Help Save Seventh Dimension Dance

For those of you who don’t know me, my name is Harmony Varela. I am the owner of Seventh Dimension Dance here in Santa Barbara.  Like so many businesses, we are struggling to keep our doors open. Being a dance studio, we were one of the last sectors to open and only had a brief two-week reprise before we were shut down again last week. We are being forced to think outside the box in a big way right now.  Seventh Dimension Dance is more than just a dance studio for us , this is our family, our place of joy and creativity, the home where our hearts live, and SO much more!  We know that ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE here at Seventh Dimension so rather than letting these circumstances crush us because we have to shut down again we found a solution! A new magical space where we can truly expand and legally stay open!!!. But we need your help now like never before to raise the funds for the move and for the build out of the new space . If we can raise these funds, we can open our doors again in 4 weeks, our instructors can start working again, and we can start to offer our classes every single day, outside, safely distanced. Never has there ever been a more true statement as " it takes a village". 

Before I tell you about myself, I want to say that I have never in my life experienced anything quite like this studio. What happens here is truly magical and deeply special. A huge THANK YOU to all my instructors and students who make Seventh Dimension Dance the most beautiful family I have ever known!!! There are no words to express my eternal love and gratitude for each and every one of you!!! I love you so very much!!!

I started teaching dance 19 years ago. I moved behind a dance studio that was just opening in Ventura (Stagelight Studios). At the time I had been belly dancing for about 4 years and it was my passion. I was also a waitress, and my husband and I were struggling to get by while raising our oldest son.I asked the owner of Stagelight if I could teach belly dance at her studio. She told me she needed a certified pole and burlesque dance instructor. I immediately began taking trips to LA to learn and become certified. I taught pole, burlesque, and bellydance at Stagelight Studios until we moved and I opened my own studio.

When we moved we turned our home into a dance studio with 8 poles in the living room! Life was good and my husband and I were living our dreams ..., him with his music , me with dance, and our son was happy and had his mom at home 24/7. But then life started to take a turn ...

The trap of addiction creeped in on us as we celebrated life. Soon we were evicted and out on the street with three little kids, literally homeless and pushing our kids around in a shopping cart. It’s really hard for me to fathom and talk about this because it’s so painful to think about our children ever having to go through anything like this before they were put in the custody of other family members. We lost everything: our children, our family, our friends, our house , our dreams, our dignity.  We lost it ALL to addiction.

My journey to recovery and Seventh Dimension Dance started here in Santa Barbara. I found a rehab facility and completed a year program that changed and transformed my life completely!!! Everything that happened in my life, from the time I called out and surrendered to God, seemed to be divinely worked out in ways that completely blew my mind and my faith and trust in a power greater than myself became a relationship with the most beautiful and powerful L❤️VE I have ever known. I finally had hope! Then after doing a lot of deep work over the year I got my kids back!!! To see them and embrace them again was the happiest day of my life!!! From here on was one blessing after the next.

I was still in the recovery home when the idea for opening a dance studio was sparked by a dear friend. With the help of friends and my social worker, this dream became true in 2017.  

The rest is history. At first I was the only instructor, and now we have 15 instructors! 

Seventh Dimension Dance is a true gift for all of us because we are all a gift to each other at the studio. Once you have experienced this place you will completely understand because there’s just nowhere quite like it. We are family and we truly get to experience the seventh dimension when we are together doing our thing! It’s so very special. I’m so incredibly grateful to everyone who has walked through the doors and into my life. Thank you for making my life beautiful. I love you!

I know times are hard for so many today. If you are able to donate anything, I am so incredibly grateful. If you are not able to donate, perhaps you will share this with some friends or on social media. We will also be looking for help with the move and building out the new studio, perhaps this is your gift? Any way you can show up for us - just know we thank you from the very very bottom of our hearts. 


With Love,

Harmony