, to Yeah. To really Challenge your brain. Your brain, and so dance is, you know,
• 8:02
  Melissa Shere Beek: Because a new I never think because we are dancers, the three of us, so I never think of dance as a challenge. I always think of it as such a pleasure and an easy thing, but I can see that now when you're thinking about like what you said about the two left feed and using your brain for new things. Because to me, learning a new language might be a challenge. So I can see that for people that dance might be a challenge. Oh, I like that.
• 8:27
  Okay, good. Alright, so I had some notes here that says, Dance is a form of self expression, being creative. It's an art, and it's an emotional release. And I I know we all have discussed it definitely reduces stress. I know on days without dance that my husband will lovingly say to me, don't you have dance today?
• 8:46
  But dance really speaks to me and my soul. It fills me up. But as an instructor, Nick, you've seen us before, during, and after class in all our many wondrous emotional states. Can you talk more about, like, resilience and strength, both mental and physical and emotionally that we get through dance? And then also, what is the difference for you?
• 9:09
  Because you're the instructor. Yep. So you come in as a teacher. We're we're students. So is it different for you, that sort of emotional release or the energy that you get?
• 9:22
  Nikee Trespalacios: Yes. It's different because I'm at work, but once I'm in it and I just love it and I don't necessarily I'm not necessarily thinking about the steps because I created that. Yeah. So it's easier for me to just kind of like so then for me, it's been really cool to just like, I know what's I know what's going on in the room. Mhmm.
• 9:41
  I know what people are doing. I know how they're feeling. I can pick up their energy, and it is a huge shift from when they step into the room. Sometimes they leave feeling more emotional Yeah. Maybe because they express themselves.
• 9:56
  Yeah. So but one thing that I love about, at least what we did was, like, it was like you get there, you have all your shit, and it's, you know, all your stuff that you're dealing with all day, and then you step in the room, you know, and and that shit goes away for an hour Yeah. Or however long it is. And then if you choose to pick it up and be the same, you can, you know, but if you don't, you feel different when you leave. So Yeah.
• 10:19
  And I that's one of the things that I've loved the most about it. And I feel like every one of us has gone through such, like, loss. I mean, I've taught through loss. I've taught through injuries. We we go there when we're broken.
• 10:30
  Yeah. You know? A 100 And we kinda come out feeling better even though we're still a little broken.
• 10:35
  Melissa Shere Beek: Yeah. But you've band aided us.
• 10:37
  Nikee Trespalacios: Yeah. You band aid yourself really because it's like it's so personal. Yeah. Every person's having a different experience with the same moves and they're doing them differently.
• 10:46
  Kim Miller: It's like
• 10:46
  Nikee Trespalacios: these are the steps and then you interpret it in your own way just like everything in life. Right? So it's really like a beautiful experience and it's cool to watch.
• 10:54
  Melissa Shere Beek: Yeah. I bet for you. Yeah. Because that's beautifully said, but I'm always curious to know because like like you said, we're all in our individual head. And I know I dance Kim and I dance next to each other, so we're familiar with each other.
• 11:06
  Sorry. I have to get back towards the microphone. I have to get back. I know that we dance in unison. There's a rhythm when you dance next to somebody, and and you know their beat and their cadences, but you're in the front teaching.
• 11:20
  Nikee Trespalacios: Mhmm.
• 11:20
  Melissa Shere Beek: So are you watching, not just feeling the energy, because I know you pick up on our energy, but I like you watching Definitely. The energy, like not the energy, are you watching the people in the room? Do you feed off of that? How does it make you feel when you're teaching
• 11:36
  Nikee Trespalacios: Yeah.
• 11:36
  Melissa Shere Beek: The energy that we bring in? Does it make it harder for you?
• 11:39
  Nikee Trespalacios: Yes. It depends, you know, like let's say the front row's having a moment.
• 11:44
  Melissa Shere Beek: They're not happy with the What? What do mean? Not having a moment.
• 11:47
  Nikee Trespalacios: Or whatever the issue is, you know, you your your outfit's tight. I don't know. So, you know, that of course affects you because energetically and I know this just from yoga, like, we once we dance, once we practice yoga, once we move our bodies, your heart feel this is science. Yeah.
• 12:02
  Kim Miller: It's not
• 12:02
  Nikee Trespalacios: woo woo. Your heart feel really like from your heart
• 12:05
  Kim Miller: Why did you look at me by the way?
• 12:06
  Nikee Trespalacios: Because you're a scientist.
• 12:10
  Melissa Shere Beek: And because you don't always believe the woo woo stuff. We've had so many woo woo over here. You're the scientist over there.
• 12:15
  Kim Miller: That's come around.
• 12:17
  Nikee Trespalacios: Come around. Have. It's not you don't disagree with it. It's just not your jam. Mhmm.
• 12:21
  Melissa Shere Beek: I feel like. Okay.
• 12:23
  Nikee Trespalacios: Yeah. But anyway, so, what was I saying? I lost it.
• 12:26
  Melissa Shere Beek: Just about the emotional release and the energy that you pick up. Oh, it
• 12:30
  Nikee Trespalacios: was saying about the heart field. So, like, I tell this to my yoga students all the time, after you practice, your heart field could be literally 20 feet, you know? 20 feet it's out there. Yeah. So it opens you up and that also opens you up to challenge because you're you're, you know, like, imagine stepping into an elevator and everybody's heart field is so wide open and then you're like feeling other people's energy.
• 12:51
  Mhmm. So that happens in the dance room. Yeah. I Especially if you're in path. Felt it and and then I know a little bit about everyone
• 12:58
  Melissa Shere Beek: Of course.
• 12:58
  Nikee Trespalacios: Which has been a gift and
• 13:00
  Kim Miller: a burden.
• 13:00
  Melissa Shere Beek: Mhmm. You've got all our dirt.
• 13:02
  Nikee Trespalacios: So, you know, it it felt like a little responsibility, for me to show up for everyone,
• 13:08
  Melissa Shere Beek: so sometimes I would huge responsibility.
• 13:10
  Nikee Trespalacios: With a class of, like, this is what I'm gonna do and it's gonna be freaking amazing, and then I'd see the vibes and I'd
• 13:15
  Kim Miller: go, oh, no.
• 13:16
  Nikee Trespalacios: We came in with We're not doing that today.
• 13:18
  Melissa Shere Beek: We made it too heavy.
• 13:19
  Nikee Trespalacios: We do a little longer warm up.
• 13:21
  Melissa Shere Beek: More breathing beforehand. Yeah. Oh, god. But at least at least you got to leave some on the dance floor too, all that stress for yourself Yeah.
• 13:31
  Nikee Trespalacios: I'd get there like, fuck this. This is bullshit. I don't feel like showing up today. Mhmm. You know?
• 13:36
  And then I'd start and I'd be like, I'm so glad I came.
• 13:38
  Melissa Shere Beek: And then I'd be finished, and I'm like, that was amazing. It's funny that you say that because, yeah, you're coming in with from a different headspace where I think I can speak to this, and Kim, you can probably say the same. We're coming in as students. Mhmm. We have cleared the schedule Yeah.
• 13:54
  To make sure that we show up for dance. Like, my husband used to drive carpool when I was little and reschedule his work stuff so that I made it to dance because that's the effect dance had on me. Mhmm. We cleared the way to make dance happen in our lives. Right?
• 14:09
  Kim Miller: Right. And we didn't come in with the responsibility. Right. We came in just wanting to let it all out
• 14:16
  Melissa Shere Beek: Mhmm.
• 14:16
  Kim Miller: Not worried about what was going on around us so much. Mhmm. The energy was always good when we shared energy.
• 14:23
  Nikee Trespalacios: Mhmm.
• 14:23
  Kim Miller: But it was a different feel than you coming in and having to Being responsible. Yeah. Responsibility for our whatever we brought in that day.
• 14:31
  Melissa Shere Beek: And carrying our burdens, actually.
• 14:33
  Nikee Trespalacios: Yeah. You
• 14:33
  Melissa Shere Beek: gotta think about that.
• 14:34
  Nikee Trespalacios: In some way, I mean, I don't know. I feel like I'd like to think of myself as a channel more than anything. So it really isn't like I'm doing anything. I'm just there creating, showing some dances and, you know, giving some release. Yeah.
• 14:46
  But I think as a as a student, it takes a lot of courage to show up to a place where you don't know what's gonna come. What's what I'm planning, you know? Like, what do I have planned?
• 14:54
  Kim Miller: Funny. Evil genius.
• 14:58
  Nikee Trespalacios: What what happened to me last night? Oh, god. You know
• 15:00
  Melissa Shere Beek: that I'm gonna You're on personal
• 15:03
  Nikee Trespalacios: stuff, you know, into your space. So it's
• 15:05
  Melissa Shere Beek: But, Kim, you're right. That's the fun of it. We were excited because it was never the same thing. Right.
• 15:10
  Kim Miller: Yeah. It didn't matter. And it was such a challenge for for me. I love the part of it that competitive with myself that I could I get whatever dance, 100%. That came on Yeah.
• 15:22
  Close my eyes and do it. Oh, yeah. And not knowing what it was gonna be was kind of an extra little added challenge for myself. Yes. You know?
• 15:30
  Melissa Shere Beek: What are we where are we going? What what's coming up? What's next in the queue? Mhmm.
• 15:34
  Nikee Trespalacios: It
• 15:34
  Melissa Shere Beek: was some that I I would remember from the first note. Yeah. And dance would just it would just light me up. And like I said earlier about the runner's high, I don't know, but I could just like, a chill would come over me. There were certain ones you had an M and M one, I I don't know why I'm thinking about this now, but I think it was lose yourself.
• 15:52
  But there was actually like a physical reaction that my body would have when that was deep. Would close my eyes too and I'd put my head down, I could just like I was so enveloped in the energy of that moment and the rhythm of that music and the dance that you choreographed, it was otherworldly for me. It was really like a physical chill. I can't explain that. And when people are like, Well, tell me a little bit about dance.
• 16:21
  What do do? I'm like, you have to experience it. Yeah. I cannot like, in the eighties, I would say, oh, it's like Flashdance. Or in the nineties, I'd be like, it's like Broadway.
• 16:29
  Like, I I don't know how to explain it other than it's an experience Yeah. On so many levels.
• 16:34
  Kim Miller: And picking up on that music and songs, the songs have meaning, you know, anyone knows that a song comes in your mind and takes you back to
• 16:43
  Melissa Shere Beek: Oh, yeah.
• 16:43
  Kim Miller: A time in your life of whatever it is. And the music in this class spanned so many decades even before we were even probably on this earth. Right. And they they just have these wonderful memories. Maybe not all wonderful, but just they bring that with it too and you put that energy into the dance as well.
• 17:01
  Melissa Shere Beek: A 100%. Yeah. Wait. Put the microphone a little closer so I can hear you better. Sorry.
• 17:05
  But you're right about that a 100% because I think you knew this, Nick, but there was one song that when my dad was sick that I kind of in my head correlated with him, and I felt like the harder I danced and the more I pushed through this difficult song, it was gonna give him the stamina and the energy to push through all the hardships that he had to do. So I I didn't think about that until you just said that about how the music relates to each of us individually and and on a personal level, like what the song does for us as well. Yeah. And and also in my notes, have here that community sort of dancing. And we talk about the three of us, but there was a larger community, and the energy that we had, especially when it was a group of us dancing together, was electric.
• 17:55
  Mhmm. Yeah. And I don't know. To me, when we danced together, there was power. Yeah.
• 18:03
  I felt powerful. Mhmm. Can you both speak to the feeling that you got as far as a dance community outside of ourselves, but, like, the greater group?
• 18:14
  Kim Miller: Mhmm. So for me, growing up, I I really play I came to dance late in life, so I played team sports. And when I came to dance, there was something about walking into a room where everybody is dancing for the better of the class, like the energy. The more energy, the better energy we put in, We all knew what we'd get out of it. And the community and all different women, all different ages, we celebrated so many things for each other.
• 18:47
  We held each other and supported each other. Oh, yeah. Right? You could walk into the room and and just know everybody's stories. People know your story.
• 18:54
  Mhmm. And so when the energy was good, when we were skipping around the room
• 18:59
  Melissa Shere Beek: Yeah.
• 19:00
  Kim Miller: Like little girls
• 19:01
  Melissa Shere Beek: Yeah.
• 19:01
  Kim Miller: Yeah. You know, it's just not a better feeling really.
• 19:05
  Melissa Shere Beek: I didn't think about that, but you're right with the team sports because I I didn't I don't think I ever played a team sport, but I I think about, yeah, dance was a team sport.
• 19:13
  Kim Miller: Mhmm. Mhmm. You have your own your own whatever you need to do for the team and but the team needs to work together for it to be you win, you lose, you have a good game or a bad game, and it's kind of the same energy in that class.
• 19:29
  Melissa Shere Beek: Yeah. We all experience
• 19:30
  Kim Miller: it together.
• 19:31
  Melissa Shere Beek: Was it the same for you as an instructor?
• 19:34
  Nikee Trespalacios: Yes. It was. When it was for for some reason, one one day would just be so fantastic. It would I don't know what it was. It was just if one person wouldn't have been there, it wouldn't have been the same energy.
• 19:48
  Right. Dynamic was so good. So, yeah, as an instructor, I mean, it's joyful to see it because I feel like I have some I'm I'm contributing in some way to everybody's happiness Yes. And I'm like the connection.
• 20:02
  Melissa Shere Beek: You sustained our happiness for decades. Yes.
• 20:05
  Nikee Trespalacios: So I feel like for me, it's very fulfilling. So that part is I mean, it's a service. It felt like I got to give something to everybody. Yeah. And that is a beautiful experience because you don't get to do that very often
• 20:20
  Melissa Shere Beek: Yeah.
• 20:20
  Nikee Trespalacios: In the world. You know, you don't get to
• 20:21
  Melissa Shere Beek: It's gift.
• 20:21
  Nikee Trespalacios: Consistently Yeah. For decades.
• 20:23
  Melissa Shere Beek: Show up.
• 20:24
  Kim Miller: Yeah. For decades. Yeah.
• 20:25
  Nikee Trespalacios: Yeah. With the
• 20:26
  Kim Miller: same people.
• 20:26
  Nikee Trespalacios: Yeah. When when Kim was talking, it reminded me of, like, times I was injured when you're talking about the team sport, you know? Mhmm. And it'd be like, we're here. Mhmm.
• 20:35
  You know, like, we're here. We're behind you. We're gonna do it. Just show up, you know? Yeah.
• 20:39
  Just just We'll carry you. Yeah. And you and you did. Mhmm. You did every I think you
• 20:43
  Melissa Shere Beek: carried us a lot Yeah.
• 20:45
  Nikee Trespalacios: Too. So that that when you said that about the team, because I I myself have never done a team sport. Uh-huh.
• 20:51
  Kim Miller: Well, now you have.
• 20:52
  Melissa Shere Beek: Now we can say we have. Not a teamy girl, but Yeah. Me either. Right in Soul Bowl.
• 20:57
  Nikee Trespalacios: Yeah. So, yeah, dance is it's been the community of the whole thing. And then, you know, it's interesting because later when you're out, you're not in the same community anymore. You know, you know them and you're like, hey, how you doing? But it's not the same as like, hi.
• 21:11
  You know?
• 21:12
  Melissa Shere Beek: It's very different. I know I've continued with other dance classes. I know, Kim, you have too. And we there are some crossovers that come with us to other dance classes. The feel is not the same.
• 21:23
  That's not to say that I'm not enjoying those dance classes, but when we talked about, like, the support system that we've had over the years with the same women we've been dancing with for forty five years almost, I think. Yeah. Like yeah.
• 21:37
  Nikee Trespalacios: Forty five forty years.
• 21:38
  Melissa Shere Beek: Yeah. Forty forty yeah. Almost forty five years, I think. The dynamic is different. And maybe those women have it in those other classes because they've been together and we were just so cohesive in this class together, but it's a community.
• 21:51
  And and like you said, we've seen each other through highs and lows, big moments
• 21:57
  Nikee Trespalacios: Mhmm.
• 21:57
  Melissa Shere Beek: Little moments, you know, everything good and bad. What significance do you think that dance has on that sort of social interaction for us? Especially, I think, because I can speak to myself on this one, I know Nick, you might agree with me, I'm a homebody person. I'm a solo gal. I am not going out with groups doing things.
• 22:22
  This was really my social unit, let's just So, what does dance from an emotional standpoint, a mental standpoint, do on the level for all of us for that sort of social connection? That's a DB. Okay. Sorry. Went
• 22:41
  Nikee Trespalacios: to What you, does it do for us on a social level for connection?
• 22:46
  Melissa Shere Beek: Emotional level too. Like that social what does that social connection of having that dance community and dancing together do for us on emotional level and Kim on an on a mental level too.
• 22:58
  Kim Miller: Well, I mean, it's Go ahead. It's just people hearing your story Mhmm. People showing up for you, people acknowledging you and your space in this world. Like a validation? Not yeah.
• 23:12
  Just just no. Just being there. Not necessarily validating And because that was a space where you didn't need validation because there was this love when you walked in. Unconditional. Think about when dance classes started and you haven't seen somebody, and you'll stop in the middle of the dance and give that person a hug and kiss.
• 23:28
  Right? Like, just a full and you know that it's just so authentic. Yeah. And so supportive. Yeah.
• 23:35
  I'm just there. And so that part of community and being a part of something bigger than yourself, and knowing that you are a part of that and being seen, I guess Yeah. Is, I think, really good for your mental health. You know, you're not isolated. You're not lonely Yeah.
• 23:53
  Which leads to depression. Right. You are around people and you're interacting, and that also helps with neuroplasticity
• 23:59
  Melissa Shere Beek: and Yeah.
• 24:00
  Kim Miller: Cognitive health and aging. Yes.
• 24:02
  Melissa Shere Beek: I think you said it to support. I think there was that kind of unconditional love and support.
• 24:06
  Nikee Trespalacios: Yes. Yeah. Yeah. And I mean, you you got to express yourself. Maybe not with words, but, you know, you got to let it out and With a twerk
• 24:17
  Melissa Shere Beek: and a shimmy.
• 24:17
  Kim Miller: Yeah. Even better. Better than words.
• 24:22
  Nikee Trespalacios: So that it it releases emotional energy. Yeah. And, you know, we we have that in this crazy world. It's very it's it's we're pent up a little bit with that stuff, you know, and we're emotional and we're all different and we all have different opinions, but we go in there and we're doing the same thing, you know, and we're not those we're not separate there. No.
• 24:39
  You know, we're like a group of the same people who have, you know, like each other anyway. Yeah. You know, because we have something in common and it happens to be dance, which is really good for your body and it's really good for your soul. And, you know, it's great for your brain and it's great for your emotional Mhmm.
• 24:55
  Melissa Shere Beek: Relief. Yes.
• 24:56
  Nikee Trespalacios: Know what mean? That's what I've noticed the most of it was just like, I think that's what's missing now is that connection is missing, number one. Number two, you're not letting the way we danced in there was it wasn't it wasn't something that everyone would do. It was
• 25:13
  Melissa Shere Beek: Well, we're not walking down the public's aisle doing that. But, yeah, I mean, some of us may have, but
• 25:17
  Kim Miller: But I think it's true. It brought we got to see a different part of ourselves in that class that maybe we wouldn't have, you know, otherwise
• 25:26
  Melissa Shere Beek: Right.
• 25:26
  Kim Miller: Because you expressed yourself. There was no judgment, you just danced and everything.
• 25:30
  Melissa Shere Beek: We felt comfortable enough in there to expose everything. Yeah. We did. And in many ways for that word, but yeah. And we did.
• 25:39
  No. But in an emotional exposure Yeah. You know, then
• 25:42
  Kim Miller: we In safe space.
• 25:43
  Melissa Shere Beek: In a safe space. Mhmm. Yeah. Mhmm. And I like what you said too about well, what you said, Kim, about support, but what you said, Nick, about, you know, the connection, focusing in on the connection because we're all different.
• 25:56
  We all come from so many different backgrounds, we have so many different beliefs, and we think in very different ways, but we were connected on on a real deep level, on a soulful level. Can you talk maybe a little bit more about, like, what you felt, I guess as an instructor, but also with my woo woo ness and your woo woo ness, the spiritual side of it. And Kim, you too. I know you're more science minded, but
• 26:23
  Nikee Trespalacios: I'm like a woo woo.
• 26:24
  Melissa Shere Beek: I like a little No. Woo But can you girls talk a little bit about, like, the the spirituality or or the soulfulness that you experienced?
• 26:33
  Nikee Trespalacios: I mean, I felt like that was a very spiritual experience. Dance has been culturally, you know, it used to be, like, you would go to the shaman and you would say, these are my issues, and the shaman would say, when was the last time you danced? When was the last time you were with nature? When was the last time that you connected? When was the last time that you ate or, you know, nourished your body?
• 26:55
  Right. They didn't say here's a pill. No. You know, this was the pill. This was it.
• 26:59
  And that's that's missing now.
• 27:02
  Kim Miller: Yes.
• 27:02
  Nikee Trespalacios: You know? I'm not knocking it because we all we know we need sometimes in the world we need a little medication, whatever. I'm not knocking that. I'm just saying like, it's a very spiritual experience. Yes.
• 27:11
  And it's like, it takes a lot of courage. I just I keep coming back to that because it it takes some balls to go in there and let go. Yes. You know,
• 27:19
  Melissa Shere Beek: and not be reserved and, you know, like, I'm I'm nervous,
• 27:22
  Nikee Trespalacios: you know, and people start that way, you know. They're like,
• 27:24
  Melissa Shere Beek: Some people I'm a start little nervous, you know, like, I don't know. This is,
• 27:27
  Nikee Trespalacios: you know, what's going on in here? And then you're like, ugh. Yeah. You know? It's a very spiritual and I think it's very personal for everyone coming in with their different traumas and different experiences in their life and, like, you know, maybe something they were shamed for doing something like that once, you know, and now here they come and stand up in this room and eventually getting to the front of the room
• 27:47
  Melissa Shere Beek: or Yeah.
• 27:48
  Nikee Trespalacios: You know, like this other person of Oh, I love that. Comes out of you, you know, and Your alter ego, you know, and it's so for me, dancing has always been very spiritual and I've done it my whole entire life Yeah. Since I was a kid, and that wasn't spiritual at the time. I didn't know what I was doing, you know. Right.
• 28:05
  But ballet and tap and jazz are getting But it's still
• 28:08
  Melissa Shere Beek: a release for you and a connection to something outside of yourself. Yeah. And And also with yourself, but it been on a spiritual plane, It just a connection feels really good
• 28:17
  Nikee Trespalacios: to move your body. Mhmm. This feels really good.
• 28:20
  Melissa Shere Beek: It's the best.
• 28:21
  Kim Miller: It does. And, I mean, you also brought in spiritual information, and you kinda guided us to think about things in that way where and we were would use it however we were ready to hear it or practice it or whatever, but you did open up that dialogue. Mhmm. Right? And so that kind of piqued interest and curiosity and led to trying to understand it a little bit more.
• 28:48
  Melissa Shere Beek: I loved that. And I loved that on another level of spirituality at the end where we all sort of came together and you would have the mantras that you would say and it would grow with everything that we learned and keep going and it was a great form of closure at the end and sort of sealed
• 29:07
  Nikee Trespalacios: We're already together.
• 29:08
  Melissa Shere Beek: Sort of sealed and cemented like what we just experienced.
• 29:13
  Kim Miller: Yeah. It's like an exclamation point. Yeah. A 100%.
• 29:17
  Melissa Shere Beek: Yeah, I love that.
• 29:18
  Nikee Trespalacios: It is. It was a big exclamation point
• 29:20
  Melissa Shere Beek: And on I think if anybody had a hidden camera from when how we walked into the studio
• 29:27
  Nikee Trespalacios: To how we walked to how we Sauntered out.
• 29:30
  Melissa Shere Beek: Yeah. I was gonna say sacheted out.
• 29:33
  Nikee Trespalacios: Mhmm. It
• 29:33
  Melissa Shere Beek: was such a visual to show the experience of what dance did for us or what dance continues to do for us.
• 29:43
  Nikee Trespalacios: Yep. It was definitely a transformation that hour, hour and a half. Oh,
• 29:48
  Melissa Shere Beek: yeah. Yeah. Remember when we used to go three hours every other day? Yes. I do.
• 29:54
  Kim Miller: I do my ankles.
• 29:55
  Melissa Shere Beek: Oh. Our knees are feeling it now.
• 29:58
  Nikee Trespalacios: I think I just got a cramp thinking about it.
• 30:00
  Melissa Shere Beek: Oh, no. No. Stretch it out. We have a big couch. You can stretch it out.
• 30:04
  We'll dance it out afterwards. So for you, Nick, tell me a little bit about creating dances because you were the choreographer. Where did was it I wanna know where you drew inspiration from. I wanna know was did the song come first to you and you were inspired by the music, or did a rhythm or a pattern come to you first and then you waited to find the music that met that? Can you speak to the choreography for us?
• 30:33
  Nikee Trespalacios: Yes. Absolutely. For me, it was I would hear it and then a dance step would just come in like speaking about intuition or like the woo woo witchy stuff, you know, like like it's clair clairvoyance or whatever it was, I could just see it and that's how it would start and I'd be like, this is amazing, this song. And it took me a long time to get to that place where I wasn't just like, I need to put another song out, you know, like that's Right. Felt like the pressure of putting songs out every week which no one was expecting.
• 31:02
  How could you do that? Yeah. But I was trying to do it and for years I did that and then those songs never got like
• 31:08
  Melissa Shere Beek: to play those. Yeah.
• 31:09
  Nikee Trespalacios: You know, they just didn't and they just never lasted. So after that, I started saying, if I don't feel it in my body, it doesn't move some part of my body, excuse me, then it's not it's not a song. So and so, yeah, I feel I hear it and it just is like, oh, is good.
• 31:26
  Melissa Shere Beek: It moves you, literally. Yeah.
• 31:27
  Nikee Trespalacios: It's good. And, you know, I I didn't create all this, so I, you know, I stepped into it. I was taught this.
• 31:34
  Melissa Shere Beek: Right. But you continued it. But at the time,
• 31:37
  Nikee Trespalacios: I didn't know I was learning it. Right. You know, it was just something I really liked doing and, you know You were one of us. Yeah, I was. Yeah.
• 31:46
  I was just there, you know, and then learning the dances and, you know, we would work together and I didn't know I was learning how to do that. Yeah. You know? And then just one day, it was like, okay, now you're gonna do it. You're on your own now, you know?
• 31:58
  Figure it out. And I didn't realize you were creating Yeah. Your I was like, wow, I actually do this.
• 32:04
  Melissa Shere Beek: Because it's a gift. I think you definitely have a gift to do that.
• 32:06
  Nikee Trespalacios: Thank you. Yeah. And honestly, I do too because well, I've been to some dance classes too.
• 32:13
  Melissa Shere Beek: Recently shaming anybody we love them
• 32:15
  Nikee Trespalacios: to get the same feeling, you know, like to dance, to take a class, and it feels amazing to do it anywhere. And even if it's stuff I don't love, I still feel great Does
• 32:23
  Melissa Shere Beek: it feel amazing as a student as opposed to a teacher?
• 32:26
  Nikee Trespalacios: It does.
• 32:26
  Melissa Shere Beek: What is the difference?
• 32:27
  Nikee Trespalacios: Really nice to just go and not have any responsibility. Yeah. You know? And I can answer my phone or walk out for one or
• 32:34
  Melissa Shere Beek: have Take
• 32:34
  Nikee Trespalacios: a break?
• 32:35
  Kim Miller: What? Yeah. That's not allowed.
• 32:37
  Nikee Trespalacios: I can't leave all of my own rules.
• 32:40
  Melissa Shere Beek: I love those rules.
• 32:41
  Nikee Trespalacios: Yeah. Had
• 32:42
  Melissa Shere Beek: rules. There are some dance classes that I take now and the lights are on and I'm like, wait, what's wrong? Why? Wait. Wait.
• 32:48
  Wait. But no. We we need to turn off the air and turn on the lights and really get into it. Yeah. It's so funny.
• 32:54
  So funny. Well, I think dance helps with mental acuity, physical strength. I believe it makes us more empathic and opens us up to new experiences, inspires creativity, definitely releases tensions, for sure, for sure, and lets our soul fly free. It absolutely gives us the ability to connect deeply with ourselves and with others. I think you two are a prime example of that because I've been connected to you forever.
• 33:19
  I know I've and I I know I've felt connected to our dance community, but, like, I feel most connected to the two of you over all of these decades. So I am so blessed that you guys are here today and that we've danced together and that you came here to do this with me. Are you up for one more challenge? But it won't be a dance challenge.
• 33:38
  Kim Miller: Okay. Go for it.
• 33:40
  Melissa Shere Beek: Well, it's not that hard of a challenge. It's just because I know and love you personally and and it's something I do at the end of each of my episodes. Steven, we're good on time?
• 33:49
  Nikee Trespalacios: Is there cash involved?
• 33:50
  Melissa Shere Beek: There's no cash involved. It's all out of love. No. But seriously, I do thank you girls so much for coming in today to discuss Thank you
• 33:56
  Kim Miller: for having us.
• 33:57
  Melissa Shere Beek: No. But it's hard when I talk about dance to anybody else who hasn't experienced it, so I'm hoping that our listeners today will sort of get the feel of what we mean about how dance affects our brain, our body, and our soul. So, thank you ladies. Alright, so this is how I like to end my podcast. Alright.
• 34:15
  I do a thing called quickie questions.
• 34:18
  Nikee Trespalacios: Oh, shit. Go ahead.
• 34:20
  Melissa Shere Beek: You can say it. Shit. No. I'm not gonna give you any hard ones.
• 34:22
  Nikee Trespalacios: Okay. I like hard ones. Sorry.
• 34:24
  Melissa Shere Beek: Okay. Okay. Okay. I'll give you some hard ones. Okay.
• 34:29
  What motto do you live by? Live and let live.
• 34:34
  Kim Miller: You can do hard things. Okay.
• 34:36
  Melissa Shere Beek: How do you handle stress?
• 34:39
  Nikee Trespalacios: Face to face, head on.
• 34:42
  Melissa Shere Beek: I dance. I dance. Yeah. Oh, that's a good one. That's a good one.
• 34:46
  What makes you happy?
• 34:49
  Nikee Trespalacios: Is that one answer or Anything.
• 34:52
  Melissa Shere Beek: You can make a list. I don't
• 34:53
  Nikee Trespalacios: care. Food.
• 34:54
  Melissa Shere Beek: Oh, yeah.
• 34:55
  Nikee Trespalacios: Nature, my dog, my husband. Peace, quiet, sanctity.
• 35:01
  Kim Miller: Peace and quiet, just leaving the noise outside Yeah. And focusing on the present.
• 35:08
  Melissa Shere Beek: Yeah. A 100%. And what's one thing you do only for yourself, not for your children, not for your spouse, not for anybody?
• 35:16
  Kim Miller: Oh, you both
• 35:16
  Nikee Trespalacios: took a
• 35:17
  Melissa Shere Beek: pause and had to think about that. You both dropped your head
• 35:20
  Kim Miller: We're how to women. Think about that one.
• 35:22
  Melissa Shere Beek: I know. We don't typically got about that. So easy. And then when I said, what do you do for yourself? You both were like, Wait.
• 35:29
  What? Yeah. Think about it. What do you do for yourself and only for yourself?
• 35:34
  Kim Miller: Mine would have been dance. Yeah.
• 35:37
  Nikee Trespalacios: Oh, wow. I I do a lot for myself.
• 35:41
  Melissa Shere Beek: I mean, it could be as
• 35:42
  Nikee Trespalacios: simple as just
• 35:42
  Kim Miller: Yeah. Taking a You
• 35:44
  Melissa Shere Beek: can make a list on this
• 35:45
  Nikee Trespalacios: one too. You know, I've been into puzzles lately. Oh, yeah.
• 35:48
  Kim Miller: That's a good one.
• 35:48
  Nikee Trespalacios: Also really good for the brain. Yeah. Would say.
• 35:51
  Melissa Shere Beek: No elasticity.
• 35:52
  Nikee Trespalacios: Sit at my table with hot tea, do my puzzle, listen to music Mhmm. Around my dog. That's something that I do for myself when I need to chill.
• 35:59
  Melissa Shere Beek: I like that. I like that. Okay. Last question. What and this is the most important, most important question.
• 36:07
  What's your go to dance jam?
• 36:09
  Nikee Trespalacios: Oh, shit. I'm into warm ups now. Actually, Lose Yourself was an anthem for me. Yeah. Eminem, Lose Yourself, I mean, that's I was just like They hit it hard.
• 36:21
  Every single word, you know?
• 36:22
  Melissa Shere Beek: Oh,
• 36:22
  Nikee Trespalacios: I I felt single fucking word of that.
• 36:25
  Melissa Shere Beek: Yeah. I love it.
• 36:26
  Nikee Trespalacios: I like everybody to listen to that music.
• 36:27
  Melissa Shere Beek: Yeah. Oh, I love it.
• 36:29
  Nikee Trespalacios: I've changed over time. Now I like, this is me kind of Okay.
• 36:32
  Melissa Shere Beek: Warm up. Good one?
• 36:34
  Nikee Trespalacios: Yeah. I'm more into the warm ups these days.
• 36:36
  Kim Miller: Okay. I'm old school at Earth, Wind, and Fire.
• 36:40
  Nikee Trespalacios: Oh, yeah.
• 36:41
  Kim Miller: Any of those old school Mariah Carey.
• 36:43
  Nikee Trespalacios: Yeah.
• 36:44
  Kim Miller: I don't know. Any of that stuff that I think it's just attached to memories for me too.
• 36:48
  Melissa Shere Beek: That's important.
• 36:50
  Kim Miller: Yeah. Happy music.
• 36:51
  Melissa Shere Beek: Yay. Thank you, girls. You survived. Was it yours? My go to jam you know, this is funny.
• 36:57
  It changes depending on the mood, but I think I texted you all at red lights on the way here. Yeah. I was and it was like a whole flashback of our dance class. We had Dancing With Myself was on and then Maniac, and but I love like, I'm I like all the disco stuff. So I've been listening always to Donna Summer
• 37:17
  Nikee Trespalacios: Mhmm.
• 37:18
  Melissa Shere Beek: Casey and Sunshine Band, Earth Wind and Fire, I love. So But also, Billy Joel. Yeah. And then when we were coming in today because we're all dressed in black, our our listeners can't see us, we were singing ACDC back in black and then, like, throwing our head back the way we do at dance class. Been too long.
• 37:38
  Glad to be back. Oh, thank you. Thank you so much, girls. I really feel blessed to have you in my lives as friends and to have you on this podcast and to tell the world a little bit more about how dance makes us great. Just really does.
• 37:55
  Nikee Trespalacios: Okay.
• 37:55
  Kim Miller: Thank you. You, Melissa.
• 37:57
  Melissa Shere Beek: Love you, girls.
• 37:58
  Kim Miller: Love you.
• 37:58
  Melissa Shere Beek: To our listeners, thank you so much. So grateful you're here. Keep listening, keep learning, keep growing, keep up with beacon being. Follow Beak on Beak on Instagram for the latest to share ideas, thoughts, suggestions, or nominate a guest. DM us.
• 38:12
  Want exclusive content, behind the scenes stories, and listener links? Subscribe. Listen to Beak on Beak wherever you get your podcast. Big shout out and huge thank you to Steven Chen at Penthouse Studios. Beak on Being was recorded at Penthouse Studios and is a proud member of the Penthouse Podcast Network.
• 38:29
  Stay well. Yay.