Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Danielle Echols. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Danielle, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to have you retell us the story behind how you came up with the idea for your business, I think our audience would really enjoy hearing the backstory.

In 2001, Shakira was ruling the charts with the song “Whenever, wherever.” The song was so unique and differed significantly from the other music that was popular at the time. The video was all over the place! There was something so captivating about the way her body was moving. I started following her and I wanted to know how to get my body to move like hers. I started practicing in the mirror, and though I was having fun, it wasn’t looking exactly the same. I learned that she has Lebanese ancestry and that she had taken the time to study belly dancing. My intrigue was piqued.

A few years later, a neighbor of mine was telling my mom how she was taking belly dancing and how she found it to be so empowering and fun. To my surprise, my mom informed us that she had taken classes before and wanted to try again. I was 15 around this time, and we decided to take classes together. My mom thought it would be a good way for us to bond and for me to learn about embracing my new womanly body that was forming. I was instantly hooked. I finally felt like I was going to master those Shakira moves, but what I found was so much deeper. I found a community and women who were proud of their bodies and I found a legacy that I wanted to continue.

I took classes through high school, and in I started a belly dancing organization in college called Habibti Rakkasah. I could see a thirst for women to feel empowered in their bodies and embrace femininity and strength. Post-college, I started to think that I could teach belly dance and empowerment workshops for profit. My parents were always bragging to our neighbors about how I had started the dance organization in college, and one day one of my mom’s friends said, “Do you think she would be open to teaching at a ladies’ night for some of my friends?” I had a rush of emotions. I was excited, but self-doubt and fear set in as well. Was I ready to step out in this way? Would I feel the same way teaching older adults as I had when I was teaching the students in college? Luckily, I was able to push past those emotions and set up a class in the woman’s home.

The ladies had a blast and told me that I was an excellent instructor. Getting that first payment to do something that I love was such a rich feeling, I knew from then on that I was going to teach dance workshops as often as possible. I wanted to help women feel powerful, beautiful, and sexy, and to help them learn something new. I felt confident that I had the personality to teach and that there was an audience who would want to learn. A few years later Crafted Movement was born.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

My name is Danielle Echols. I am the founder and owner of Crafted Movement, a platform that encourages women to love and celebrate their bodies through dance and playful movement. Right now, I teach belly-danced-inspired workouts and empowerment classes in various studios in the Chicago area. Sometimes, I go to people’s homes and teach a class for a “girls’ night in” or a woman’s birthday party. I also occasionally perform at events.

With my classes, I encourage women to really connect with their bodies, embrace their curves, and honor how strong they can be. For 2024, I am planning on expanding my vision. I have been blessed to meet so many movement instructors (yogis, hula hoopers, dancers, skaters) over the years. I know that if I can combine all of our forces together, we will have the best movement retreat ever. So, in 2024, I intend on doing just that! Crafted Movement will be hosting our first-ever movement retreat.

Growing up, I was always a very active child. As a little girl, I was involved in ballet and tap. I took gymnastics for several years, ran track, and played volleyball. These various forms of movement were fun and they taught me how to be disciplined and healthy.

When I discovered belly dancing, I would not stop! I became obsessed with looking up all types of music from the Middle East and Northern Africa. I studied different dancers and how they moved. I would buy books and watch DVDs from various professional dancers. I was taking a cultural journey from my living room! The popular singer, Shakira, was an entryway into this world, but once I really got involved and started studying the origins of the dance, my practice took on a life of its own. I took classes from various instructors and even studied the dance in Argentina!

When I started teaching, I knew that the message I wanted to spread was that dancing should be joyful and empowering. So often in the hustle and bustle of life, women (and people in general) forget to have fun! Pure fun. We lose a sense of wonderment and discovery. We forget to get those endorphins pumping with happy movement. My classes consist of affirmations, meditation, and of course lots of dancing and laughs!

For a while, I taught dance classes and performed without a company name, and then one day, “Crafted Movement” came to me. I was always fond of the word “Craft”. To me, it represents something being refined, something that someone works on. That’s how our lives should be. Your life is your craft. It is something that work on every day and improve. You are always getting to know yourself better. You are literally crafting your own story right now! And of course, “Movement.” Movement is what keeps us going. Every day something in you is moving even if you don’t realize it. A new thought or solution is developing in your mind, your heart is moving blood through you… you’re exercising. You are always moving in a way. So, I put the 2 together and formed Crafted Movement.

I think it perfectly described my views on life and dance: something that I am always working on, refining, and actively pursuing.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

Something that I had to unlearn was the phrase, “Practice makes perfect.” Maybe it’s not so much the phrase that I needed to unlearn as the feeling that I (and so many others) have put behind it. Practice does not make perfect, it makes better. As a dancer and as an instructor, I am always learning something different: a new way to teach, a new way to dance. It’s impossible to be perfect when you’re always learning and that’s more than OK. As a business owner, more often than not, you are leaning on the side of imperfection, and that’s OK too! You learn you practice, you change, you make mistakes along the way and you figure it out.

It is more than OK not to be perfect. Redefine your definition of perfect and lean into the definition of progress. Whatever you do, keep trying and keep evolving!

We’d love to hear about how you keep in touch with clients.

1. Become Social Media Savvy

   A.  Post, post post! Post events, fliers, performance clips, etc. Post things that show an insight into your business. Show yourself creating. Your clients and other people who follow you want to feel invested in how your business is growing.

B. Interact! When I see someone has commented under a video or photo that I’ve posted, I am always ready to reply. I want people to know that I value them taking the time to look, comment, share, and like my content. Those interactions make people feel seen and they remember those moments. It also makes you pop up on their algorithm more and makes the post garner more attention from like-minded people.

2. Get Creative

   A. Newsletters and personal emails are great ways to keep in touch with clients. At every event I host, I have a poster with a QR code on it that when scanned, takes the client to a survey. Once a client completes the survey, there is a question that says, “Would you like to be added to our mailing list?” If they say, “Yes” then I have captured their information and can add them to my monthly mailing list. They’ll then receive updates on classes, workshops, and events that I am hosting. I currently use Mailchimp. I also have a QR code on my business card that takes clients directly to my website where they can see everything that I have planned for the next few months.

3. Make It Personal

   A. Sometimes, I send voice memos to clients that have really gone above and beyond in helping my business. I meet people all the time who reshare my events, bring friends to the workshops, and they tell people about my business.  I will send them a voice memo via Instagram, thanking them for helping me. I send text messages to clients as well, but I think the voice memos are more personal. People really respond well to them.

4. Be Available!

   A. Stay on top of communication. When an email is received, answer it. When someone calls you, pick up, or call them back within a day. You don’t have to have an open calendar but block out some time in your week when you’re only working on strengthening client interactions. The best way to be aware of what they need is by talking to them.

5. Perform!

   A. Clients want to see what you can do! As a dancer, it’s important to keep performing so you can invite clients to shows. When a student comes to a show, they see what they aspire to be, so they’ll keep taking classes. If someone hires me for an event, when they see me on stage, they may decide to become a student. After I perform, I always leave time to talk to the crowd and share my information. This also helps me expand my network.

Once you get clients it feels so so good. Even better once you retain them. People want to feel that they can trust your honesty, your desire to grow your business and that you are genuinely interested in knowing and keeping them as a client. Those things create conversations and brand loyalty.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.daniellelechols.com/classesandworkshops
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/crafted_movement
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniellelechols/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@crafted_movement

Image Credits
Photos by Belinda