Hi everybody, my name is Juneline! Actually it’s June but my “stage name” is Juneline. I am a lover of travel, dance, sweets, intuition and love! I am a teacher of ‘Urban Kiz and Body Movement’ (photo credit: @joeyuffelie). During my dance classes, I secretly empower ladies (or so I hope). Currently, co-owning our dance school ‘License2kizz‘ with my dance partner in the Netherlands and I also teach worldwide. Next to that I also work a full-time job at my family’s company!
GiGi is my lovely cousin and I love her so much, her heart is so pure and she is super kind. When I was little, she used to do my hair and I loved the way she wrote and dotted her i’s (they were hearts). Even though we’ve known each other since we were little, she still amazes me with her ‘Feminine Power’ <3
Autobiography
My passion started even before I could stand on my own. My beautiful sisters told me how I would watch them dance from my crib everyday. They danced on: Madonna, Juan Luis Guerra and Kassav! One day I held onto the ledge of my crib and started to bounce with them. I couldn’t walk yet but moving my body to the music was as if it was natural to me. Women enjoying themselves while dancing has actually always been the inspiration for me!
I have never stopped dancing ever since! I went to ballet, tapdance, modern, jazz in my younger years and when I moved to Suriname I quit ballet, because dance class was too strict for me. I didn’t feel free in dance anymore but that didn’t last long. When I saw Shakira her hips, I fell in love with belly dance and experienced freedom once again. Actually there was a period of not dancing when I moved to the Netherlands. I was in love and I kind of lost myself in the relationship for a very long time. Until I met Kizomba!
I have always listened to Zouk Music and different genre’s like Ghetto Zouk and Zouk Love Music. This music calmed me down and I would sway by myself dancing on it. Then I saw a lady sensually move her hips in this dance together with a man and they looked so relaxed, content and happy!. Of course as a lover of love, this music and dance… I was hooked!
When I started to dance Kizomba we were dancing on Ghetto Zouk in class, which is not the traditional music. Kizomba comes from Angola and has been brought to Europe where there were many influences on the music so of course it has influenced the dance as well. Currently, I am teaching Urban Kiz, which is quite different from Kizomba. The steps are similar but the execution and principles are so different. From the frame to the weight transfer to the feeling…all of it has now changed. But the feeling of happiness increases daily with both styles!
I have always dreamt of teaching dance but never pursued it. I started out with partner dance but soon also added solo dance to the mix. The problems I had as a female follower on the dance floor were almost never addressed in partner classes, so I wanted to create a class to shed light on these problems with compassion, fun and empowerment. Especially the empowerment part because there was so much in dancing better and enjoying the dance more when you felt good about yourself. I found out there was power in following and I needed other women to feel that too.
Social Construct
Femininity is a set of attributes, behaviors and roles generally associated with girls and women. According to google, this is called a total social construct. In the past, being ‘Feminine’ had a fixed meaning: girly, emotional, nurturing but never strong. But luckily, society changes because we as human beings change and keep evolving. The set of attributes, behaviors and so on are so diverse that ‘Femininity’ used to mean weak but when I say it nowadays, it means strong and powerful!
Fempowerment
What does it feel like to feel like a woman? Do you feel vulnerable or do you feel powerful? How about feeling both at the same time!
I believe we are able to use vulnerable emotions to exert power. I can not stress enough how much I love being a woman! I love to express my femininity and to see the different feminine expressions of other women is just the most beautiful thing to be a witness of. When a woman completely feels like herself and loves the feeling of her own skin, that is when you see that magic. It is an energy that no one can give to you but your-SELF!
However, it didn’t come natural to me. Or maybe it was natural but with time I was influenced by other people’s judgement and opinions. I still struggle with confidence daily, it is something you need to keep practicing. But the more you practice it, the more it will grow. On my Instagram (@juneline.lines) you can find a few of my confidence exercises. You will notice that all the exercises have a connection with being and accepting your-SELF. I still make mistakes and I still feel like ‘doodoo’ sometimes, but I keep working on myself because there is always room for growth.
What I would like to give to you via this article, is that there is power in ‘You Being You’! To choose your-SELF is not being selfish, it is self-care! To tell yourself that you look beautiful in the mirror is not vain, it is self-love! It is ok not to look like everybody else (I actually celebrate it), it is self-acceptance! To set boundaries and live by your own terms is not crazy, it is necessary for self-growth.
With love,
Juneline
You can also find ‘Juneline Lines‘ on Facebook and YouTube!
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