“Slaying is my cardio” is the slogan for DivaDance East Texas, a new choreography-centered adult beginner hip-hop dance class launching in Tyler this week.
Rachel Luttrell, owner of DivaDance East Texas, decided to bring a branch of the Austin-based franchise to East Texas about three months ago after she took a class in Austin and had a blast.
“I’ve been looking for something like this, and I think a lot of women in the area have also,” Luttrell said.
Luttrell and her team of choreographers have hosted a series of free preview dance classes for the community over the past month in anticipation of the official branch launch to give participants a taste of what DivaDance is all about and how each class works.
Unlike many dance classes where participants follow the leader, Luttrell said during her classes a specific routine is taught to a specific song. She also stressed that each routine is catered to all levels of dance experience.
“Everybody in here is at all different (dance) levels and this place is so judgment free,” she said. “That’s what we strive for and that’s how our clientele is too.”
Luttrell plans to host three classes a week at two different studios — Infinity Dance and All About Dance — and said she’s excited to promote confidence and community in Tyler through dance.
“We just want everyone to feel empowered and feel like a boss,” she said. “Some people that walk in here may be coming from a hard day of work, they may be feeling down about their weight or whatever they’re dealing with in life, but when people walk out of here … people really do leave transformed.
“I can see someone come in scared, nervous, feeling down and then they walk out of here just hyped and they can’t wait to come back,” she said. “It’s really special.”
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