Unleashing Your Inner Diva: An Interview with Twerk and Heels Instructor Aasa

By: Coral Barnes

Twerk and Heels dance styles are often the center of confidence, sensuality, body control, and empowerment for every dancer who learns them.

Even though both styles have different technical styles, they share a couple of important things that every dancer can benefit from, such as their emphasis on hip and lower body movements, with how they require strong isolated control of the hips, booty, and legs, the focus on confidence and self-expression with how the dancers are encouraged to own their movements and unleash their attitude on the dance floor, as well as having strength and stamina to make their performance style be an eye-catching moment for both the audience and creating a liberating experience for the dancer performing either style.

But also, both styles do have their differences, with Twerk being rooted in Afro-disaspora dance style that derives from Central Africa and the New Orleans hip-hop bounce style in the 1990s, focusing on rhythmic and repetitive booty movements while isolating and controlling the hips, glutes, and lower back, making this style both a playful and charismatic dance style.

Heels dance has a very broad set of styles with influences from jazz, street, hip-hop, and burlesque. It is often a full-body choreography experience with the focus being on lines, walks, poses, and smooth transitions designed to create an elegant and sensual performance quality experience for both the dancer and audience.

While both styles can be sexy and powerful in their own way, the technical foundations and movement goals are different.

Today, I talked with Aasa, who is both the Twerk instructor and a Heels Instructor here at Elemental Studios, to talk about how both these styles have empowered, inspired, and kept her motivated as both a dancer and teacher. So, let’s learn about Aasa, shall we?

Aasa has been dancing since she was young, inspired by her community, she has shown her upbeat, fun, and charismatic personality through her teaching both her Twerk and Heels classes. Aasa is a teacher that continues to encourage growth and development in her students while creating a positive, safe, and free space for them to become a better version of themselves through her classes.

She is so talented and one of my favorite people that I have ever gotten to meet, and I am very excited for you guys to learn about her with me!

Here’s our Interview.

What is your favorite thing about being a teacher at Elemental Studios?

Aasa: “My favorite thing about teaching at Elemental is seeing the same people and new faces come each and every week! I love the connection and energy that we produce within the space.”

What is a fun fact about yourself that you would love for us to know?

Aasa: “I also love to sing. Always thought of trying the whole triple threat thing.”

How did you start learning twerk and heels dance styles?

Aasa: “I honestly started learning to twerk from a young age. I feel like it’s something that I carried through my DNA. Black people as a whole have made twerk dance the global phenomenon that it is today, and I’m so happy and proud to be a part of sharing a small piece of our beautiful culture with others. Now, when it comes to heels, I’ve always been super inspired by Beyonce’s choreographers, and even Janet and Michael Jackson’s choreographers. Seeing people like Aisha Francis and Danielle Polonco have always inspired me to reach for the stars. Being able to share my knowledge with others is a part of my dreams and goals.”

In what way do you think that twerk and heels dance style classes have empowered and inspired you through your journey in both styles?

Aasa: “When it comes to twerk style classes, I feel like the overall encouragement and motivation from the people in the room keeps me inspired and empowers me to go back for more!!! Knowing there is no judgment and “All jiggle is good jiggle” keeps me in a safe space to explore my body and how it can move. Now, when it comes to heels, for me personally, seeing how much dance has become even more important to the music industry now more than ever (in my opinion), that alone empowers and motivates me to put myself in rooms and surround myself with people who I look up to! I know that the world needs it. It’s about putting myself in the space to get it!!! Being able to see my peers with the same goal that I dream to hear is definitely empowering and inspiring as well!”

For students who want to try out your classes but aren’t sure, what can you tell us about your teaching style and what the class vibe is like?

Aasa: “If you are a new student looking to try my class, the vibes are always lit, whether we are doing slow and sexy or upbeat and ratchet. We have a saying in class, “when in doubt, twerk it out” even if you feel like you’re messing up as long as you continue to shake your booty, you are one step closer to being where you want to be! It starts with just doing it! Also, you are doing yourself an injustice by going to a twerk class with spandex, material shorts, or leggings; having something on the booty can be completely free, and loose will be the first step to success in any twerk class. My teaching style is detail-oriented, but very encouraging. I really try to push for people to pick up as much of the choreo as they can and then drill it as much as they can in the end, so that they have this beautiful masterpiece at the end. If you wanna learn more about what my teaching style is, I guess you’ll have to come and give it a try.”

What are some foundational moves or techniques that students who take your twerk class should keep in mind when taking the class for the first time?

Aasa: “3 Foundational twerk moves used in most twerk classes that will set you up for success!

Saltshaker/booty clapp/wiggle, Hip drops or Hip Ticks start (right to left), and Twerk Bounce Down and Up.”

Who is someone who has inspired your dance journey and kept you going even when you felt uninspired or unmotivated?

Aasa: “People that keep me motivated are Aisha Francis, my friend, and Tribe Owner Randall, and just my dance community as a whole. We are all just artists, looking to showcase our talents, and inspiring people motivates me, seeing other people doing exactly what I dream to do! Even when I feel like it may be out of my reach, I have people in my corner constantly, pushing me to put myself out there and aim for success, and I can’t be more happy or grateful!”

Can you tell us about the different twerk styles that you have taught and how they are different from each other?

Aasa: “The two twerk styles that I offer at Elemental are an upbeat style, a little bit more of a moderate pace. The other style that I offer is more of a slow, sensual, sexy. The difference between sensual and upbeat is that in sensual, we work more in line with focusing on our bodies and appreciating all curves, lumps, and voluptuousness that comes with us. As for upbeat twerk, we focus more on the techniques of twerking with our lower back and actually getting our thighs moving. Upbeat may seem more like a cardio fitness class, but it feels so great!”

What challenges have you faced as a teacher in these styles of dance?

Aasa: “Some challenges that I faced as a teacher, and I’m still growing from knowing is if I put down the right blueprints for my students to pick up, I encourage my students to let me know what they need throughout the classroom but when I’m constantly getting yes we’re good and then at the end, it showing that we’re not good. It doesn’t make me feel like I have accomplished my goal.”

What hobbies/activities do you like to do outside of dance?

Aasa: “Outside of dance, I love working with children and being surrounded by family. Family is the core meaning to life, in my opinion.”

Thank you to Aasa for interviewing with me. I feel like I learned so much about you and your classes! It makes me personally interested in taking a class with you in the future. If you guys are interested in taking class with Aasa, she teaches Open Level Twerk Class on Tuesdays at 8:30 pm-10 pm, and Open Level Heels Class on Fridays at 7:30 pm. I hope that you guys can come out and support her classes and I will see you guys in the next staff interview!