It all begins with an idea

vanessa lalonde

FOUNDER + DIRECTOR
SHE/HER

I’m Vanessa Lalonde (though you may know me as as “Mama V”) and I’m the Founder of Luminesque Dance, The Lovers Productions and Co-Founder of Glow Studios Inc.

I’m a creativity activator, a movement mentor and an embodied storyteller. I use my background in trauma-informed embodiment, creativity coaching, and career mentorship, to provide experiences that help people to connect to their innate power to progress. I love to bring stories to life and have written, produced or directed over 30 shows in the past decade.

I’m also a mom of two, and believe in supporting work/life balance for female entrepreneurs. I continue to learn, train and grow as a leader, continuously evolving for my team and my students.

emily sandbeck

CEO + CO-OWNER
SHE/HER

I started as a dancer in this community, and am so proud to now lead it alongside my soul sister, Vanessa. I’ve always been an advocate for unabashed sexual expression, diverse media representation, and the belief that anyone can be a dancer. I studied Communications, Media, Gender, and Sexuality because I’m passionate about how sex, the stage, and society intersect. My career started in non-profit arts before catapulting into the hyper-capitalist male-dominated tech industry. I’ve since swung the pendulum back by “Robin Hooding” (repurposing) Fortune 500 formulas designed to make the rich richer, to instead build local, heart-centred, decolonized communities.

Luminesque once showed me that I deserved to be seen and celebrated when I needed it most, and so now I’ve made it my job to use my privilege, resources, and experience to carve out spaces for underrepresented humans to witness themselves and be witnessed through the universal art of dance/sex/movement. I couldn’t do any of this without my brilliant team and supportive family, so thank you for standing by Vanessa and I while we slowly change the world one stiletto’d step at a time.