"Liz Carnathan, 36, is exhausted after a long day of working her job in healthcare. So, too, is marketing manager Stephanie Pacheco, 35, who spent her day in front of a computer, and Elia Vallone, 25, who has been working all day as a nurse. For these three women, a comfy couch and a warm blanket beckons. But instead, they find their way to a small studio, where they join 27 others in strapping on a pair of high heels."
"Gonzales, who owns the studio and teaches the class, had a rich history in dance, performing competitively as a child until she began her undergraduate studies at Saint Mary's College in Moraga. Finally unshackled from the commitment of competitive dance teams, she quit the sport. She thought she'd love all her free time. 'But my sophomore year, I hit a lull,' she says. 'I wasn't feeling myself. That's when my parents were like, 'I think you need to take a dance class.'"
On a cold Wednesday night in Martinez, three exhausted women and 27 others gather for a beginners heels class at Vibe Dance Studio. The class turns end-of-day fatigue into high energy, social connection, and a party-like boost. Participants describe the experience as freeing, confidence-building, and empowering. Studio owner and instructor Izzy Gonzales brings a competitive dance background and a personal transformation after trying heels dance in college. The studio, started by Gonzales and her father four years earlier, provides a space for individual expression, renewed confidence, and communal uplift.
Read at The Mercury News
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