In our latest Lingerie on Film profile, we feature Angela Trimbur, dubbed New York’s most whimsical dance teacher. We spoke with the actress and dancer about creating an inclusive world of movement, growing up in a dance studio shaped by imagination and reinvention, and the companionship of cockatiels.
A: Can you tell us about your upbringing? What was your childhood like, and how was creativity or self-expression encouraged when you were young?
AT: I grew up in Bucks County, PA. My mom owned a children’s dance studio when I was young and my sister and I were always there in all her classes, almost like her little assistants. My mom was a very creative woman, I always recall the times she would be driving my sister and I and playing classical music on the radio and telling us to close our eyes and imagine our own choreography in our heads. She would have themed parties at the dance studio (50’s beach party! Pass the beach ball while dancing!) and certainly enjoyed being a community leader, which always inspired me.
She eventually closed the studio down when she became a Jehovah’s Witness and pulled my sister and I out of school to be homeschooled. I missed schoolmates and structure so much, but not being in public school for all of junior high and most of high school forced me to get creative alone at home, my imagination was wild. I was always filming myself dancing in the living room with my sister, and doing things alone to feel less alone… like in my bedroom I would pretend to be at a party and play spin the bottle and make out with the mirrored closet door (who the bottle pointed to). When we stopped being Jehovah’s Witnesses (long story), I got to go back to school for my senior year, and it was the best year of my life. I finally got to experience all the things I pretended to do in my bedroom.
A: You created dance classes Thirteen in 2021 and Balletcore in 2023. They have both grown into huge sensations. Can you explain to our audience who might not already be familiar what these dance classes are and how it got started? What was the process of bringing it to life? Were there any doubts or challenges you faced along the way?
AT: I wanted to create an accessible dance community, one that felt inviting and kind and not “too cool” or anything… a playful place rooted in nostalgia that encourages the unlocking of blocks around confidence and gets you out of your shell and dancing on top of it. A place to frolic about in vintage leotards and colorful tights. A world where making friends feels easy. A place to proudly call yourself a dancer, without the usual skill pressure of a typical dance class. I moved to NYC from LA with 3k in my bank account and just started teaching small classes and slowly through word of mouth (and a New York Times feature from a journalist who randomly attended class and loved it)…I started selling out. After classes, many people shared that that was the first dance class they had taken in a long time. When I asked why, many would say it’s been since ballet when they were kids and they felt traumatized by that world. I got to thinking about starting an inclusive, non-serious ballet class that celebrated ballet in a different way.
I would say a challenge is that I really like large dance studios, finding big enough dance studios in NYC that aren’t $500 to rent is hard. I like a full dance class but also for people to feel free to go full out without having to worry about hitting someone else, so I like ’em BIG. (I also wish nightclubs had big dance floors for this reason). Other than that frustration, I feel like I am where I belong and am doing what I am meant to do on earth at this moment; sharing my style of choreography, and getting people more confident in movement, while also cupiding friendships.
 | A: Can you give us a quick walkthrough (TL;DR style) of what a typical Angela Trimbur Dance class includes? What are the core elements?
AT: Each class has a different energy to them.
In Balletcore you walk in and the Center Stage movie soundtrack is playing and you see others fully dressed in ballet clothes (part of the deal) and warming up at zee barre. As soon as you walk in, you are a member of The Company. Eventually the music abruptly stops and Miss Angela (me, as a french ballet director) in a vintage black 1940’s dress, sunglasses, a cig, and a major ‘tude, swiftly walk into the room and everyone says ‘Bonjour Miss Angela’. I set zee tone then explain (in and out of character) how this class is a world of play, where everyone gets to feel like a professional ballerina, no matter what other life choices they made. A place to heal past ballet trauma wounds by being back in it again, only now it’s tongue-in-cheek style. We ‘gossip’ and act as little snooty ballet brats that would be in a ballet movie, because that’s the world. You are the lead in a ballet movie. I’m cosplaying as the classic villain teacher, and you are the prima ballerina star and we dance to classical music. Actual ballet, yes, but without the technique, because let’s face it, we are not doing this class for grand athletic goals. But we still get to do our Swan Lakes and our Giselles and Coppélias. But then go home eat a burrito and the next morning you’re a graphic designer again (or whatever else you chose career wise).
In Thirteen you walk in and pre-class pump up music is already playing and people are gabbing, putting on their knee pads and face gem stickers on their face (that I supply) together at the mirror, and then when we start class. I explain that the stakes are low, we don’t do counts, and the goal is to get you out of your shell and getting weird. Next we move our bodies and faces in unpredictable ways through partner work. Then, we learn choreography to a very familiar nostalgic song, where the goal is to feel like we are in a backyard making up a routine that we would have asked our parents to watch before dinner.
In BROADWAY class, it’s set at a real theater so you can pretend to be a part of an ensemble rehearsal (aka class) working on the big show (aka the routine for that night). The Chicago, the All That Jazz, the Annie, the Rent. |
A:Balletcore recently came back from a short hiatus… Where do you see it evolving from here?
AT:We had our second annual recital in April, and I like to give The Company some time off of the Balletcore world after that experience. The recital is a huge task energetically. It’s meant to provide a space to challenge yourself, to relive a childhood dance recital or any sort of performance “pressure” and give yourself a chance to experience it while being gentle on yourself since the stakes are still quite low. It’s a lot of commitment and it gives students a goal to work toward, and then the space to proudly invite people and give friends and family the opportunity to show up, so they can feel adored and seen in a way unlike they have yet as adults. We had 90 dancers and over 1400 audience members over two nights. It’s extremely exciting and euphorically exhausting. The hiatus allows for the post-recital glow, self-reflection space and then reset. To come back for more and learn new routines and audition in the winter for next spring. Next year, I am envisioning an even bigger theater space for one big night, leaning more into the professional ballet world vs the performing arts college feel. Deep breaths.
A: Any new classes on the horizon?
AT:I am starting a new LYRICAL dance class called Shapes. That classic emotional passionate swirly storytelling of powerful feelings of lyrical dance, baby! A deeper class. Come!
A: In the past you’ve had roles on Search Party, The Good Place, and The Final Girls. Of all the parts you’ve taken on, across all specialities, which one has meant the most to you and why?
AT:A lesser known role I played was that of “Tweaker Chick” in Californication. I played, well, exactly that and had scenes with David Duchoveny in his rehab episodes. I had fake teeth and red under eyes and just basically became a whole different person, different voice and physicality. I stayed in character on set the whole time, to not lose her between filming. When I saw David at the season wrap party he did not recognize me till I said a Tweaker Chick line. He told me that he genuinely thought I was some sort of genius casting from Craigslist. It felt like a very big win, to showcase that side of myself as an actor and fully embody a totally different person. Very freeing.
 | A: Both dancing and acting require deep physical engagement. How have these practices influenced your relationship with your body? AT:With acting, I love embodying a character and finding the different ways that person would move about in the world. I also love people watching for this reason. There are so many nuances to the way everyone carries themselves. Leaning into physicality in a role helps me think like them too. I love to put music on in the trailer during my downtime on a set and dance like the character would on a dance floor. It helps me so much to connect with the role in this way.
With dance, I have a unique relationship with my body, after going through breast cancer and having to say goodbye to my little natural breasts that I loved and had all my life. I also sadly had to say goodbye to all their sensation. Letting go in that way was astronomically difficult. Physically I have struggled with post mastectomy implants. As a dancer, it was really uncomfortable having something that felt so foreign and clunky in my body. I had the implants removed and started to try to build breasts using fat from different parts of the body…but the fat doesn’t always stick, and it takes many surgeries. I was willing to do them and did as many as I could handle. However, I’ve come to terms with knowing this is my new body and it’s time to move forward. I have found gratitude in this 2.0 version of myself and thanking my body everyday for being my home has been a helpful part of healing. I haven’t been super sexual since all of this. I’ll get there eventually again I’m sure, but in the meantime to me…dance IS sex. It feels so insanely good to dance. It feels like that same level of euphoric release in a way. Dance has been the major source of staying in touch with my body and sense of self. It feels wildly crucial in true happiness. All of this body healing is also why I like to look in the mirror while I am dancing…to connect with who I am in that second and to witness myself coming out of a funk by dancing. And, to see how sexy I can be when I allow my body to feel free. |
A:Who are some choreographers that have deeply influenced your artistic path or approach to movement?
AT: Twyla Tharp is my very favorite. I treat myself to a front row ticket to every show she does that I can catch. She is revolutionary. She blurs lines in dance style like no other. Her choreo is technically rigorous yet full of spontaneity and everyday movement. She calls that “real human behavior” like running, walking, and falling, and translates that relatable simplicity into her own style. The flexed foot ballet moves… ooh baby hell yes. There is always humor in her work, something I always aim to inject in mine, too. She was rejected from dance auditions early on for being a bit different, and so she created her own world. And her work ethic is shocking. I strive for even just 15% of her creative discipline. Twyla forever.
A:How would you describe or explain your teaching style and process?
AT: Approachable and inviting, telling people to let go of the idea of being cool or sexy when they dance. That it’s not about that here in this class. It’s about shedding any perspective of what dance is supposed to look like, and give yourself permission to translate choreo in whatever way your body wants to in the moment. That everyone has their own nuanced movement fingerprint and how special is that??? Maybe it may take learning the same routine a few times… (I like to repeat choreo to give people that opportunity to feel it more in their body since most things require…practice).. but I encourage everyone to acknowledge wherever your body and brain is at that particular moment, as perfect. It’s all part of movement and letting go and growing. You’re right where you are supposed to be, just give yourself the gentle avenue for more ‘roar’ each class.
A: In your images for Lingerie on Film, we’re immersed in this 80’s postmodern dream of your home – reflective surfaces, glass and chrome accents. How does your space influence your creative process – or even life? Do you believe a home can shape how we think, create, or move?
AT: Well first: 80’s music forever. So anything that makes me feel like I am living in a time when the most iconic music is being made…yes, please. I love having pretty landline phones peppered throughout the place. They don’t work, but I consider a true landline often. Cassette player boomboxes. The postmodern decor of it all is where I feel I am at in my life: grounded yet boldly playful. I love having mirrors everywhere, it’s quite literally, well, reflective. Having moments of taking myself in, seeing where I am at emotionally at that the moment, looking into my own eyes and saying, “Hey,” being gentle on myself. It allows me the ability to break out into dance wherever I am in the apartment, noting the shapes my body is making. Coming up with choreography on a whim.
A:What kind of lingerie do you find best for movement and dancing?
AT: I love more high waisted briefs and shorts that elongate the body and bralettes with straps that are thin yet stay put. And unexpected colors that complement my mood and make me feel special.
A: What’s next for you, personally and creatively?
AT: I really want to start creating more films. I have lots of stories in me and I feel called to write, direct and act. And more dance films, with dreamier, more surreal sets. I am working with Ira Glass on a This American Life live tour in the winter, which is a storytelling dance piece. I’m also developing an autobiographical dramedy TV show about my journey living through breast cancer and exploring my childhood dynamics—and, of course, with lots of dance.
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Dream collaborator–dead or alive?
Britney Murphy. She was just so warm and inviting and electric and delightful and I wish I could write for her and watch her do my choreography.
What is something you’ve loved for a long time?
The movie Anne Of Green Gables. It’s the most comforting quiet farmland world of salty sea air and crisp apples, where imagination is cherished as a pastime. I love and need to get lost in it on the regular. It’s a slow life living in hand-sewn dresses sharing a raspberry cordial in a sunlit raw wood kitchen, a walk home from school under lilac skies, a mistake turned into a lesson, and a stubborn red-haired girl, Anne (with an E) finding her place in this world, making mistakes and cherishing each and every one of them. I also forever love the movie Annie. Hmm, maybe I need to dye my hair red.
What is something you would love to learn?
I wish I was a technology wizard. And that I was not so shy about learning in that way. Even a hard drive looks bewildering to me. I know it’s a very attainable goal, but my energy is very stuck in regards to the task. Oh, and also how to do a split. To just be able to jump and land in one is such a party trick…always so impressive and a way to make a group of people go “DAMNNNNNN”.
What advice would you give to your younger self?
The thing/thoughts that make you different is the thing you can offer the world! Lean into it babe!
Can you share a favorite quotation, lyric, or line from a book or song that has stuck with you?
Fiona Apple: “nothing wrong when a song ends in a minor key”.
What is something that you feel is overrated? Underrated?
Overrated? Trendy Viral words that everyone says and it all starts to feel like the same people “iykyk” “ate” “it’s giving” etc. I do see the fun in it though, trust me. But it feels like fun robots all saying things the same programmed way kinda.
Underrated? Having birds as pets. My cockatiel birds fly free in my apartment and yes I do know how much work it can be to keep up with cleanliness and they can also make too much noise at times…but they are stunning and fascinating and curious and many are cuddly and it’s the perfect weight on your shoulder as you work (well, cockatiels are, that’s all I know.)
What artist, project, or book would you recommend?
All Fours by Miranda July. Read it more than once! It makes me want to really go after all the things you are curious about. Every little one, explore it. Even if it may not “make sense” in the traditional way of logical life.
What are you terrible at but love to do anyway?
Sleep.
Please fill in the blank– Beauty is___
not caring what someone else thinks in order to feel confident.
What are you most looking forward to?
The surprises the Universe has in store for me next. I think we all have a guardian angel and they are rooting for us and throw things our way as experiments and they have rewards and graduation caps and maps for the next chapter and it’s up to me to decode the clues.
And now, let’s dance!
Thank you, Angela!
Follow @AngelaTrimbur
Photos by @camilo.fuentealba.brevis
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