The Happy Sweat Life

Harmony in Movement: Dani Nóbrega's Journey from Ballroom to Spreading the World Groove Movement

Lisa Rung Episode 20

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Episode 20.  Join me for an enchanting episode of Dani Nóbrega's life, from her early days as a ballroom and Latin dancer to helping to build the World Groove Movement with Misty Tripoli. Discover Dani's extraordinary journey, marked by a fusion of dance, alternative education, and holistic healing.

In this conversation, Dani shares how her passion for dance evolved from ballroom and Latin styles to discovering the "you can't get it wrong" message of the World Groove Movement. Learn about her pivotal role in bringing The Groove Method into schools across Canada, alongside Michelle Hillier, and her current role as the Director of the Groove Academy, mentoring facilitators globally.

Delve into Dani's commitment to continuous growth as she shares her exploration of healing modalities, including the transformative teachings of Joe Dispenza, and her recent completion of an accredited Shamanic Practitioner Training. This episode is a celebration of dance, education, and holistic healing, showcasing Dani Nóbrega's unique journey and the profound impact of the World Groove Movement on personal and collective well-being. Tune in for a rhythmic exploration of Dani's dance through the diverse landscapes of movement, education, and global community building.

Links:
Dani Nóbrega Website
Instagram: @dani_nobrega_7
Facebook: Dani Nóbrega

World Groove Movement Website








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Find my World Groove movement zoom class on Thursdays, under my name, at: https://theworldgroovemovement.com/virtual-search/

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Lisa:

welcome to the Happy Sweat Life Podcast. My name is Lisa Rung and today I'm very excited and I didn't ask Dani how you pronounce your last name, but I'm very excited to introduce Dani. If you can pronounce your last name for me

that

Dani:

would be great. No, Nobrega. Nobrega.

Lisa:

Okay, wonderful. And Dani is one of the founding members of the World Groove Movement. She is the head of the Groove Academy. She is the master teacher team leader and also a presenter. So I'm very honored to have her on, and of course we're going to be talking about World Groove and also her journey with dance and with groove in general. So welcome.

Dani:

Thank you. so much for having me, Lisa. Oh, you're

Lisa:

welcome. So, how would you describe groove, or world groove, to someone that doesn't know

Dani:

anything about it? Well, grooving is absolutely the most accessible dance experience. I would say that it's the most epic dance experience happening on the planet, but of course I'm biased because I do it for a living. But our, the main foundation, the foundation of what we do is to bring these kind of two worlds together of unity. unity in in the same rhythm and the same movement pattern the repetition of that too, to create this kind of cohesion in the group with authentic individual expression. So we have these two kind of key ingredients and we train people. How to create this kind of magical dance experience where everyone gets to be themselves, but something really special and profound happens. And that's why we're actually a movement. I would consider us more a social movement than actually a dance modality like Nia or, or the other ones. Well, I mean, they could consider themselves a movement too, which they may be, but I'm just speaking on behalf of Groove. How this comes to be through this really connected experience that we have together because we're all facilitated to do it in our own way. So there's a uniqueness, an individuality, a sense of creativity, but also you know, the simplicity in just the repetition of the pattern that we're all unified on. I could go on and talk a lot about the nature of the class, like on how we we aren't, we don't just play with one style of genre. So we like to say it's a, it's a journey through dance and movement. It's a journey through music and movement. So like most classes, like dance modalities, it starts soft. And then, you know, we get to that, that climax, there's cardio, there's strength. So there's definitely a Fitness element to it. People come to our class for fitness reasons. They, they come for a workout, but there's also a very deep I would say you know, emotional aspect to come through and so on. So it's, it's this kind of space where that we provide. for, for creativity and for self expression and in that there's also this, I believe this, this spiritual aspect of it when you are guided to be like really connected to the music and in a safe space to express yourself. So it's a holistic program. Our, our whole philosophy is there's no. right or wrong way to dance. We empower people through our facilitation to express themselves and really go to the different corners. You know, our shadow selves, like we, we, we make people be, we don't make people, we invite people to be goofy and ridiculous. There's this element of embracing your inner child. When you come to groove, there's an element of. allowing yourself to be dramatic and over the top. So you see, it's this like space where we get to explore all the colors of what it means to be human. And that's what I mean with this emotion. Typically, these types of things are suppressed. But this is a space where we can come without, without the narratives, without the stories, without any of that to just simply express and be creative. Did you have

Lisa:

your own journey to get through that to become more expressive in your own dance or more free on the dance floor with

Dani:

groove? Well, absolutely. And I don't think that journey ever ends. I think it's a lifelong, a lifelong thing. I come from a dance, like a traditional dance background where there is a very right and wrong way. And with that came a lot of conditioning, right? With that came a lot of perfectionism as well. With that came a lot of body image issue. And with that came This sense that I'm never good enough, right? That's the, that's the undertone is that I'm never going to be good enough. And of course that's not everybody's experience, but it's, it's an experience that many of us in, in the traditional dance world share, right? Because there's a lot of pressure. And, you know, though I love technique and I love choreography and all that stuff, and I see a beautiful place for that. My experience with traditional dance was that I felt like I was losing my soul in it. Like, I felt like I was moving away from the reason why I got into it. And so when I first started grooving, it's like It felt like an explosion on the insides. It's like every single cell in my body came alive and was like, to the point where I literally like left my, my PhD, I, I left my PhD to start this, to, to build the movement with Misty actually, and also do consulting work in schools I worked for 10 years, a decade in schools, consulting with teachers, presenting at conferences, working with kids, I. I've probably grooved over a million kids in my life to get them back into the feeling, because that's what I found was missing so much was the feeling because it was, I was in a very regimented style as well. And I was being like, you know, evaluated and all this stuff. So that was my experience with it. And I. Knew that there was a a very important piece missing that I thought Groove could bring. And it did. And it, and it helped, it had helped a lot of people. I mean, we continue to help a lot of people all over the world. People are grooving and really changing their lives, actually listening to people's stories. So for me, it was A process of letting go of my shame letting go of my, my fears, my insecurities my need to be perfect, to get it right. And I mean, like I said, I don't think it's ever gonna end. It's a, it's a journey that goes on and you, you keep getting faced with it with, you know, things come up over again, right? But you know, every time I let myself just freely dance and, and consciously make that effort to not give voice, not amplify the voice, the judgmental voice that all of us have, that most of us have. Every time I groove, every time I consciously make an effort to not give power or not amplify the inner critic in my mind that wants to judge and that wants to just talk, right? Every time I, dim that. Every time I drop back into my body and back into sensing and feeling and expressing and connecting with the music, I connect deeper to my own authenticity. And, and also my creator. For me, dancing is a meditation. It's a form of, of divine connection. And, and from that space, what I always, always, always find is when I give myself that space, that hour to dance, to just feel and express, I receive a lot of messages after the fact in meditation and stillness. I receive a lot of messages. I receive a lot of inspiration. So for me, it's this process of letting go, cleaning my body vessel, releasing. Getting out of my analytical mind, dropping my awareness in my body and opening myself up to receive information. For me, that's a deeply spiritual practice because I'm literally communicating with God for me.

Lisa:

That's powerful. Wow. I was reading that you had done Latin in ballroom. Is that the background that you came from that you were speaking of? Yes. Yeah. Maybe you can tell the story of just Finding Groove, how did you come across you know, did you meet Misty or what was your experience?

Dani:

Well, actually I came in through a friend who she and I were actually dancing together in university and I had lost touch with her for a few years and then when we reconnected she was already grooving, she was already doing this. So she invited me to a class and I, I fell in love right away. So I actually, it's funny, Missy and I talk about this. I actually became a master trainer and before I even met Missy. Because she was at that point. There was another woman that was basically doing my job that I do now, running the academy. There was another woman running the academy, so I came in through her and yeah, so I had never even met Missy for a year and a half.

Lisa:

And what made you want to teach the young people?

Dani:

Well, at that time in my life, I was doing my PhD and I was in education and I was looking at, I was, I was really studying critical pedagogy. I was studying, learning through the body. Alternative ways of learning, kinesthetic learning, all this stuff and as, and having a dance background when I found Groove, I was like, okay, this makes so much sense for me to actually, like, at that time I was actually learning and researching indigenous ways of, of learning, of, of understanding and knowing and being and in the world. And applying that to an education context, like how can we make our education program, program education, our schooling system more open to alternative forms of learning. And then when I found Groove because of my, you know, deep dance connection, I was like, oh wow, this is just like, it spun me for a loop, like I had to change my thesis. And so I was for a while. Considering to write my thesis, my, my dissertation on, and I was going to do some qualitative studies because at that time I was working in schools with Michelle Hillier. She had started the dance program and Groove was 1 of the things she was offering. And so I was really gung ho about providing the experience, but also. Doing some qualitative study around what is the long term benefit if, if kids truly take this on and practice and, and do it. And, and not only that, but integrate if teachers actually integrate these kinds of. principles and philosophies in their classroom. How could this affect the, and impact the classroom dynamic? what does this do for emotional intelligence, for example, or what does this do for learning capacity and all these things? But my work really took off in the doing. Right? So I was so busy just going around grooving people in schools and also building the movement with Missy around the world. I was doing both at the same time. I was traveling, teaching, growing the movement, like doing a lot of the business stuff. So my dissertation went on the back burner and it's still on the back burner. So I'm one of those ABD folks that like, because now I just think of it like I maybe I'll write a book about it or write about it, but, you know, to go through the Academy, it just seems like, I don't know, I don't know if it's for me.

Lisa:

Thank you to everyone that has listened and subscribed to the Happy Sweat Life podcast, and a special thanks to the supporters of my show through Buzzsprout. That includes my sister Margaret, who was featured on episode five. If you're looking for a funny episode, that's a great one to listen to. To both my mom and my dad, and to a dear friend Kathleen, I really appreciate your support. And now back to the interview. Can you think of any memorable experience for a student that was in one of the classes or I'm sure there were many,

Dani:

Oh yeah, there were, there were many experiences and the one that the one that pops to mind the most memorable experience for me was actually when I was working with, because kids are tough to work with. Some of them can be very tough, especially when you get to grade seven, eight, nine. You know, high school and I was doing these large large presentations with sometimes like 200 kids in the gym, trying to get them to dance. And I always have this spiel that I do at the beginning before I get started, which is I, I put myself out there in a way. To kind of dissolve any insecurities that they may have or fears around looking stupid because that's their biggest issue is that they don't want to look stupid in front of their friends and as soon as we ask them to dance, they immediately think they're going to look stupid. Right, right. So. To, to kind of dissolve that insecurity, I would do this like, kind of ridiculous dance and I remember I was on stage and I would do this dance. I was like, so is anyone here going to make fun of me if I like, move around? Like, This and I'm doing this like, you know, just this kind of ridiculous movement in my body, just moving. And one girl like literally stood up from the audience and said, I would because you look stupid. So she fully yelled, like yelled it, called it out. I'm in a gym. I have. 200 kids in the gym and I'm alone on stage and I'm like, I wasn't expecting that one. You know, like that caught me way out of nowhere. Like now I'm getting bullied by a grade eight, you know, but in that moment, and, and you know, I didn't realize what I, what, what I actually did before I went into these sessions, but I really like now, now in my journey, I, I know that, I'm always guided in these moments. Like, I'm always guided to say what I need to say and do what I need to do. I really trust trust God is behind me all the time. And in that moment, I, I turned it into like this kind of pedagogical opportunity for these kids, for them to tell me. So what do we do with this? And what is this? You know, and so I asked, I said to the, to them, to in front of everyone, I was like, okay, so she believes that I look stupid, so I have a choice right now. I could take her judgment and I can put it on, try it on and take it as truth, or I can let it be her judgment and let it be a projection of her reality. And I can identify my for myself what feels right for me, right? So it's about, you know, we're never going to get away from bullies. We're never going to get away from other people's judgments of us or other people trying to put us down. And you know. Take away, trying to destroy our light, so to speak. We're, we can't get away from that. That exists. That's part of, you know, being on the earth, right? Being in this world. But what we can do with it is not take it. as our own. This is what I really, this is the main message because one of our groove truths is actually nobody cares what you look like. And I always felt like I never could say that in schools. I could never say that authentically, like, Oh guys, yeah, nobody cares what you look like. Just dance. Like we say it in groove classes and our adult classes, but for kids, it doesn't resonate because they actually do get bullied and they actually do care. And it actually is a very Fragile time in kids development lives where they need to feel supported. They need a sense of community and it can be very damaging to the extent that it gets carried on with them throughout their adult life and it shapes their personality, their behavior, and who they actually become as a human. You know, sometimes bullies, people who have been bullied, turn into the biggest bullies when they're adults because they haven't processed that or they've allowed it in, to seep in. So I, I basically just said to them, you know, what other people think of you, like what this girl thinks of me. It's actually none of my business. it's none of my business. That's her. That's her understanding of me, but that's not my truth. And in that moment, actually, I actually got a standing ovation from this little spiel that I gave and, and what had happened with that girl is that she got up and went. To the office. Like she left, she, she left. So she took herself out of, and I wasn't, I wasn't bullying her. I was just like, okay, I accept that you say that I look stupid. Like that's, that's fine. That's, that's your opinion. Right. So you know, when it happened, literally, I felt like. My stomach dropped because I've never had that kind of experience before, but I'm so happy that I was able to draw from a higher perspective and shed light on, on this reality for kids that a lot of people, a lot of kids suffer in silence, you know, a lot of kids suffer from this kind of treatment and don't know what to do with it and they internalize it and then it becomes a new program for them. So it's actually quite dangerous. It is. To have bullies not being called out. Right. And that's how you call them out and you call them out with love and compassion and you say, okay, that's your opinion. It's fine. And that's how you also stand in your power to not let that acidity that other people are projecting onto you, contaminate you. So yeah, that was my most memorable moment,

Lisa:

Wow. I was thinking two things. One was when you were talking about minimizing your own voices in your head when you're dancing to be freer and, you know, how that, how you were saying that that starts as children, we internalize other people's impressions and voices. And so it is all a lifelong journey to undo that, but how powerful that you could intercept that at that age for them. You know, and give them an option of something else they could consider.

Dani:

Yeah, and we had an amazing dance party after. So it was really, it was, it was really great. And then I had to take a long nap. Bye guys. My work is done and I'll be charging the school double.

Lisa:

And then the other thing I was just thinking about as you were talking about not, not completing your PhD at the moment, but then you saying how much you tune into your intuition and feel like, God has your back. So, I admire that you're able to follow the path that, that feels right for you at the moment.

Dani:

Thank you. Well, my father keeps bothering me about finishing it. And I just keep saying, I think one day I'm going to get an honorarium, one of these honorarium pieces, where they just like, you know what, you've done good. You didn't write it down, but you've done good. Here you go. don't know when that's happening, but I feel like in some timeline, it's already happened.

Lisa:

Or that, as you said, it becomes a book, which I'm sure there's many stories Maybe you could talk a little bit about, I'm just curious for your experience, like who's attracted to becoming a facilitator of Groove? Is there a certain type of person or?

Dani:

Yeah, it's definitely someone who is seeking a little bit more than just a dance fitness experience. It's someone who's, you know, our, our core values are. community authenticity and creativity. So it's somebody that gets pulled in with the desire to build community around dance, because that's one of the things we've seen all over the world happen is just the network. Like, the communities that are growing all over the world, they're so close, like, these people become best friends. They become more than that. They become family, you know, and I think it's because we share these like intimate moments where we're vulnerable and we're showing our true selves and we're not judging each other and so on. So it's this kind of depth that you don't get when you go to, to Zumba, for example. You know, and I hate to compare. I don't want to compare because there's absolutely nothing wrong with Zumba. It's great. It's awesome. It, this is just a different kind of experience. So I think it's people who, you know, are also misfits and rebels. People who, you know, don't want to follow the rules. People who don't want to You know, just do the same thing all the time. Like people that want to nurture their own creative expression. So our group facilitators come in all ages. They come in all ethnicities. They come in all shapes and sizes. Anyone can be a group facilitator. You don't have to have any dance background to actually teach groove. You don't need it. We actually don't care. You need to pass your certification, but we mentor you. We guide you. We teach you. And you know, it, some people it takes a little longer to get there if, if they need. But yeah, it's, it's the people who are drawn to it. It's more of a mindset and a an outlook, I guess, an outlook.

Lisa:

It seems like some people know instantly that they want to be a group facilitator, but other people. can go quite a while before they, before they jump in.

Dani:

So we've heard there's a lot of people sitting on the fence for a long time.

Lisa:

Yeah, I, I was one that just jumped in without knowing much

Dani:

about it. You're like, what the hell have I gotten myself

Lisa:

Not easy at all. No, it was very difficult. I fortunately had the encouragement of Miranda, but And, like you were saying, the group, you know, so we ended up forming a a group to, who were all facilitating together, going through the training together. We formed a group and we met every week. to help and support each other to get through the practicum. And we're still meeting. That was two years ago. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And I would consider them friends, you know, even though we've never met in person.

Dani:

That's great. Yeah. Well, and that's the thing with facilitation because you go to a class and you're like, This is the easiest dance class in the world. This must be the easiest thing to teach. And you're like, holy bajoli. How the hell do they do that? There's a lot of layers. I like to say there's a lot of layers to learning how to facilitate.

Lisa:

Yes. And I'm, I'm talking about it being just one thing, but of course there's the beginning and then there's the, advanced levels. One and two, and then the fit, and kids, and young at heart. Yeah, quite a few offerings. Are you, are you considering adding any other?

Dani:

I mean, we'll continue to add probably more advanced trainings. We're always growing and refining. And you know, therapeutic groove has been on the back burner for a while. But I mean, there's just so much to do all the time and we're a small company and I have a huge amount of responsibilities. So, you know. And it's pretty much up to me to do this. So, I don't know what's happening. Can't tell you.

Lisa:

One person only has so much bandwidth and I know you're doing a lot already.

Dani:

Yeah, thank you.

Lisa:

Maybe you can talk a little bit about your own, personal work that you do with other people. I know you do lead a groove class. But if you want to talk about any of the other things that you are offering and your, your background, I mean, it was very interesting when I was on your website reading about your becoming a shamanic practitioner. That, that work is so interesting.

Dani:

Yeah. And I feel like I've come full circle because what I was studying before I met groove. Was like I mentioned in my PhD, I was studying, I was researching, I was in my intellect as a good Westerner. I was studying indigenous ways. And I actually, and I went into the Andean mountains and, and explored and stayed with them and all this stuff. So it was, it was still an embodied experience. Not like I was just reading articles online in my. White ivory tower or anything, but it, I left that to do groove. And then when I went to Mexico, because I moved to Mexico at the beginning of the pandemic, well, I ended up just staying there. And I met. A mentor who Beata Alfordi, she's a shamanic practitioner and she actually created this course. I met her when I was, I guess you could say, hitting rock bottom in my personal life. I was in an abusive relationship and I was trying so hard to get out and it was so hard for me to get out. It was like If anyone's been in any form of abusive relationship, they know how hard it is to get out. And I, I found healing through this shamanic work. I dove right in. So I did a a variety of different plant medicine ceremonies. I worked with different plant medicine. But you know, I, I always say, I say, and I love plant medicine, don't get me wrong, but I, I do say too, after I've done her. Shamanic practitioner training. You don't even need medicine. Like you are the medicine you are absolutely the man. I think there's a very powerful place for ayahuasca for what Chuma for Yopo, for all of it that I've, that I've tried and I've done and I've sat with and every single ceremony I've received really deep and profound messages that have changed my life, but. It's just the shamanic work and making these connections with the drum and going into deep meditative states with the drum and communing with the, the elements, bringing the elements into my life in a more intentional, more ceremonial way. Like the small building blocks of day to day have really been transformative for me in number one, getting out. Of that. situation, but also with just reclaiming my voice, like coming back to myself and, and also healing my trauma, like healing my trauma from these experiences and connecting with spirit, you know. But like I said, it's this, it's the, it's the small little building blocks of every day and working with the elements in a much more intentional way and doing shamanic rituals, actual practices that that support my wellbeing. It has helped me tremendously with anxiety, with depression, all this stuff that, you know, you, you, you go in, you fall If you're in an abusive situation, it's very easy to fall into a depression. It's very easy to lose your voice and, and, you know, of course I could still function in, in my work and I could still do all these things because I actually I, I've, thank God, I've always been able to do that, but that, that didn't mean that I wasn't suffering inside, you know, and I think a lot of people a lot of people are able to still do their jobs through life, but are deeply suffering inside with anxiety. And I would, I would wake up with complete panic attacks where I would be feeling like I was drowning. And yeah, so I, I'm, I'm very passionate about sharing it as well, because it's just helped me in such a deep. So yeah, this is, this is my, my I won't say my next work. It is, it's part of my work. Like I feel like my, as I continue healing and growing and learning, it's just more things that I'll, I'll share.

Lisa:

And so you have one on one coaching and a retreat. Is that my right in that?

Dani:

yeah, so I do one on one I, I work with people one on one And it's not all shamanic stuff because I actually do a lot I've studied a lot of Dr. Joe dispensers stuff as well and got to his training. And I find that it's more accessible for me to. Just relate this kind of information. I mean, I kind of, I like to call myself like a cross between the quantum physics world that Joe Dispenza is pioneering and championing, you know, well, he's part of it and the shamanic world, because actually, when you study both, you see, there's so many parallels. You see that this new quantum stuff that everyone's, all the raves about now, it's actually based on ancient principles that have been used for healing since the beginning of time. So it's nothing new, but he brings a different language because he brings the science. So he has organizations that work with him, like HeartMath, that show the actual brain chemistry, the actual. New well, the brainwaves, your brainwaves actually change, your brain state changed. Changes and your physiology actually changes. Like it's, it's true that people literally are healing themselves of their cancers, of their illnesses, of their autoimmune disease through meditation, through deep states of meditation that any person can learn if you're willing to put in the time and energy that it takes to do it, because it doesn't happen. You have to stick with it. So I use a cross, I use a combination of both. I draw from both kind of fields, I guess you could say because the shamanic stuff is definitely more earth based and I like to bring in things that connect us more to the earth because I, I think that that disconnection is it's part of our, our, our big problem that we have as a collective. But you know, the stuff that Joe teaches, Dr. Joe Dispenza teaches is all about, you know, pulling in from the quantum, like, so really becoming nothing, like, that's literally the goal is to become nothing. So you can completely empty so that you have this divine kind of intervention. this experience with the mystical, he calls it. So both are like extremely powerful and, and useful.

Lisa:

Thanks for sharing that. Do you want to share your website or any other contact information that you want to provide people if they're interested in getting to know you more?

Dani:

Sure, thank you. Yeah, my website is daninobegra.com and I'm also running a 22 day or 22. I have to check my own website. I'm running a a program in January. Where it's for meditation practices, earth centered practices, shamanic practices, this stuff, every single day, I send you something. And then we meet on Sundays for four consecutive Sundays. So that's a group program that I'm offering in the new year. Just, you know, to help support people with their mental health, their mental emotional well being and yeah, just their overall health. So it's my offering

Lisa:

Oh, wonderful. And any anything else that you would want to mention about Groove or anything else that you. Haven't talked about.

Dani:

Well, we are in the midst of finalizing our 2024 calendar. So we're offering lots of trainings in person and online all over the world. We're in Europe, North America yeah, Australia, Hawaii, even. So check out that calendar. We also offer retreats and workshops and we also offer a free gathering every month. It's called Funky Friday. So it's a great way for people to just come in and groove with us online. About a hundred people show up to this, these free classes. Well, it's a donation class. You can send money if you want, or you don't pay. Totally. It's up to you. We offer it just to support our community. And to introduce people. So these classes are run by either Misty or one of the master trainers on the team. And yeah, we just want to, our goal is to just get as many people dancing and feeling that bliss that we all feel when we just let her rip. we let the freaking thing fly. That's what I say in my intro in my classes. I was like, welcome to my Welcome to my group class. My name is Dani. This is where you let your freak flag fly. Then they get it. Then I don't have to go through the whole spiel. They're like, perfect.

Lisa:

Excellent parting words. Well, thank you so much Dani, for spending time with me and, and Thank

Dani:

you so much for listening to me and for wanting to interview me.

Lisa:

And I'll have the links to Dani's website and Groove on my show notes if anybody's interested in checking it out.

Dani:

Amazing. Thank you so much, Lisa. Thank you.