Dancing With Life | A Ballet & Literary Experience

Join bestselling author Vanessa Autrey and classical Ballet Master Andrew Guilfoil for an intimate morning of movement, literature, and connection.

Inspired by "Dancing With Life", a chapter from Vanessa’s new book, Rhythm of a Rebel, this immersive experience explores ballet as a catalyst for emotional healing, liberation, and collective joy.

When Vanessa returned to ballet as an adult, there was no more applause to earn. There was fumbling. Laughter. And an unexpected realization: what once demanded perfection now offered a new kind of freedom.

Dancing With Life asks what becomes possible when we stop performing our lives and begin inhabiting them.

For one morning, we’ll explore this question together—through ballet, literature, and reflection. Come as you are. Move as you are. And perhaps, leave with a little more freedom to dance with life as it is.

Space is intentionally limited to preserve the intimacy of the experience and provide ample room for movement. Reserve your place and join us for a morning of movement, reflection, and collective joy.

Vanessa Autrey is a writer and speaker whose work is guided by one enduring question: What does it mean to live well?

For more than 15 years, she has explored the intersection of healing, personal reinvention, and authentic living, bringing a candid and incisive perspective shaped by lived experience.

Vanessa is the bestselling author of Rhythm of a Rebel and The Art of Balancing Burnout. Her work has been featured on Fox, NBC Daytime, the Tampa Bay Times, Northeast Journal, Reader’s House London, Voyage Magazine, and other select media outlets.

Vanessa divides her time between Florida’s west coast and the White Mountains of New Hampshire. When she isn’t working, she can likely be found reading, sipping matcha, or gardening in her pajamas.

Andrew Guilfoil is a classical ballet dancer, choreographer, artistic director, and educator with more than 30 years of experience teaching students of all ages and levels. A protégé of internationally respected ballet teacher Alexander Bennett, Andrew received extensive classical training and began performing professionally at a young age.

From 1982 through 1992, Andrew danced with Scottish American Ballet Theatre, serving as a principal dancer during his final six years with the company. His professional career included appearances at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, as well as extensive experience in classical repertory, touring, partnering, rehearsal, and theatrical production. His continued studies included training experiences associated with prominent ballet and conservatory programs, including Boston Conservatory and Royal Ballet programs.

Andrew is the founder and former Artistic Director of Guilfoil Academy of Dance and The Guilfoil Ballet Theatre. He also served as Artistic Director of Dance at Academy Da Vinci, where he developed and directed a school-based dance program for students in kindergarten through fifth grade. As Interim Artistic Director of the St. Petersburg Ballet Conservatory, he directed dancers and produced full theatrical ballet productions. Throughout his career, he has created original ballets, prepared students for performance, and taught classical technique, musicality, artistry, stagecraft, and disciplined rehearsal practices.

Today, as Ballet Master at Orange Grove Middle School, Andrew brings the traditions and standards of classical ballet into an inclusive educational environment. His structured approach welcomes students with varied dance backgrounds—from experienced studio dancers to those beginning classical ballet for the first time. His goal is to help every student develop sound technique, confidence, discipline, musical understanding, artistic expression, and a lasting appreciation for the art of classical ballet.

Info: Andrew will guide guests through an accessible hour of classical ballet technique and expressive movement. Rather than striving for rigid perfection, we’ll explore foundational alignment, musicality, and fluid movement—all designed to help us become more present in our bodies and physically inhabit the theme of Dancing With Life.

Info: Moving from the physical experience to the written word, Vanessa will share a brief reading from Rhythm of a Rebel and reflect on the chapter that inspired the morning. Together, we’ll explore how ballet became a powerful lens for examining perfection, performance, and personal freedom.

Info: Healing happens in community. We’ll close our morning together over light refreshments provided by Oxford Exchange, with time to connect, share reflections, and have your copy of Rhythm of a Rebel personally signed by Vanessa.

Event venue & nearby stays

Oxford Exchange, 420 W. Kennedy Blvd., Tampa, United States

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