Fly Fusion‘s Violet Kind
There are certain people in life that you come across that have an infectious spirit. It could be something as subtle as the way they carry themselves, their sense of humor, their style, a sense of confidence and self-awareness. I suppose there are an immeasurable amount of ways this can be experienced in someone…and Violet Kind certainly has a special blend.
There’s a song in her voice, a twinkle in her eyes, and something extra charming about her ‘wiggle’ that immediately left me with the impression of wanting to know more about her. ‘This woman must certainly be up to something amazing.’ And I couldn’t be more right. Just the type of woman I like to share with my friends and family. Enjoy.
What’s your ‘superpower’ and how do you choose to use it?
Making ridiculous faces, cat-snuggling, and consuming too much caffeine! Wait- those aren’t superpowers. I’d say mine is community building. I didn’t realize I was good at it until I was told, repeatedly. Then I finally stepped back to see what I’d done with our dance studio.
Now I do it consciously. I’ve made it a huge part of my philosophy when it comes to training other teachers. Community support gives dancers the courage to be expressive.
What are some ways you empower others?
Growing up, my dad always taught me that “weird was the real cool”. Before I knew who Weird Al was, I used to make dirty parody songs and teach them to my friends. So in a way, I was definitely training to become some kind of artist/leader of some kind. I think this philosophy has helped me give permission to others to embrace their uniqueness, and maybe even flaunt it.
Where or who do you draw inspiration from? In either life and/or business?
My dad is an entrepreneur and a weirdo, so mad props to that man (and the rest of our weirdo family)! I am super inspired by my dance partners in Dubrikato, Stacey McPartlin (Ireland), and Charlotte Wassell (UK)- they are total badasses. Rachel Brice is an inspiration, not just for the incredible dance abilities, but for her commitment to growth-mindset and being kind and vulnerable as a teacher and influencer. Amy Sigil for being a courageous dance pioneer for weirdos like me.
Learning to isolate movements the way that belly dance requires really forces you to go deep and explore new parts of your brain. For a cerebral human like myself, I find that seriously enchanting.
Whats your dance background?
Backstreet Boys on VHS in my living room. Choreographing a whole dance to “Thriller” at 10 years old, having never seen the music video. I always wanted to take dance classes, but I didn’t get to take my first real dance class until I was 14 and a friend invited me to try belly dance.
When did you first become enchanted by belly dance?
I had never even seen a belly dance performance before I took my first class, so the enchantment happened in the learning process. Learning to isolate movements the way that belly dance requires really forces you to go deep and explore new parts of your brain. For a cerebral human like myself, I find that seriously enchanting.
Oh, and then I saw my first Rachel Brice video. *drool*
What surprised you the most about becoming a teacher?
I realized there were about a million ways to approach the same thing. That’s one of the reasons I love this art form. It never gets boring. Every time I get the chance to learn from another teacher, I have light-bulb moments. When you’re teaching such a strange method of movement to a diverse group of people, it helps to have a big toolkit of different ways to approach the same topic.
Biggest obstacles you’ve overcome thus far in running your own business?
The biggest obstacle is my own dang head. I’m really great at second-guessing myself. But thanks to my business, I’ve learned a lot about that aspect of myself and how to conquer it. Some days are trickier than others. “Fortune favors the bold” is something I’ve had to tattoo to my brain.
What can people count on when taking a Fly Fusion course?
They can count on me saying “frustration means you’re growing” at least 3 times in any given workshop. They can count on making a few new friends in the room. They can count on learning a combination with a weird name of some sort- Cheeky B? Boy Band? Closer (named after the Nine Inch Nails Song)? G.U.M. (giddy-up, mofo)? They can count on having a dang good time.
The enthusiasm and love that happens when you’re in a room of Flyers is unparalleled. This also translates online.
3 things that make Fly Fusion special?
- The look and style: I am a fusion dancer and I really, really wanted to fuse my weird style with an improvisation format. I fuse a lot of strange shapes with my belly dance isolations. Fly is HEAVILY tied to the counts of the music which make it look super choreographed. We also have something called Pillars which is a whole vocabulary dedicated to complimenting the main group, which means that every time someone cues something in the Pyramid (the main formation), the Pillars have a complementary yet totally different choreography.
- The community: Holy frickin’ frick. The enthusiasm and love that happens when you’re in a room of Flyers is unparalleled. This also translates online. When we run challenges on Instagram, I see lots of people who’ve never met commenting on each others’ posts with love and support. It is the best!
- The online aspect: Our entire format can be learned online, and with the support of Flyers all over the world. Another cool part about being connected online is being able to update things in real-time, vs. being stuck to the way I taught something forever ago since too many people have learned it already (not that we do this all of the time, it just gives us that freedom). We run dance challenges almost constantly, because if dancers are anything like me, inspiration and motivation ebbs and flows and it’s helpful to have accountability and external support.
What do you most enjoy about your students?
Is “everything” a good answer? Ha! I feel like the luckiest human in the universe. Getting into belly dance has connected me with the most kind, creative, and open-minded people. We’re a bunch of positive, supportive weirdos. It’s everything I’ve ever wanted in a community!
Also, I LOVE that they let me experiment. They give me a safe space to grow as a teacher and I do my best to return that favor to them as dancers. We get to have fun pretty much all of the time. I have the best job in the world.
I feel like the luckiest human in the universe. Getting into belly dance has connected me with the most kind, creative, and open-minded people.
Things you LOVE about Minnesota?
To quote Prince, “It’s so cold it keeps the bad people out.” I think it’s true to some degree. Nobody lives here BECAUSE of the climate. What makes Minnesota great is its people. We have a reputation called “Minnesota nice”, and it’s real.
Don’t get me wrong, this state does have lots of beautiful scenery, but I could find that somewhere that doesn’t have armies of mosquitoes in the summer and so-cold-my-car-won’t-start winters. A lot of great artists were made here, probably partially because crappy weather means we get stuck indoors, bored. I’ll always have a home here- I love these people too dang much not to.
Favorite Inspirational Quote?
It’s horrible but I still say “YOLO” all the time. Remembering my mortality helps me to do wild things I’d probably otherwise be too scared to do. That’s my secret sauce!
Shout outs?
The fam. My Satori Violet peeps. The Fly community. The Bleuebellatrix Project. Dubrikato. My tuxedo furbabies, Bruce Lee-Wayne-Willis and Miles Davis-Tails-Standish. And last but not least, Melodia and Ian for making this happen!
Use this LINK along with the coupon code ‘MELODIA‘ to receive 50% OFF your first month of online classes!
