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鈥淭his is a sacred space. There is no room for fear, lack, doubt, or judgment,鈥� declared Leaira SouLight in full voice as her Twerk Tabata class started at the  in the Northern Liberties section of Philadelphia. Women of all ages and body types responded with an eruption of cheers while adjusting their dance attire, pulling up knee pads, tightening their ponytails, and finding just enough space to move on the packed dance floor. For about half the students, it was their first time seeing the popular Instagram 鈥渢werk master鈥� and content creator in real life. By affirming the space as sacred, she set the tone and intentions for the class. She wants to make sure the women know her class is a safe space for each person to explore their body and push beyond their physical and psychological limitations.

Leaira, who is the owner of  based in Mableton, Georgia, just outside of Atlanta, leads a monthly twerk class in Philly as part of her 鈥渢werkshop tour,鈥� which also stops in Dallas, Houston, Las Vegas, New York, Baltimore, New Orleans, and several other cities. On the tour, she introduces women to dance techniques through a high-intensity interval training (HIIT) style workout that cultivates the skill of moving the gluteus maximus in various directions鈥攗p, down, rapidly, rhythmically, and sensually. That鈥檚 the part people expect. In Leaira鈥檚 classes, however, participants are also introduced to wellness practices, such as healthy eating, meditation, deep breathing, and general self-care. 

Teaching wellness, first as a yoga instructor in 2013, Leaira explored meditation, herbs, a vegan diet, and other holistic health practices as part of her personal journey toward enlightenment. Through the tour, she not only continues to teach others, but also moves in her own expression of power and purpose to facilitate healing. This juxtaposes what many know or understand about the twerk style of dance.

In popular culture, twerking is often associated with mainstream rap music and the exotic dance scene. Male rappers have prominently celebrated bare-bodied women in music videos since the 1990s with songs like 鈥溾�� by Wreckx-n-Effect. More recently, women rappers like , Cardi B, and City Girls have reclaimed and featured twerk as a recurring style of dance movement in their videos. Artists like  have helped to popularize New Orleans鈥搑ooted 鈥渂ounce鈥� music and dance, which has a similar dance aesthetic. The dance style鈥檚 high visibility in nightlife and underground culture has led to its association with debauchery, sex work, and the sex economy. 

For many women, especially Black women, twerking as a style of dance creates a cultural dissonance rooted in identity politics. Many are aligned with perspectives against twerking, such as those shared by , a spiritual and wellness leader who offers a 鈥渨omb wellness workshop鈥� teaching methods for healing from trauma and other womb issues. Her digital talk series 鈥淪acred Woman鈥� featured commentary by priestess Olori Oyadele Ogunsina, who says, 鈥淭he time for twerking is over. There is too much work that needs to be done as women. We need to set an example as women that we are not sexual objects here on earth for the pleasure of whomever.鈥� Those who share this belief note Black women are under-represented in the media and are often projected through negative stereotypes; therefore, images of half-naked bodies and bouncing derrieres represent Black women as overly sexual, low class, and unintelligent. 

Rhode Island Sen. Tiara Mack challenges this ideology. A video of the senator twerking upside down in her  on TikTok recently went viral. 鈥淚鈥檝e struggled with the idea that in order to be respected, I have to be fully clothed and buttoned up and I have to be performing in a way that is inauthentic to myself,鈥� said Mack. The 28-year-old senator started the #TwerkFor campaign following the media storm and backlash over her video. She 鈥渟hakes up鈥� things (literally) while advocating for issues such as abortion rights, voting rights, and replacing lead pipes in Rhode Island. 鈥淭hey never cared about my body when I was fighting for body autonomy, when I was fighting for the right to abortion, when I was fighting for the right to housing for my community members,鈥� she said in a campaign video. 鈥淭hey never cared about my body when I was fighting as a Black queer person to have my rights respected by my legislators. No one cared about my body鈥攏ot until it was twerking upside down. I live with joy, authenticity, and liberation. They cannot control our bodies. And they can鈥檛 stop our joy.鈥� 

For women who take Leaira鈥檚 , their reasons range from joy-seeking to connecting with parts of themselves that feel muted. Afia Ohene-Frempong is a sex educator and mental health specialist who has taken the class in Philly twice. 鈥淭werking lets me commune with percussion in the most satisfying way. Like everything else, you have to ask yourself, 鈥榃hat鈥檚 my motivation? Is it to feel free? To attract attention? To be included? To get paid?鈥� People may reflect their own discomfort by sexualizing your behavior, but only you know why you鈥檙e twerking,鈥� she said. 

Shesheena Bray, a mental health therapist who also works as the program director for the #metoo movement, took the Philly Twerk Tabata class twice. 鈥淗onestly, I love it. It feels great to be unapologetic in my femininity and to get a good workout. 鈥� I feel powerful and I leave feeling empowered.鈥� For Kim Russell, taking the class was a gift to herself to celebrate her birthday. She feels a cultural and spiritual connection to the style of dance. The poet, storyteller, and Love Now Media contributor said, 鈥淭his form of dance has evolved over the generations, but it鈥檚 rooted in our history. It helps us to tap in and align our root chakra.鈥� 

Leaira believes that people who criticize twerking are out of touch with their bodies and the African cultural history of movement as a way to celebrate life, rites of passage, and womanhood. For women who feel out of touch with their bodies because of religious restrictions, body shame, trauma, and other reasons, twerking in a space with other women can help release blocked energy, allowing them space to reconnect with themselves and access healing. 

鈥淪o many women come to me and share personal testimonies. They鈥檙e like, 鈥業 just went through something deep,鈥� and it鈥檚 sometimes dark, traumatic stuff. And they鈥檙e like, 鈥業 feel so much better, and this is part of my healing.鈥� It鈥檚 just really transformative.鈥�

This article was originally published by and is published here with permission.