Meet Ginger Fatale

We were lucky to catch up with Ginger Fatale recently and have shared our conversation below.

Ginger, thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts with us today. We’re excited to dive into your story and your work, but first let’s start with a broader topic that might be stopping many of our readers from pursuing their dreams – haters, nay-sayers, etc. How have you managed to persist despite haters and nay-sayers that inevitably follow folks who are doing something unique, special or off the beaten path?
The haters and nay-sayers are the ones that fuel my fire! Soul on Fire Dance was created because someone told me that I was worthless and wouldn’t go anywhere without them in my life. When people spread rumors about me, my community, or my business, it’s because I’m making them uncomfortable with my presence. I’m making waves in spaces that have been very status-quo. I won’t lie, it’s taken a lot of intentional healing to get past them as a whole. I have not always been a confident person, and I am still working through a lot of my own “stuff”. But my community stands with me, and I can see far more good being done than can be negated by the small number of people trying to make me shrink down.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
Soul on Fire Dance isn’t just a dance studio or a professional performance collective. We’re a place where people can be seen and valued as whole humans. Each of our instructors undergoes Trauma Informed Dance Instruction training before they teach their first class. We are dedicated to ensuring our space is as safe as we can make it. To make our space as accessible as possible, we even offer every single class virtually. Every person has gone through a journey to get where they are (our instructors, performers and students) and we want to honor that in every interaction we have with one another and with our community at large.

This has not been an easy journey. Soul on Fire Dance was born during the height of the pandemic, while I was going through some interpersonal turmoil. There were a lot of boundaries that needed to be set, many lessons to be learned, and an overwhelming number of challenges to dance through – both before and after its inception. I got through this because of the astounding amount of support I have in my own community – the one we created together. There is always someone to lend an ear to listen, hand to help, or shoulder to cry on. I wouldn’t be here without them; Soul on Fire Dance wouldn’t be here without them.

As of this writing, we’ve been open just over a year. We’ve performed at various community events around our hometown of Santa Ana, CA, been featured performers at OCPride twice, hosted several student showcases and a huge recital. We were selected to participate in World Burlesque Day and were featured in the official video to celebrate the day, an honor bestowed to only one other burlesque school in the United States! What’s even more unusual? We’re a studio only for adults. Everyone here is 18+, some are over 60. Many have never danced before stepping on to our dance floor. Now they’ve performed for people in over 70 countries during World Burlesque Day.

Soul on Fire Dance is now also stepping in to the producing of professional burlesque shows. Several of our instructors are already professional performers that get hired by other producers around Southern California, but now we are growing our reach and doing shows with the Soul on Fire Dance name!

Our story is one of finding oneself. Of finding something you’re so passionate about that you’re willing to endure extreme discomfort while you transform… and literally rise from ashes when you feel everything has been burned down around you. You can find that too, and the fastest way to do that might be healing yourself through dance and friendship. When you’re ready, we’re here. And we can’t wait to dance with you.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
Resilience, learning how to ask for help, and listening to my intuition were the most impactful things I had to learn or lean into throughout this.

Resilience was necessary. There were so many setbacks and roadblocks – personal and professional. However, there was no time to sit and wallow in anything. Everything was a hurry up and wait with construction. Finances were rough. Personal and business relationships suffered under the stress. But, there was no stopping once everything was set in motion.

Learning to ask for help was HARD! I hate asking for help. I have always hated asking for help. But I couldn’t do this alone. I couldn’t buildout the studio alone, I couldn’t come up with the money on my own, I couldn’t run this all by myself. I have the absolute best humans around me. My instructors are my ride or dies. I have a community of support of a business coach who was invaluable, friends who own their own businesses, family who stepped up with time and resources, and a partner who picked up literally everything in our lives to make sure this happened. I could not have done this without them, and swallowing my own pride was worth it.

Listening to my intuition came with time, but it’s still a work in progress. My head will tell me things and my gut will tell me other things. My head is pretty loud and would often win, but it’s usually wrong. My intuition has yet to be wrong. I know what people are good for me to have around, and I know who needs to stay at arm’s length. I know what my business needs, and now I’ve also learned how to ask for help with what I can’t intuit!

I know that some of these things come easily to some and this sounds impossible for others. My advice is to practice them, and be gentle with yourself when you need to. We’re here to learn, we don’t know what we don’t know until we’re presented with it. In my experience, there is a lot I don’t know, but it all got figured out eventually.

Okay, so before we go we always love to ask if you are looking for folks to partner or collaborate with?
I love collaborating with the right people! I’ve got a collaboration with a local burlesque producer that is just starting. Soul on Fire Dance is collaborating with World Burlesque Day for 2024.

Connecting with like-minded people is so important in the arts. Soul on Fire Dance is a queer and AAPI owned business. We are queer and allied operated. Making connections within the greater burlesque and arts community would be amazing, we believe in equity, diversity, and inclusion and are always looking to grow and learn. You can find us on our Instagram with the kinds of things we are currently doing – but if you see us, connect with our vibe and feel called to create something – send us an email! [email protected] I’d love to hear from you!

Contact Info:

Image Credits
Tuffy McFuklbee

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