Women reconnect with self through ‘Heeling Queens’

THE ‘Art of Heels’ dancing is about so much more than being just sexy. It’s about vulnerability, empowerment, liberation, and an opportunity for honest self-discovery and intimacy.

The dance genre, which features both jazz and burlesque techniques, captivated Katherine Carrera one decade ago and she knew she had found her life’s calling with it.

After returning to Trinidad and Tobago in 2014 from training abroad, the dance instructor set her dream into motion and, three years later, in 2017, ‘Heeling Queens’ was born.

Much like the roughly two hundred women who have since ventured through the doors of her studio along Long’s Circular Road in St. James, dance has provided Katherine with an opportunity for powerful expression, and introspection and, in her own words, quite literally saved her life.

Though a teacher, she has made a point of remaining a student of the art form, returning abroad each year prior to the pandemic to continue expanding her skillset. At the University of Trinidad and Tobago (UTT), she is enrolled in Kinesiology- the scientific study of human body movement, with a goal of applying that knowledge to further propel her career in dance.

Loop News recently spoke to Katherine, a heeling queen herself, in recognition of International Women’s Day.

LoopTT: It’s so good to chat with you, Katherine. Take us into what encouraged you to begin your work at Heeling Queens.

Katherine: Many things, to be honest with you. It started off first because as a female dancer in Trinidad and Tobago, when I was training, I didn’t find there were spaces that were teaching me how to dance like a woman. I had excellent male instructors but they just couldn’t give me that feminine touch. Then when I left to go to New York to train, I accidentally stumbled into my heels mentor, Shirlene Quigley’s heels class. You know Beyonce’s song, “uh-oh, uh-oh?” (Single Ladies) Shirlene Quigley was one of the dancers in the music video. The way she taught the class…she brought the class together and she spoke about what was on her heart and that was in 2013 and I still remember that. It was about being human…As a small-town Caribbean girl, going to New York fighting up with the rest of the world, fighting to be seen, all of that was at the forefront of my mind, just being the best dancer possible. But then when she brought it back to the human aspect I was like- this is what I want to do with my life. I want to teach dance but I want to teach with a message, I want to move with a message.

Loop News: Of all the genres there are, what was it about this specific one that touched you, personally?
Katherine: There’s something about the heels that really pulls the vulnerability out of you. Like, you cannot- well, you can- but you won’t get the most of dancing in heels if you’re not vulnerable with yourself, first of all. It just doesn’t translate because the craft requires you to be so in tune with those different facets of yourself.

There are things that I had to face as a woman that I didn’t have to face in different genres of dance. Like ballet is very black and white- it’s either right or it’s wrong.

Whereas with heels it’s more of a…so let me put it like this. If I needed to execute sensuality, especially coming from Trinidad, a woman expressing themselves is still very taboo. I was in classes where I had to literally caress and explore those burlesque styles. And I thought, “This is odd, this is different”. Nobody ever told me this was okay to do. As women we’re kind of stuck between capitalism and the patriarchy. Like, sex sells but oh no, don’t be too sexy, that is just for your husband. It was only until I burst through those walls I realized that being sexy is your birthright as a woman. And it’s really just a by-product of being confident.

Loop News: What has been the most challenging thing about doing this work and how have you managed to overcome it?
Katherine: Dance, I say, is like the middle child of the performing arts family. We tend to… not get left behind or forgotten, but we tend to not get the recognition that say, music or film may get. One of the challenges definitely is helping people to understand why dance is important. And then on why is it important for women to do it, because we’re still fairly new in this whole breaking down the patriarchy thing, some people don’t actually see the need for it; they dismiss it as “okay that’s just sexy dancing”. I have a lot of people call it “just sexy dancing”. Like yes, we’re getting sexy, but it’s not ‘just’ sexy dancing. What keeps me afloat is just sheer bad mind. I’ve had thoughts of stopping. Asking myself, how am I doing this? Why am I still doing this? Is it actually feasible? But I believe in this thing to my core. I have to believe in it first and foremost before anybody else.

Loop News: What are some of the stories/experiences you’ve heard from the women showing up to your class?
Katherine: So, a lot of my clients are either wives, moms and women who are more in their late 20s. The narrative that I usually get is that they’ve lost themselves from taking care of everybody else and not themselves. And don’t get me wrong, they love their families- it’s just that sometimes they forget that they also need to pour into themselves as well. Then there are women who have gone through abuse and have disassociated themselves from their bodies because of that abuse. Everybody has their own intention coming into the class and I try my best to hold space for all those women. I always tell my clients I am not Heeling Queens, they are.

Loop News: For those women who have a curious interest but may be shy or anxious about taking this kind of class- what do you say?
Katherine: Definitely a lot of women are intrigued but still skeptical. A lot of them, because of religious upbringing, are sometimes very fearful too. I actually had a Muslim client come and she wanted to do it for her husband and we respected her privacy by making sure the photoshoots with her had only women in the space. Religious beliefs often stop women from coming to me and when they do come, you can see their minds still questioning whether this is wrong. Because you’ve been taught all your life don’t do this and here you are, doing it. As for someone who is shy or anxious I would say A- if you can bring a friend to the class, that always helps or B- just reach out to me. I try my best to make you feel comfortable before you even reach into the space. I also offer private sessions if a client just wants to test it out- both in the studio and online. But it’s really and truly when persons themselves are ready for the experience.

Loop News: What has been the most fulfilling thing about the work you do?
Katherine: Oh gosh, I am getting goosebumps already. This might sound very cliché but if anyone has ever found their purpose in life, they would resonate with what I’m about to say. I truly believe that my purpose is to teach. There’s something absolutely wonderful and joyous that I cannot get anywhere other than seeing one of my students figure out a dance move and execute it and realise that they finally see themselves the way that I see them. Some women don’t realise that they are beautiful. They don’t realise that they could be confident- it’s a skill, not a personality trait. Especially on video day which comes at the end of the programme. That’s a huge insecurity for people to stand in front of a camera and dance. And to see them just do it, it’s euphoric. It’s why I do what I do.