From ASA! Fitness to DAF Wellness Collective, How an African dance fitness class sparked a Wellness Movement

The journey to DAF Wellness Collective

Movement has always been a language for me.

Long before I understood the connection between movement, healing and wellness, I knew that I felt most at home when I was moving. I began dancing as a child, studying ballet, tap, jazz and acrobatics. I also competed in track and field and was nationally ranked from the age of 10 through high school, even setting a New York State record.

But movement eventually became more than something I did. It became a way of expressing myself, connecting with others and, ultimately, helping others connect with themselves.

After college, I continued dancing and became involved in a dance ministry, where I learned to use the body as a vessel to minister God's Word through movement. That experience deepened my understanding that movement could communicate something much bigger than choreography.

Then I discovered African dance.

I had taken a young woman I was mentoring to see Forces of Nature Dance Theatre, a company I had never seen before. Watching those dancers move across the stage was my first real introduction to African dance, and I was captivated. The movement, the rhythm, the grounding, the energy—it spoke to something in me.

I began studying West African dance wherever I could find it, taking classes on Long Island, in Queens, Brooklyn and Manhattan, as well as workshops with master teachers from West Africa. Eventually, I joined African dance companies, including D'Joule African Dance and Drum and Forces of Nature Dance Theatre.

And then came another discovery that would change the direction of my journey: ASA! Fitness.

One of my fellow dancers told me that her best friend was coming to New York from Washington, D.C. to teach a dance fitness class. She described it as an aerobic workout using African dance.

I remember thinking, That's everything I'm about—dance and fitness.

I took the class and was amazed.

I had been an athlete and dancer most of my life, but I had never experienced a workout quite like this. I could feel muscles working that I hadn't targeted before, particularly the muscles responsible for joint and core stability. The music and movement combined traditional and contemporary African dance influences from East, West, South and Central Africa.

The instructor was Akosua Akoto, a professional dancer and sports rehabilitation specialist and the creator of ASA! Fitness.

What made ASA! different was its philosophy: it wasn't simply about getting a workout. It was about strengthening the body while supporting healthy movement and the joints. It was low-impact, but high-intensity, providing a powerful cardiovascular workout while incorporating movements that felt natural, rhythmic and freeing.

At the time, certified ASA! instructors were primarily in the Washington, D.C., Maryland area, so whenever Akosua came to New York, I was there.

Eventually, though, years of dance rehearsals, classes and workshops began taking a toll on my body. Some of the movements that had once felt exhilarating were becoming hard on my joints, and I stepped away from performing.

But I couldn't step away from movement.

I explored different forms of movement that allowed me to reconnect with my body in new ways. I took heels and sensual dance classes. Later, I explored aerial fitness, pole, lyra and silks. I loved the freedom of being suspended in the air, spinning, inverting and creating shapes with my body.

At the time, I didn't fully understand why I was drawn to all of these different forms of movement.

I just knew that movement made me feel different.

And then I began to understand that perhaps that feeling was the point.

As I talked with women around my age, I began hearing about the ways changes in our bodies could affect confidence, self-image and even our relationship with ourselves. Physical wellness wasn't the only piece of the puzzle. There was an emotional and mental component, too.

One day, something clicked.

A fellow dancer who owned a pole studio was talking about a class she offered. Someone had commented that it was a shame women felt they needed to learn how to “pop their booty” to get or keep a man.

Her response stayed with me.

She explained that her classes weren't about performing for someone else. They were about movement, fitness and learning how to connect with your own body. She talked about how the gyrations, rotations and undulations involved in those movements could stimulate energy centers in the body.

She mentioned chakras.

I had heard the word before, but I didn't really understand what chakras were. So I started learning.

That exploration opened another door.

I began studying the chakras as energy centers and learning about practices intended to clear, balance and align them. And suddenly, some of the things I had been experiencing through movement began to make more sense.

I started thinking about wellness differently.

What if movement could help us not only become stronger physically, but also reconnect with ourselves emotionally, mentally and spiritually?

What if dance and fitness could be part of a larger conversation about healing, confidence, self-love and transformation?

I didn't have all the answers yet.

But I knew one thing: ASA! Fitness would be the foundation.

I planned to travel to Washington, D.C. to become certified in ASA! Fitness, intending to figure out the rest along the way.

And then life gave me plenty of time to figure it out.

I was preparing to have foot surgery, and shortly afterward, the world shut down because of COVID-19. During that time, ASA! Fitness moved online, allowing me to continue taking classes and complete my certification virtually.

Instead of seeing that period as simply a pause, I used it to explore.

I became certified in stretch and flexibility instruction and continued studying the chakra system. I wanted to find a way to bring movement and chakra work together, but I didn't want to simply replicate someone else's concept.

Then I discovered S.T.E.A.M.—Soul Transforming Energy and Movement.

Created through the work of my dance sister Amina Heckstall, S.T.E.A.M. brought together different modalities to support chakra clearing, alignment and balance, including color therapy, aromatherapy, reflexology, guided visualization, mudras, mantras, meditation and movement.

I completed the certification, and suddenly the ideas that had been floating around in my head began to take shape.

That was the beginning of Femme Forte' DAF.

“Femme Forte'” means a woman's strength—and it also happens to be my last name.

But strength was never just about physical strength.

I wanted Femme Forte' to recognize the whole person: her physical strength, emotional intelligence, creativity, sensuality, nurturing spirit, compassion and intuition.

The “DAF” originally represented my initials, Dianne Adkins-Forte, as well as Dance and Fitness.

And then the work continued to evolve.

S.T.E.A.M. introduced another important component: intuitive guidance.

I had never been someone who was particularly interested in tarot. In fact, I thought it was a little too spooky, a little too “woo woo,” and perhaps even negative.

But the intuitive guidance I experienced through Amina's work was different. It was positive, empowering and practical. It encouraged reflection and offered guidance rather than fear.

So I explored that modality as well, eventually becoming certified in S.T.E.A.M. Intuitive Guidance and incorporating intuitive guidance into my offerings.

Over time, I realized that Femme Forte' DAF had grown beyond what its name suggested.

It wasn't just about women.

It wasn't just about dance.

It wasn't just about fitness.

It wasn't just about chakra work or intuitive guidance.

It had become a collective of movement and wellness practices designed to help people connect, align and flourish.

And that's where DAF Wellness Collective was born.

The DAF in DAF Wellness Collective now stands for:

‍Dance. Align. Flourish.

Dance represents movement, rhythm, joy and expression.

Align represents bringing the physical, emotional, mental and energetic aspects of ourselves into greater balance.

Flourish represents what becomes possible when we give ourselves permission to grow, heal and thrive.

And I wanted that invitation to be available to everyone.

That is also what led me to Chair One Fitness.

ASA! Fitness is an incredible low-impact, high-intensity workout, but I knew that not everyone could comfortably participate in standing dance fitness. I wanted to make sure movement and wellness were accessible to people with different levels of mobility.

Chair One Fitness gave me another way to do that.

Now DAF Wellness Collective brings together the things that have continued to show up throughout my journey: dance, fitness, flexibility, healing, energy, intuition and community.

After taking some time this summer to rest, recuperate and reflect, I am excited to step into this next chapter.

Beginning in September, I'll be offering classes, workshops and private sessions designed to help people move their bodies, reconnect with themselves and create space for wellness in their lives.

And I'm looking forward to expanding the collective even further—bringing in teaching artists in dance, fitness and wellness and creating opportunities for teens to build confidence and self-awareness through movement and other wellness practices.

When I look back, I realize that the path wasn't as scattered as I once thought.

The dance classes.

The athletics.

The African dance.

ASA! Fitness.

The sensual movement.

The aerial arts.

The chakra work.

S.T.E.A.M.

Intuitive guidance.

Chair One Fitness.

They were all pieces of the same story.

I just didn't know what the story was yet.

Now I do.

Welcome to DAF Wellness Collective.

This is where we Dance. Align. Flourish.

And this is only the beginning.

— Dianne