Meet Amaya Lanae | Heels Choreographer & Instructor / Dancer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Amaya Lanae and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Amaya, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking
Taking risks has brought me to so many amazing opportunities, connections, and experiences, that I never could have imagined. And from each experience has come a new set of knowledge that I continue to carry around with me for every new chance to come. It can be easy to feel those frantic nerves that come with trying new things especially when you can’t control nor predict the outcome. I found myself becoming more aware of my own anxieties and the negative core beliefs that caused me to hesitate in getting to a higher level in my personal journey. I observed my own self-doubt start to manifest itself in my plans of action. It blocked me from taking the risk to reach these life-changing experiences.
As I noticed the strength of my thoughts within and how my thoughts can affect my mind, I decided to start jumping in head first and shift my focus onto how I can enjoy the process rather than the things that make my head spiral (and not in a good way).
Connecting myself to my passions and focus on gratitude encouraged me to appreciate everything about the journey. I began taking note of every detail that I admired. I wrote down milestones that ended up holding weight like boulders when I get the chance to reflect back. Replacing those negatives with an abundance of positivity and refocus revealed a lot to me about self growth. It has inspired me to continue.
Turns out, we will never “be ready yet” until we go for it. Finding ways to push past the fear of risk will always get you closer to your goal than sitting in the doubt. Know that this doubt lives within your head. Connect yourself to why you are doing this and how it makes you feel. Celebrate yourself just for showing up and feel proud to embrace the outcome, regardless of what it is. Taking risks is still a very big success on its own, it has brought me such great experiences and I believe we should all start to take the chance!

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
Being trained in multiple styles has definitely helped my transition into the heels dance community. I remember taking my first classes and instantly becoming obsessed with the way it made me feel. It was so freeing and exciting to start something new. The second I walked into class, I could feel so much strong energy within the studio. It is empowering to be surrounded by dancers who are working toward the same goal of expressing their inner sensuality and finding themselves through this art form. We all learn a lot about ourselves, our body’s capabilities, and so much about internal healing. The heels community is so special and I’m so glad to be a part of it. Transitioning from (being primarily) a student into a teacher, has been such a surreal experience for me. As i do still take classes and train as a student, leading my own classes will always hold a special place in my heart. I still surprise myself every time I end a class. I used to struggle a lot with public speaking and often, I find myself thinking about those old nervous feelings I used to have. When I get to talk and see my students pushing themselves in class, it makes all my nerves go away. The energy we all share is so contagious, I love letting the passion take over my mind and body.
Whether it’s in a new location or even with the same students, I feel so proud for devoting myself to creating and doing what I love. I’m honored to be a part of my students’ dance journeys. I find that we learn a lot from each other. It has never been one-sided.
I feel inspired by all of the talent and unique qualities & backgrounds that we all bring to the table. I want everyone who takes my class to feel safe and welcome to be themselves in the space. As a class, I love how we cheer and support other dancers in the studio, but I also want us to learn to cheer for ourselves the same way! I want everyone to be able to lose themselves in the music, letting go of all their outside-world stresses. I want to push my students to break barriers and allow creativity to flow, confidence to build, and challenge themselves to find what they are capable of. I strive for every single person to leave feeling great about their performance and proud of the work they’ve put in, taking this with them for every future class they attend.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
If my best friend was visiting the Bay Area, I’d take them to hang out and eat at Oakland First Fridays. It’s honestly one of my favorite places to be. There’s music, art, dance, food, vendors, and so much community there to experience. The inclusivity is amazing. We get to support so many local businesses here and not only admire the art but join and create as well. Every time I go, I can’t get enough of the euphoria I feel. I have a special love for Oakland, especially this festival. 10/10 would definitely recommend and I am taking all my friends along with me!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I will always be grateful to have grown up with the support and influence of both my parents. For as long as I can remember, I’ve been surrounded by music. Living with a family of musicians, our house was always blasting music out of our tower speakers. We have drums in our living room and pianos in the kitchen. My dad’s side of the family is very musically inclined and supportive of each other’s talents. At the age of 3, my mom started signing me up for all types of classes. One week I was a gymnast, the next a ballerina,and onto hip-hop. I continued to explore all types of styles as I got older. I fell in love with the variety of genres and decided to dedicate myself to this passion.
I’m so grateful to have been introduced to everything at such a young age. Being able to start training, performing, and even competing has pushed me so far in my dance career today. I’m so honored to have been influenced by my family and trained by so many dance instructors that I still look up to to this day. They’ve taught me so much about hard work and discipline. I am eternally grateful for the continuous support of my family and dancers in the community who push me to continue to shine my light and share my passion!

Instagram: a.lanaea

Youtube: Amaya Lanae @a.lanaea

Other: linktr.ee/alanaea

Image Credits
Tessa Noelle Zakari Thompson Hella.Frames