On Friday February 12th we were delighted to host a live conversation with Dancing Saved My Life non-profit co-founder Andreina Febres.

Andreina joined us for a powerful conversation about dance, cancer, healing, mindfulness and more with studio BE Vice President Rachel Meyer.

In case you missed it, you can watch the full conversation here:

Andreina Febres co-founded the Oakland, California non-profit Dancing Saved My Life with her student, Joy Glasier, who was going through cancer treatment in 2014.

After losing her mother to cancer, Andreina wanted to find a way to support the cancer community. Simultaneously, Joy was taking a stress relief class specifically tailored to cancer care with Maura Singer. These two practices were instrumental to Joy’s healing.

In Joy’s words, “If I was able to dance I knew I was doing OK, and through stress relief practices and meditation I learned how to lessen the fear and anxiety.”

Based on Maura and Andreina’s particular expertise, they teamed up to launch a sustainable program that benefits the cancer community.

Andreina grew up in Caracas, Venezuela and has lived in the California Bay Area since 1999. She grew up dancing and has enjoyed helping people move their bodies since she was a child.

As a Zumba teacher since 2009, Andreina is happy to offer you her culture, share her roots and help you find (or rediscover!) your hips. In her classes, you'll learn to dance to merengue, salsa, reggaeton, flamenco, samba & more, starting with basic steps and then moving into simple choreography. Andreina encourages you to pay attention to the messages you tell yourself as we move together — as we celebrate our hips, our bodies, as perfect as they are.⁠

Learn more about Dancing Saved My Life here.

Thanks so much for joining us, Andreina! We loved chatting with you.

Feature image via rawpexel.com/Adobe Stock