We recently connected with Ginger Fatale and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Ginger thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Let’s kick things off with your mission – what is it and what’s the story behind why it’s your mission?
Soul on Fire Dance was born to fill a need. Dance studios are often for children and adult classes are an afterthought. Adult dance studios are often dedicated to the hypercritical, competitive commercial dance scene. Where were the spaces for adults who just love to dance for the fun/beauty/joy of it? What about the adults who never danced before, but have always wanted to learn, despite society saying they’ve missed their opportunity? Not to mention, Orange County CA needed a safe haven for those who have been historically marginalized. As an AAPI, queer, womxn owned studio, Soul on Fire Dance rooted itself here and has been finding like-minded humans since we opened. We are dedicated to healing our students’ relationships with their bodies, donating money to causes that touch our community, and engaging in local events to bring joy to others. We want everyone who comes through our doors to find their sensual selves through dance. We are Sexy with a Social Mission.
Ginger, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
I’ve been teaching burlesque for several years, and performing it for almost 2 decades. I’ve been dancing for most of my life at this point. I’ve never been a dancer who thought I was “going places”. I just danced because I loved it and it healed me from the inside out. When I started teaching, I loved seeing the transformation of my students – finding joy and confidence in their own skin, expressing themselves through their movements, discovering their sensual selves, creating social connections with others in class through shared experience. When I started performing burlesque, I was in awe of the confidence I found and could see in my friends. Just before COVID hit, I felt like I was in a rut. I was performing regularly, but something was missing. And as the shutdown took hold, Black Lives Matter exploded, #StopAAPIHate was everywhere, and all of the anti-LGBTQ+ legislation was introduced, I started to see the types of people I was surrounded by. The places I was in weren’t safe. I didn’t control the places, so even though I was someone people turned to every day, I couldn’t keep people safe. The only “logical” idea was to create my own place. (I use quotes because who actually thinks opening a brick and mortar dance studio in the middle of a global pandemic sounds logical?) In any case, it was a calling I was feeling strongly pulled to, and I had a lot of support, so that’s what I followed.
Our mission is definitely what sets us apart from others in our industry. We’re not here to teach you how to be a professional dancer who goes on tours with big music artists. We’re not the studio to teach you how to thrive in a cutthroat audition. We’re here to provide a safe space for all bodies to be expressive, to heal, and to find community. You will be given a multitude of performance opportunities throughout the year for various events and causes to show the world what we are all capable of. We will teach you proper technique to be safe, and we’ll provide tons of options for bodies that move differently. Your age, gender, sexuality, race, religion, weight, disability, and level of dance experience are welcome here. Every dance instructor here goes through Trauma Informed Dance Instruction training, which is lead by an actual clinician who specializes in trauma informed care.
I am so proud of the humans that find their way here, and then how they actually *find themselves* here. In every other dance studio I’ve been to, other dancers immediately start sizing one other up, wondering what kind of competition you will be. Here at Soul on Fire Dance, these students will give newcomers a huge smile, introduce themselves, and give them a tour. They check in on newcomers throughout the class, offering them encouragement as they learn, and then when splitting into groups, will endlessly hype them up. After class they hang out and talk, answering questions and sharing their experience. They treat this place like home, and it is so beautiful.
What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?
The “hustle” is not going to get me anywhere I want to be. Grinding all day every day is a surefire way to kill this business. I have always worked multiple jobs, and honestly, I still do. But since I’ve started building Soul on Fire Dance, I’ve had to be much more intentional with my time. This studio is a being that needs love, attention, care, and so much ENERGY! If I am saying yes to everything I would have said yes to before, if I’m taking on too many projects, then the studio doesn’t get what it needs to thrive. Does that mean that I don’t work 18 hour days multiple days a week any more? No, of course I still do, but it’s much more focused. I also now work to build rest into my schedule, (even though I often forget and slide into my old habits). I have to budget my time and resources so Soul on Fire Dance can grow to serve its community in even bigger and better ways. If I’m too concerned about this side project that has no direct impact, then how am I going to be present in the place that needs me the most? If I haven’t slept, how do I step up and give my students the class they deserve?
Can you open up about a time when you had a really close call with the business?
I don’t know that I’ve ever had a month off from just scraping by, and we’ve been open over a year. Soul on Fire Dance is an absolute labor of love. And I don’t mean just from me. My instructors step up in the most incredible ways. I have work/study students who go above and beyond what is asked of them. The students at the studio treat this place like their home. They buy the studio gifts – like last week, one of our regulars noticed that we were running low on BioFreeze in the bathroom, and just brought a new bottle to class the next day. I had another student donate a Keurig they don’t use any more. Yet another student donated a bunch of disinfectant wipes. I’ll be honest, I work my other jobs to make payroll and rent here a lot of the time. I funded the studio buildout on credit cards that I opened. I wrecked my credit and I’m in a ton of debt. Despite that, let me be abundantly clear, that I would do it all over again without a second thought. I’m currently sitting here listening to a class taking place in one studio and a rental in the other room. There is laughter from students, loud encouragement from the instructors, and it is absolute music to my ears. This space is fulfilling its purpose. I know that new businesses take time to stabilize, and I know we’re getting there. Soul on Fire Dance is full of resiliency, just like the people who dance here. 
Contact Info:
- Website: https://soulonfiredance.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/soul_on_fire_dance
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/soulonfiredancecollective
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/soul-on-fire-dance-santa-ana
- Other: Download our free Soul on Fire Dance app in your app store to check our our classes and workshops! You can join us in person in Santa Ana, CA or via zoom from anywhere! All our classes are offered virtually to increase availability to those who may not be able to join us in person for whatever reason.
Image Credits
Tuffy McFuklbee