The Movement Shala

This place is awful ! DO NOT book an event here !
After many extremely delayed texts/​phone calls/​1 switched date because she (Jade, the owner) accidentally booked another event on my date, I finally locked in ²⁄₂₂ for my event at this studio. She said her last class ended at 6:30 so we arranged for me to get there to set up at 645 & start at 715. I was running a bit late so I called her to let her know I was running a little late. I got there at about 7pm & no one was there !!! I started to call her & text her over & over & over. I knocked all over the front of the building hoping someone would come out as my guests were arriving & she never came. She didn’t even have the decency to answer my calls or texts to tell me she was not going to come! I must have called/​texted her about 15 times. She never called me to apologize & my event was RUINED & all my paying guests were furious! Not to mention I drove all the way from LOS ANGELES to do this event!!! DO NOT BOOK AN EVENT HERE!

If you come to Tucson and are a dancer, you MUST go to The Movement Shala for Jade’s Friday Night jam. I moved here from Hawai’i (where there was a plethora of dancing and yoga on every corner) and almost went in to shock by the lack of options and well planned events in Tucson.
If there are others, I’d love to know!
Jade’s class is a breathe of fresh air, and my body is ever so grateful. In addition to creating a clean and safe space for movement classes that are affordably priced, Jade’s teaching is exquisite, real, filled with passion for dance, and the utmost respect for her students.
I’m looking forward to taking more yoga classes when I’m down town. What a gift downtown has to offer, to be able to walk in to a yoga space and not be bombarded with judgement or any of that gym-​feeling that you sometimes get with other yoga or pilates studios!

This studio is another beautiful creation from Jade Beall and Alok. There are a great variety of yoga, dance, and workshop classes that happen regularly here. This weekend was our first time in the studio, and we were very impressed. Definitely check out their online schedule for more class details! We will be back!

A magical place where transformation occurs. Every time I step foot in this building I am touched, moved, and inspired… changed for the better.
I went to the Movement Shala for the first time several months ago for a Yin Yoga class with Michelle Marks… incredible! As I sat there for 75 minutes I was completely mesmerized by the photographs on the wall of these beautiful women. I would later find out they were taken by the co-​founder/​photographer, Jade Beall. For the next couple months I didn’t have the opportunity to make it back there until a friend invited me to Playback Theatre on a Sunday night… a profoundly unexpected unique experience. A couple weeks later I found myself at the Movement Shala again for Frank Jude Boccio’s day of mindfulness… another incredible experience that I just did for the second time last Saturday.
The Movement Shala is an indescribable place where acceptance, compassion, love, and life are happening everyday in a variety of ways. I have just dipped my toe in this pool of life… there is so much more for me to experience. (Like Jade’s Rockin Dance Class on Friday nights!)
There is something to be experienced and enjoyed by everyone.
Thank you Jade and Alok for creating/​sharing this dynamic community space!

I learned about the Movement Shala through a community event it was having.
It was quite fun — a day-​long introduction to its offerings.
There was drumming, yoga, stretching, breathing along with the casual conversation and other socialization.
I love that the Movement Shala has such a casual, unintimidating feel to it. It is homegrown and feels homegrown, with lots of familiar local faces and artwork by Tucsonans on the wall. I also appreciate that little ones are welcome.

I have been to the Movement Shala twice now and I intend to go back many more times! Once I went for a Journey/​Nia Dance class, which was co-​taught by a couple of ladies who did an interesting, fun turn-​taking teaching thing. Tonight I went to an event called Spirit and Sparkle, which promoted love and acceptance of all people. It was really amazing an beautiful. Due to the nature of the event, kids were welcome, and there were people there spanning age ranges from infants to grandparents. Neither of these are things that happen there regularly, but I intend to go back for some of the African dance classes. I have no doubt that they’re fantastic.
The space is open and well lit, lovely wooden dance floors and big mirrors like you might expect in a dance studio. But the walls are adorned with some of the strikingly beautiful photographs taken by one of the owners. There is a space with flyers and postcards for upcoming dance events. There are live plants on a table off to the side. The place just feels alive, welcoming and vibrant. I felt immediately comfortable there, which is a feeling worth telling people about. Check it out sometime.

The Movement Shala hosts West African, Afro-​Caribbean, and Congolese dance classes several times a week, always with live drumming, and often hosts guest musicians and instructors from around the world. I’ve also seen wonderful performances by traveling musicians from Africa and India, offered for a donation at the door. They also host massage therapy, yoga and meditation, and photography. These are the most energetic and inspired folks I’ve met. My first seven years in Tucson, I wondered «where’s the community?». Now I know it can be found in a nondescript little building at the corner of 9^th st and 3^rd Ave near downtown.