We were lucky to catch up with Julie Simon recently and have shared our conversation below.

Julie, appreciate you joining us today. It’s always helpful to hear about times when someone’s had to take a risk – how did they think through the decision, why did they take the risk, and what ended up happening. We’d love to hear about a risk you’ve taken.

I was a professional dancer / college student in San Francisco. This was in the early 1990s. I went to Paris on vacation and took a dance class. At the end of the class, the instructor offered me a job in her dance company. Can you imagine ? I remember staring at her being torn between being elated and in utter disbelief. I found myself saying no. I thought who does that who leaves everything after one class? I still had a semester of college before graduating, I had friends, family etc. I said no and went back to San Francisco. I graduated from college. I was still dancing professionally. I had a job, car, money, social life, friends, stuff. But on the inside I was dying. I couldn’t believe I passed up the opportunity of a lifetime. For the next two years, I spiraled. No one could see it though because like I said, I was still dancing professionally, had all the stuff, the seemingly perfect life. I hid behind the work. I hid all the time, and I would run the streets in the middle of the night, trying to run away from the idea that I said no, that I had passed up the opportunity of a lifetime. For two years I ran. I ran so much that my body cramped uncontrollably, I stopped sleeping, my mind wasn’t straight, and I ended up collapsing in the middle of the street, in the gutter bumming cigarettes, crying and dying. The noise in my head was so loud, a mix of this isn’t your life, this wasn’t supposed to happen this way, there’s more, you were destined for greatness until I screamed GET UP, GET OUT, GO. The next day I quit my job sold everything and two weeks later got on a plane. Two agonizing years had passed since the opportunity had been presented. Remember this was the 90’s there was no internet, no instagram, nothing to follow, no way really of connecting so imagine my reaction when I got to Paris went straight to the instructor and she told me the company no longer existed. The shock. I had just left everything, sold everything. I didn’t speak French, I didn’t have legal working papers, I didn’t even bring another pair of disposable contacts or a pair of socks. I could only see one thing, I passed up an opportunity and I had to go get it. She said the only opportunity left was a student recital in 6 months. What could I say? So I said ok, I’ll take it. I called my cousin who was an actress in New York and said, “My cousin do you want to come to Paris for 6 months?” She said yes and for the next month as I waited for her I took every dance class I could get my hands on, trying my best to learn French as I did so. When she arrived I had the guts to go audition and I got my first job that sent me on tour to Africa on a dinner show. Next I went to Germany, then Morocco, then Switzerland, the Caribbean the list goes on. After a year (I did also do the student recital by the way) I met the love of my life on a dance floor. He became my dance partner. What was supposed to be six months turned into 8 years of dancing in dinner shows during the week and traveling all over Europe on the weekends. Summers were spent in Morocco and the Caribbean and even coming home a couple of times to visit. The love of my life and I got married. We’ve now been together 27 years. We moved to California and I continued dancing. I started a dance company, opened a studio, started a non-profit teach and choreograph both nationally and internationally (just returned from performing and teaching in Germany and Brazil), and have 2 wonderful boys. None of that would have happened had I not taken a risk. At 54 I still dance full out full time. I still take risks.

Julie, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I am the owner of SALT STUDIOS a dance studio created an curated for adults. It is difficult to find a dance studio that caters only to adults, and that offers a variety of genres and levels. SALT STUDIOS has a vibrant, fat, full schedule of sumptuous classes from Brazilian to Ballet with a bit of everything in between. We have absolute beginner classes through professional development programs and performing arts companies. There is something for everyone and it’s done with the most welcoming and community driven energy creating an atmosphere that incites joy.

In addition to that I am the director and founder of Tropicaleiza Dance + Drum Company a non-profit organization dedicated to empowering women through movement, music, and compelling storytelling. Our Vision is a world where women are unapologetically empowered through the transformative power of dance and percussion. We strive to create a global community of women who uplift and inspire each other, transcending barriers and embracing diversity, where every woman embraces her unique essence, fearlessly celebrating her individuality, and confidently expressing her inner strength, finding her joy. Through immersive experiences, including mesmerizing performances, enriching workshops, soul-nourishing intensives, and the sharing of inspiring stories, we strive to create a safe and nurturing space for women to unlock their full potential. We aspire to be the catalyst for personal growth, fostering a deep sense of self-worth and resilience in every woman we touch, leaving a lasting legacy of empowerment, sparking a revolution that transforms lives and empowers generations to come. We Dance We Drum We Empower.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

I know what it is like to not believe in yourself. As stated in the previous question regarding risks, I didn’t take the risk the first time it was presented. Even though I had someone in front of me offering me the opportunity of a lifetime, someone who saw promise, purpose and talent, it didn’t matter. It matters what we think, again it matters what we think, and I thought it was impossible. That produced a creative death in me for 2 years.

I never want anyone to feel that type of regret or anguish. I don’t want anyone sitting on their couch, collapsing in the street, hiding behind whatever they are hiding behind all the while wondering what happened to their life. I want to impart a jolt of courage of belief. I have a dance studio for adults and a non-profit performance group to help people either discover themselves through movement, come back to their first love or just incite joy so that they can get up, get out and go, whatever that looks like for them. That is my driving force.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

The Pandemic. We all had to pivot. We all had to shift. I did pivot. I did shift. I moved my business on line and worked extremely hard, teaching classes in all time zones at all hours of the day via zoom and all of its zoom-isms. But that’s not the true pivot. The true pivot was that when it seemed as though everything was going to open back up, I realized I had not taken any time to reflect. I just went into survival mode. My greatest pivot moment was …. I took a break. Something I had never ever done. I didn’t take a break when I birthed my first son, when I had a miscarriage or when I had my second son. In fact I kept going through all pregnancies and was even on stage within weeks of giving birth. My biggest pivot was stopping and taking a break. I took a two month break and although I was scared of out of sight, out of mind. It actually shifted my whole career and in my opinion saved it.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.juliesimondance.com, www.saltdancestudios.com
• Instagram: @juliesimondance, @tropcialeiza, @saltdancestudios
• Youtube: Personal Youtube https://www.youtube.com/@tropicaleiza and studio YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@saltdancestudios

Image Credits
Racz Photography Crystal Edwards Photography