What people are saying
What people are saying...
I have been an avid participant and occasional organizer of dance events at the Flowjo for a number of years now and I feel that the community that has evolved there over time speaks volumes as to Julia Hartsell’s leadership and group process facilitation skills. I am not prone to lavish superficial praise and I must say it is a very special place that an unusually supportive dance/movement community gathers to share their common love of movement based ‘flow’ forms. Julia is a joy to work with and I hold her and the quality of the work that she does in the highest esteem.
John B.
Julia has done an amazing job creating a "movement sanctuary" that feels safe and supportive, both physically and emotionally. I have enjoyed an incredible array of experiences at the Flowjo, including learning from top notch instructors, training in a space that feels creative (not competitive), performing for the local Carrboro community, healing through guided ceremony, and celebrating with friends!
-Kaci Torres, Imagine Circus
The Flowjo is a Carrboro Institution. My family has been connected to the Flowjo for a long time. It is a central organizing force, ancillary to Weaver St Market in some ways, a place I have made friends and connections for what feels like many years. Aerial and circus arts have been important to so many young folk I know, especially my daughter, who has taken classes for 6 years. Julia, Liz and Amy have all been warm and positive influences in her life, not only creative but also spiritual. As she moves into adulthood, her intention is to continue her aerial studies, which makes me very happy as it seems like a really beautiful outlet. As a community space, the Flowjo has been a center for Dance Tribe folk, so many of whom are important in our lives. Julia has always felt like a High Priestess to me. She has walked with many of my loved ones through the dark night of the soul and provided space and leadership for growth and education, as well as celebrations of life and death.
-Stephane Hallmark
I found the Flowjo at a time in my life where I was going through immense change. I needed community. I needed to dance. I needed to move. I needed a safe space to be me, to feel like me again. And yes, I needed to have fun! The Flowjo was all of those things for me. The space that Julia has created through her heart, sweat and tears is like stepping (and dancing) into freedom. It’s so touching to remember that feeling ... The feeling of belonging.
-A
In 2011 I stumbled into the Flowjo's Wednesday night ecstatic dance and my life was changed forever. There I found people finding their way into their bodies in way that gave me permission to find my own embodied truths. The Flowjo has catalyzed a community to form around it in a way that reaches out into the world with love. Miracles flow from this magical place. Julia Hartsell has managed to create a space for joy to happen. I am grateful every day that it came to be and can't wait to see where it will lead us in the future.
-Jenn
The Flowjo is more than a movement studio, more than a wonderful place for learning, and more than a fabulous place to dance. It is a rare and vital heartbeat of belonging. Julia has a beautiful gift for striking the balance between open-hearted understanding and carefully articulated boundaries and guidelines that ultimately allow for a clear sense of safety, respect, freedom and care. She and The Flowjo are a gift to our NC Triangle community.
-MH
I've been attending the Flowjo Ecstatic Dance for over a year now and this experience has been life changing. Being allowed to dance however my body wants, in a safe space, with others who value community and connection to their bodies through movement is one of the best things that has ever happened to me. I feel included, welcome, and valued in this space...I've attended many other events at the Flowjo as well such as cacao ceremony, shamanic journeying, ancestral healing, women's circle, and more. These events have strengthened my connection to myself and the Flowjo community. For me, the Flowjo is the best thing about Carrboro.
~Rachel
I have now been dancing and playing at the Flowjo for more than six years. Joining the Ecstatic Dance and taking hoop dancing classes with Julia have reawakened my inner dancer, who had been sleeping for some time. Free dance, which is also free play, supports the well being of my whole self: body, mind, and spirit. I have found amazing new ways of moving and being in my body that I could not have imagined ten years ago. I have found a community of kindred spirits who join me in the dance, accept me as I am, offer and receive love, and support my movement adventures. Truly, this has been the most amazing addition to my life since the birth of my child 25 years ago.
-Anonymous FJ supporter
The Flowjo is a uniquely nourishing space amidst a forest of local yoga and fitness studios. Nowhere else in Carrboro or Chapel Hill will you find hoop AND aerial classes, cacao ceremonies AND yoga...and ecstatic dance, too! You feel a sense of home and peace the moment you walk through the door---a gentle, welcoming vibe that is the trademark of owner Julia Hartsell. If you are looking for a place to connect with both movement and community, you will not find a sweeter spot than the Flowjo---anywhere.
-AH