{"id":150839,"date":"2026-03-03T12:14:10","date_gmt":"2026-03-03T12:14:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/150839\/"},"modified":"2026-03-03T12:14:10","modified_gmt":"2026-03-03T12:14:10","slug":"nyc-dance-studio-builds-space-for-women-to-reclaim-their-confidence-through-movement","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/150839\/","title":{"rendered":"NYC dance studio builds space for women to reclaim their confidence through movement"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cOne, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight,\u201d the instructor shouts. \u201cOne, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

A woman follows along to the beat, trying to mimic the movements of the dancers around her.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n

\u201cOnly a few minutes left, girls! Let\u2019s finish this choreo strong,\u201d she calls out again.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n

Before she knew it, her classmates and she lined up and whirled through the choreography they just learned an hour ago. The music stops. Exhausted, she notices something new: a small confidence. She just completed her first dance lesson.\u00a0<\/p>\n

At 435 5th Ave., The Femmily, a women-only dance studio, is on a mission to empower women to feel confident, connected and comfortable in their own bodies. For founder Valeriia Timoshova, that mission has been years in the making.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Born and raised in Russia, Timoshova grew up dancing as a hobby. When she moved to the U.S. at the ripe age of 20, she quickly realized that New York\u2019s dance scene often catered to professional dancers rather than beginners.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"Valeriia<\/a>Valeriia Timoshova, Founder of Femmily<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I came to America\u2026I tried a lot of classes\u2026and 90% of them, even if a class was for beginner level, were really difficult,\u201d Timoshova said. \u201cI was thinking, if I were a grown woman\u2026who just decided to start, I\u2019m going to get trauma, it\u2019s so hard, it\u2019s so competitive, and I [said], I need to create something dedicated to women, without this pressure, without this judgmental vibe.\u201d<\/p>\n

Timoshova began planning immediately, first building a client base and teaching classes at different locations. In 2022, she founded The Femmily, opening the first physical studio in 2023.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Since opening, The Femmily has grown from approximately 1,000 clients to over 5,000. The Femmily now offers online classes to reach a broader audience and has plans to expand to additional locations in the future.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThe most important thing for me is to create something valuable\u2026and my second goal is numbers and expanding,\u201d Timoshova said. \u201cI\u2019m thinking about how I feel about this, how my clients feel, how my team feels. I\u2019m not in a rush.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>The meaning of FemmilyPhoto by Isabella Bernabeo<\/p>\n

The studio offers first-time clients a free class, along with access to a student group chat, where women can view tutorials for upcoming classes. Class offerings range from Girly Hip Hop to Pilates to High Heels and more, ensuring there\u2019s a style for every woman.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have been coming to The Femmily consistently every week for five months now, and I have no dance experience,\u201d Su Thandar, a client at The Femmily, said. \u201cI have been recording my progress\u2026I have improved tremendously, I feel more confident and happy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Beyond choreography, the studio offers a space for women to reconnect with themselves.\n<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you were coming to my class for the first time, you didn\u2019t know how to dance, my advice for you would be just to have fun,\u201d Dulce Crespo, an instructor at The Femmily, said. \u201cThis space is for you to learn about yourself.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"women<\/a>Femmily creates a space where women can reclaim their confidence through moving their bodies.Photo by Isabella Bernabeo<\/p>\n

In addition to being a dance studio, The Femmily aims to foster a sense of community.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWe really love everyone here,\u201d Maryma Simelmikova, a manager at The Femmily, said. \u201cWe have a very supportive, kind atmosphere\u2026We\u2019re like family.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI worked at some other places\u2026and noticed that here is not like there\u2026The teachers and staff make girls feel very comfortable around them\u2026It\u2019s very open and intimate,\u201d added Sasha Melikhova, another manager.<\/p>\n

According to staff members, it\u2019s that welcoming environment and body empowerment that keep clients coming back.\n<\/p>\n

\u201cIt helps open your feminine side, [you feel] sensual, sexy, more confident after these classes,\u201d Naya Mamazova, an administrator at The Femmily, said. \u201cYou\u2019re leaving the studio ready to conquer the world. That\u2019s the feeling that The Femmily gives you.\u201d<\/p>\n

For more information, visit\u00a0thefemmily.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\u201cOne, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight,\u201d the instructor shouts. \u201cOne, two, three, four, five, six, seven,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":150840,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[1117,63092,63093,9,56,63,65,64,63094,63095],"class_list":{"0":"post-150839","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-new-york-city","8":"tag-dance","9":"tag-dance-studio","10":"tag-femmily","11":"tag-new-york","12":"tag-ny","13":"tag-nyc","14":"tag-nyc-headlines","15":"tag-nyc-news","16":"tag-the-femmily","17":"tag-valeriia-timoshova"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/150839","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=150839"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/150839\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/150840"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=150839"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=150839"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=150839"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}