Women shake curves in no man’s land

Elia Powers

Three nights a week, in a cookie-cutter strip mall, this asymmetrical

dance studio becomes a “no man zone.”

Women come to unwind here after a day’s work. They wear

hip-hugging pants and groove to pop tunes. Hair flies and platform

shoes stomp on the parquet floor. There’s no room for inhibition

between these green-painted walls.

The drapes are pulled shut and a cloth is placed over an open

doorway. Husbands and boyfriends aren’t allowed.

“We’re beautiful women,” shouts Leda Lim as a Destiny’s Child song

blasts in the background. She is speaking to her dance students as

they follow her lead.

“Look at your body. Learn how to use your body, ladies,” she says.

This is Sexercise -- equal parts exotic dancing and aerobic

workout. It’s a routine created by Lim, a professional dancer turned

instructor.

Your body must flow like water, Lim often tells her students, who

gather at “From Mind to Body Studio.” The symbol of the class is the

letter “S,” which she said stands for the curves on a woman’s body.

Lim moves like a Slinky, leaning back and pulling her torso

forward. She teaches her students how to turn on one foot, to keep

proper posture and -- most importantly -- to look seductive.

“If I can make ordinary women feel good and become fantasy girls,

it’s the best thing I can do,” Lim said.

The women continue to dance, wiggling their fingers and rotating

their shoulders slowly.

“Look at that somebody in the mirror,” Lim says. “Don’t take your

eyes off yourself.”

Lim, born in the Philippines, said she was self-conscious about

her body and her dancing ability as a child, until she realized that

she had a gift.

At the age of 34, while living in Arizona, Lim said she needed

money, so she became a professional dancer.

Now 44, she has worked in many fields, including cosmetics, where

she said she noticed how much women enjoyed feeling sexy.

That gave her an idea: Why not teach women how to feel more

confident?

“Women tend to be stiff,” she said. “They are ashamed to express

themselves and don’t know how to use their body. This is a fun and

safe way for them to try out moves.”

Lim spent the winter passing out fliers and recruiting from all

corners of Orange County. Once she found her first dozen takers, she

began a class in early May.

Constance Loubriel, 35, was one of Lim’s first students. A fitness

studio owner, she said she has always wanted to dance but couldn’t

find the right forum.

“I wanted to be on stage but didn’t want to be looked upon,”

Loubriel said. “This is the best audience. No one is being judged or

judging anyone.”

Not even mothers. Thella Granger, 47, a Costa Mesa resident, said

she feels at home among her classmates, who clap in place as Granger

perfects her dance moves.

“There were things I wanted to change, to feel more feminine,”

Granger said. “You want to empower yourself.” At the other end of the

room is her daughter, 26-year-old Sandy Burgess. She waves her arms

and stares intently into the mirror.

“It’s entertaining for both of us,” Burgess said. “This is a

different kind of mother-daughter bonding.”

* ELIA POWERS may be reached at (714) 966-4623.