Today we’d like to introduce you to Shelby Glidden.
Hi Shelby, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today.
As a native of St. Louis, MO, I started early training at Dance Art Studios and Spirits Gymnastics. I danced competitively with Motion Express School of Dance and Acrobatics, then began pre-professional dance training at the Center of Creative Arts as a member of COCAdance. I studied further at NYU’s Tisch Summer Residency Festival, Earl Mosley’s Institute of the Arts, Alvin Ailey Professional Summer Intensive, and Complexions Professional Summer Intensive. After graduating with honors and a BFA in Modern Performance from the University of the Arts, I received the Stella Moore Prize for Four Years of Achievement and the Philadelphia Ballet Choreography Award. I was a jazz instructor for the Pre-College Festival at UArts and a rehearsal assistant for numerous artists. I danced professionally as a principal company member of Eleone Dance Theatre and a guest artist with Waheed Works and DanceSpora in Philadelphia, PA.
I’m the Owner & Founder of ENERGY SPACE, an innovative approach to self-love through energy work. I teach dance technique class internationally on zoom through Blake J Stanley and to local studios in St. Louis. I’m an internationally certified Yogamu Meditation Teacher, specializing in Pranayama and Third Eye Awakening Techniques. I received my Pilates Mat certification and became a Usui Holy Fire® III Reiki Master Practitioner through The Ground Collective, where I’m currently pursuing my comprehensive Apparatus Training virtually. This has given me the opportunity to be a Pilates Apprentice with St. Louis City Fitness / Movement Center, where I’m also the Media Marketing Manager.
Alright, let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what challenges have you had to overcome?
I began training to be a dancer at a very young age, experiencing joy and pain. I’ve suffered numerous recurring injuries spanning my adolescence into adulthood. I pushed myself to work through the pain, never allowing myself time to heal. I struggled with body dysmorphia and became depressed. I stepped back from dancing to do some soul-searching, which coincided with the pandemic in 2020. Slowing down allowed me SPACE to feel my pain and to find joy in life. In doing so, I was allowed to begin healing through movement. Movement is a language of its own. It forms an inner as well as an outer expression of SPACE. That SPACE defines the journey of life, and it has given me the freedom to be myself. Whether I knew it or not, ENERGY has always been a big part of my life. Everything is connected through ENERGY – life is a spiral in which you return to lessons over and over until you get it!
ENERGY cannot exist without SPACE. I’ve learned to stop apologizing for being ME. No one else can be you; we have a purpose in this world. We all have a unique ENERGY and are meant to take up SPACE! I’m healing and aligning my ENERGY SPACE daily to serve others on this life journey!
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
My parents like to joke by saying I cartwheeled out of the womb because I found it challenging to sit still. I was always dancing to music and performing alongside tv/movie musicals as if I was part of the cast! My parents enrolled me in dance and gymnastics when I was two. It was supposed to help me be graceful, but I was an accident-prone child. I broke my ulna/radius on my left arm when I was three, had two buckle fractures on my right arm, and numerous ankle sprains. When I was going through puberty, my bones grew faster than my tendons, which landed me in the ER with excruciating pain several times. I never allowed myself time to heal from one injury to the next – jumping back in as soon as possible because I had FOMO (fear of missing out).
Dancing in my adolescent years at COCA (Center of Creative Arts), I met two influential people who became my mentors:
- Lee Nolting, Founder of COCAdance
- Jessica Taylor, fellow COCAdance Alumni, Founder of The Ground Collective & Balanced Consciousness
Ms. Lee imprinted her legacy on my soul from adolescence into adulthood. Like her, I hope to guide all human beings to find joy in movement! I always visited her when I returned to town during holidays and summer breaks. Sadly now that she has passed, I carry her torch of change with me as I teach the next generation of artists.
Jessica and I reconnected later in my adulthood. She inspired me to forge the path of healing I am currently on today. She recommended a program called Yogamu, where I became an internationally Certified Meditation Practitioner. I also received several life-changing certifications through her; Pilates Mat and Usui Holy Fire™ III Reiki Mastery. Through The Ground Collective, I’m pursuing my comprehensive certification virtually, which has allowed me to be a Pilates Apparatus Apprentice through St. Louis City Fitness / Movement Center. As someone who found it challenging to sit still, meditation has transformed my life.
Being a student of life has taught me that I’m still learning how to heal myself. With the variety of tools my mentors instilled in me, I can better understand myself and how to help others. It’s about the journey, not the destination.
Before we go, can you talk to us about how people can work, collaborate, or support you?
The first step is breaking the paradigm that making time for self is selfish. Burnout is an issue in today’s modern world. If we take a moment to fill our cup before pouring it into someone else’s, we will all lead happier lives. We would feel more connected to the world filled with people, especially the person we spend the day in and day out with ourselves. I would love to guide anyone who wants to make the lifestyle choice of practicing self-care / love daily, whether meditating, Reiki ENERGY healing, Pilates, or dancing. We can make waves of change in our communities and the world where we all live! We don’t know how much time we’ll have on this Earth, so let’s take the time to understand and learn about our ENERGY SPACE. I’m available for private and group sessions virtually as well as in person. I’d love to connect with you whether you’re looking to heal your ENERGY, needing to align your SPACE, seeking guidance in an ENERGY SPACE oracle card reading or all of the above! Feel free to check out my website for more information and follow me on social media!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.energyspace.center
- Instagram: energyspace.center
- Facebook: ENERGY SPACE
- Linkedin: Shelby Glidden
- Twitter: _ENERGYSPACE
- Youtube: ShelbyPaigeGlidden
Image Credits
Brian Mengini Photography, Russell Hayden Photography, Julieanne Marie Brown – Pine & Fable Photography, Molly McGee
