a beginner-intermediate level contemporary choreography class

I will be guest teaching at Barre3 in Morristown NJ on Friday Nov 15th at 7:30-9pm. Join us and take part in an uplifting contemporary dance class that combines a jazz/ballet inspired warm up, a touch of guided freestyle movement, and a killer combination. It will be intermediate level and all are welcomed! 

$25

sample choreo:

who’s teaching?

A bit about Jess…

Jess Grippo is a dancer, performer, writer, creativity coach, and the author of Dance With This Book. After leaving her ballet career and being distanced from the dance world for years, she started making dance videos alone in her room. These DIY expressions would become the catalyst for reviving her creative expression and later transitioning her career back into dance - but this time, in her own way.

Since then, she's been invited to speak and perform at TEDxNYU, Lincoln Center's Dance On Camera Festival, New York's Got Talent!, the New York Comedy Club, and more. Her programs and videos have been helping people for years to reclaim dance, feel at home in their bodies, and revive their creative expression.

Grab your spot now - because you know you won’t actually do it tomorrow.

“I haven’t taken dance class in a LONG time.  I had no idea how much stuff from the past was in the way.  Dancing with Jess is so much more than just dancing. She walks the path of what she teaches. She lives her creativity and gives all of us permission to do the same.”

-  Emily Whyte, Actor, Alexander Teacher, M.AmSat

Comedy Seance is a spiritual comedy variety show with healers/comedians Alyson Charles, Kate Wolff, and me!

It’s a unique and hilarious show with stand up comedy, musical acts, dancing, spiritual ceremonies, and more. We’ll take you on an adventure where you feel uplifted and can't stop laughing, all the while going deep into your truest soul's vibration. Cause it's cool to be yourself!

being a “dance rebel” means being part of a revolution in which humans are choosing to put dance, art, and their body back in their lives, in their own unique way, in a world that can so often try to keep us disconnected.

this show is about reviving that mission within all of us through creating a platform for (re)emerging dancers to take the stage.

This show is also meant to reawaken some spark that might be dimming out within YOU. To let you in on the process (rather than just showing the final product) so that you can remember that you, too, are more than what’s on the surface. You are here to create a better world by letting out more of your true self and expression.

this show is a statement that we will not be passive bystanders - we will create; we will move people, places, and things; we will dance.

get inspired.

renew your creativity.
get back in your body.
be a dance rebel with us.

be part of the revolution.

a workshop to move you through life transitions and questions

Don’t you wish sometimes that someone could just make decisions for you?

I do.

But since that’s not going to happen, I’m grateful to have acquired a tool that helps me navigate life:

DANCE. And I’m talking about dancing in a creative, self-expressive, intentional, and authentically-you way, which has the power to bring real change and clarity to our lives.

After all:

“Dance is a language of physical exercise that sparks new brain cells (neurogenesis) and their connections. These connections are responsible for acquiring knowledge and thinking.”

• Judith Lynne Hanna, PhD, author of Dancing to Learn: The Brain’s Cognition, Emotion, and Movement

Here’s what we’re going to do in this workshop:

1. I’ll guide you through a warm up and guided freestyle movement to get your body activated and your mind present

2. We’ll move through a dance-based therapeutic tool to help you find clarity on a particular struggle or challenge, which you can keep on file to use anytime you need to access the truth inside of you

3. We’ll have time for discussion and shares, and I’ll share my 5 go-to practices (a.k.a. healthy coping mechanisms) for moving through a phase of transition or the unknown in your life and actually finding answers.

4. You’ll be guided in shaping your “danswers” into creating a short expressive dance piece that you can share with the group - or keep for yourself. Because dance is a mirror of life, so we might as well create something with it.

F.A.Q.

Who’s leading this and why should I trust her?

Oh, hi! I’m Jess. Almost forgot to introduce myself. Though I was once a shy, obedient ballerina who followed dance steps like a technical machine, I now dance freely in public and performative contexts. From holding up a “DANCE WITH ME” sign in a busy airport lobby, to being stuck on stage with no music in front of an audience of 200 people, I’ve learned a thing or two about what it means to trust yourself through dance. And the more I do it, the more authentic, fulfilling, and exciting my life, career and relationships have gotten.

What if all the other people who come are weird? What if I don’t fit in?

Chances are if you’ve gotten this far on the page, there’s something in what I’m sharing that resonates with you, which means we’ll get along. Which means that other people reading this and resonating will also get along. Which means we’re all the same style of weirdo. Know what I mean?

But I’m not a dancer - is that ok?

Yes, that’s totally ok! I personally will argue that everyone is a dancer, but we don’t have to get into that here. All you need is a desire and willingness to dance and move your body. You don’t need “training” or previous dance experience. There won’t be any fancy flip moves to learn, and I certainly won’t make you do anything you’re not comfortable with. (That would be weird.)

But I am a dancer - is that ok?

Oh yes! Dancer-dancers welcomed, too. You might be worried this will be beneath your technical capabilities, and it probably will be. But this workshop isn’t about technique. There are plenty of other places you can go to get a good contemporary-jazz class in. This workshop is about helping you undo whatever you’ve learned that’s stopping you from fully trusting yourself and your truth - both on the dancefloor and in life.

I’m scared of dancing in public. Do I have to do share my dance with the group?

Sharing is totally optional. Of course you’re encouraged to partake, but again, I won’t make you do anything you don’t feel comfortable with. Arrive with the intention to just be present and make a choice that feels good to you, and you might be surprised by how you feel at the end.

Grab your spot now - because you know you won’t actually do it tomorrow. Now is the time.

feedback from past students:

"I took my first ever dance course with Jess! It was called “Dance Into Your Answers”, and it was life-changing on many levels. First, I realized that I CAN dance, despite holding limiting beliefs my whole life that dancers were tiny and petite. I also loved the format of the class—improv was combined with journaling and movement. I left with an answer that I had been wondering about for a long time—whether or not to scrap my second book and forget the whole project, or whether to revamp the idea and move forward. I am now reworking that book--and my experiences from this class will be featured in chapter one! I am grateful for the creativity work Jess continues to do with her clients, and I’m looking forward to dancing again.”

~ M. Shannon Hernandez, NYC, Founder of the The Writing Whisperer

"I love the intuitive way in which Jess led us. She created a space in which I was able to connect to my heart and to an inner truth that I hadn't yet realized until that point in the workshop. Ever since, things have been concretizing in big ways and my creative life is blossoming. Jess, you're a somatic genius!"

-Melissa Guttman, Voice Coach, NYC

“I haven’t taken dance class in a LONG time.  I had no idea how much stuff from the past was in the way.  Dancing with Jess is so much more than just dancing. She walks the path of what she teaches. She lives her creativity and gives all of us permission to do the same.”

-  Emily Whyte, Actor, Alexander Teacher, M.AmSat

I’m honored to have been invited to the conference for the Society for Menstrual Cycle Research, to perform my piece, “Hungry Ovaries.” To say that this is a full circle moment is an understatement. 12 years ago, after healing my  PCOS (thanks to Alisa Vitti) I got my certification as a holistic health coach and joined the @floliving team where I’d work with women in healing their hormonal issues/periods naturally. As I’ve moved more into my creative expression, so has my career, but this knowledge, love, and advocacy of women’s bodies has not left me.

Somewhat randomly (but not), earlier this year I created a dance-comedy piece about the changing phases of the menstrual cycle, and how my mood (and dating life) shifts dramatically throughout the month because of it. At every comedy club or open mic I’ve shared it, there have been a few people in the audience who ask me to perform it at their school/college/etc… Who would’ve thought that I’d also end up presenting it at an academic conference?

YCDA Immersion is an experience of deep inner transformation and dance creation, which guides you to take what's in your soul and turn it into a dance.

This path is for you if you desire to be seen in the truth of you are, within the container of a supportive group of women. It’s especially for you if you’re in a period of transition in your life, and you see art-making as a powerful way to learn more about yourself, and to harness your power to invent, re-invent, and transform your world.

Comedy Seance is a spiritual comedy variety show with healers/comedians Alyson Charles, Kate Wolff, and me!

It’s a unique and hilarious show with stand up comedy, musical acts, dancing, spiritual ceremonies, and more. We’ll take you on an adventure where you feel uplifted and can't stop laughing, all the while going deep into your truest soul's vibration. Cause it's cool to be yourself!

Also featuring: Aminah Imani, Katie Haller, Eytan Millstone, Jay Le'Cuyer

I’m so excited to be performing alongside some amazing emerging choreographers at the 4th Artists In Flight Performance Showcase! I’m performing a solo and the You Can Dance Again crew will perform a group dance.

The works at this showcase cover a multitude of genres and celebrate the diversity of dance, and you have two chances to join us that day: from 4-6pm or from 7-9pm.

For two nights in a row, I’ll be the opening act for the 4thU Artivist's 10th Anniversary Spring 2019 production of The Vagina Monologues, which will benefit organizations working to end violence against women.

Doors open at 6:30pm for a Pre-Show Party with food, wine, cocktails, and a silent auction, and you can come either March 14 or 15.

For two nights in a row, I’ll be the opening act for the 4thU Artivist's 10th Anniversary Spring 2019 production of The Vagina Monologues, which will benefit organizations working to end violence against women.

Doors open at 6:30pm for a Pre-Show Party with food, wine, cocktails, and a silent auction, and you can come either March 14 or 15.

YCDA Immersion is an experience of deep inner transformation and dance creation, which guides you to take what's in your soul and turn it into a dance.

This path is for you if you desire to be seen in the truth of you are, within the container of a supportive group of women. It’s especially for you if you’re in a period of transition in your life, and you see art-making as a powerful way to learn more about yourself, and to harness your power to invent, re-invent, and transform your world.

let's do the kind of dancing you do alone in your room, together. 

Whether or not you were part of Dance-a-Day in the Month of May with us, it's time to close out the month with a bang.

Especially if you've ever felt intimidated by a dance class, this is the space for you. 

Come to a fun and empowering dance class (for all levels). 

Attendance is free for all who participated in Dance-a-Day in the Month of May this year, as well as for anyone who gets a $20 ticket to our showcase, which also includes free access to my new at-home dancing-reviving program, Dance Alone, Together. 

You know what, it's still free even if you don't do those things. 

Just show up. 

RSVP here:

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