Today we’d like to introduce you to Illana Gambrill.
Hi Illana, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I started dancing when I was 12 years old. At the time, I didn’t know it would become my life. I just knew that when I danced, I could escape. I could forget what was happening around me, lose myself in the music and, for a moment, feel completely free.
That escape eventually became a career. I went on to dance professionally, working with some of the biggest artists in the world and living the life I had once dreamed of. But somewhere along the way, I lost the reason I had started dancing in the first place.
The industry taught me to constantly question whether I was good enough, thin enough, talented enough, wanted enough. Something that had once made me feel free started to make me feel like I was performing for approval.
So I walked away.
And in walking away from the career I thought I was supposed to have, I actually found my purpose.
I created DanceBox because I wanted to give people the thing I had always found in movement — freedom. A space where you didn’t have to be a dancer, look a certain way or know what you were doing. You could simply move, feel, sweat, laugh, release and come back to yourself.
What started as a dance class became a community, and eventually something much bigger than dance.
Now, years later, living in Los Angeles and continuing to work in the industry while building my own path, I’m taking everything I’ve learned and bringing it into its next evolution: KURE.
KURE is the deeper story underneath everything I’ve been doing all along. It’s about movement as medicine. About breaking free from the things that have taught us to shrink, perform and disconnect from ourselves. It’s about remembering who we are underneath all of that.
Dance saved me when I was 12.
Now I want to use movement to help other people find their way back to themselves.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
No, i have run the business since 2014 and thats alot of years to go with a blip or two.
I have been scammed out of money, i have embarked on journeys with other companies who also turned out to be crooks.
I have had a client with no skill set, run off and completely steal my entire brand. Including my personality. Well, she tried lol.
I have also made many mistakes myself. I live. I learn.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
Today, I work across entertainment, wellness, brands and live experiences, from movement directing and coaching artists, to creating experiences for communities, brands, retreats and corporate spaces. I specialize in using movement to unlock confidence, presence, expression and connection, often bringing together choreography, mindset, music and storytelling.
What I’m most proud of is that I’ve taken something that I once believed was only for dancers and made it accessible to everyone. You don’t have to be “good at dance” to experience what movement can give you.
What sets me apart is that I understand both sides. I know the professional entertainment industry intimately, but I also understand what it feels like to be the person who walks into a dance room thinking, “I can’t dance.” I’ve lived both experiences.
For me, movement has never really been about getting the steps right. It’s about what happens when you stop worrying about getting them right.
That’s the work I’m most passionate about, helping people get out of their heads, back into their bodies and ultimately, back to themselves.
Are there any books, apps, podcasts or blogs that help you do your best?
Please note that kure is based in Hollywood, West LA and East LA
Pricing:
- KURE Public class $30
- Private session with Illana starts at $150
- Retreats – Enquire within
- Corporate Events – Enquire within
- Speaking Engagements – Enquire within
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.kuremethod.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kure_method/
- Youtube: @IllanaGambrill
Image Credits
Black and white shot – Cat Couture
Colour Shot – Danielle Drain
