5Rhythms Dancing With Kate McLeod
Release your mind.
Thinking About Getting Into is a newsletter about cultivating interests.
Kate McLeod wants you to get out of your head. That’s one of the reasons she founded her eponymous skincare brand, which is most known for the Body Stone: a solid lotion bar made out of cocoa butter, which you apply directly on your skin. It’s supposed to be an involved practice—one that fosters a mind-body connection. So it’s almost no wonder why, a few years before she launched the company in 2018, Kate discovered 5Rhythms dance.
Movement is critical to how Kate makes her way through the world. Today, the former Goldman Sachs analyst-turned-pastry chef-turned skincare founder and formulator finds time, when she can, to ride the wave of 5Rhythms. But in a pinch, an impromptu dance party will do, too. I spoke to Kate about starting her business for the March issue of Inc.—but below, you can read out all about the role dance has played in her life.
How did you get into 5Rhythms?
I got into dancing very organically. The truth is, I think our bodies are so intelligent and have such wisdom and a natural intuition. I was an only child—I spent a lot of time by myself. When I was about 8, I really loved the Michael Jackson song “Will You Be There,” which played at the end of Free Willy. I’d shut the door to my family room, rewind the VHS, and dance around to the song. I realized I felt better when I was moving my body.
In high school, I took a lot of AP courses and had a lot of homework. I naturally developed this rhythm, where I would work for an hour, and then I would take a 10-15 minute dance break. Bless my parents, because I had this big stereo, and every hour there would be 10-15 minutes of top 40s pop music. I’d move and work up a sweat, and then I could sit and focus again. I remember when I first started working at Goldman, one of the things that was so hard for me was sitting all day. That’s when I discovered Physique 57, and eventually Taryn Toomey’s The Class. It was like having that dance break.
I found 5Rhythms in the summer of 2016 or 2017. Jaycee Gossett, who was one of the first instructors at The Class, took me aside and asked if I’d ever heard of it because she thought I would really enjoy it.
What does it look like?
5Rhythms was invented by this dancer, Gabrielle Roth, in the ’70s. The story is that she was spending time at Esalen [Institute] in Big Sur, and she was watching the waves come in. She saw it as a metaphor for life, which she broke into a dance with five rhythms: Flowing, Staccato, Chaos, Lyrical, and Stillness.
Basically, in each class, you dance two waves of those five rhythms. Each wave takes about 45 minutes. In the first few songs, you embody this flowing energy, then you feel the beat, and it moves to the staccato, and then it’s wild, crazy chaos—which is probably the closest thing to Burning Man you’ll find in New York City. It’s primal, and it feels good. Lyrical takes all of the wisdom and learnings from chaos and staccato and incorporates it into a new rhythm, and then as the wave reaches the shore, there’s a moment of stillness and rest.
The whole point is to get out of your head and come into your body. It’s like what I was doing as a child, locked in my bedroom—no one was watching. I was just moving because it felt good and playing and letting my body lead. Dance was my way of connecting with myself as a child. It made so much sense that when I was working really intensely on like, AP Physics, I’d need to connect with my body. It makes sense to me that I still don’t do well sitting in front of a computer, and I developed a company where I have to work with my hands.
Within the structure of 5Rhythms, I’ve found a deeper connection—you’re just surrendering and giving over to the body. There are no mirrors. It’s my channel to tap into, how do I really feel? What’s really going on with me? How am I really doing right now?
As a mom with a business, I don’t always have the time to carve out for it. But I like to dance around with my kids and move around.
What have you gotten out of this practice?
I’m learning how to tap into that childlike sense of wonder and play in my body. It helps me remember that I can process things through my body and it doesn’t all have to be up in my head. In fact, if I’m only processing things up there, I’m not fully processing them.
Does that tie into your work, too?
It’s funny how things happen. What’s different about the [Body] Stone is that you have to hold it in your hands and you have to touch it to your body. It’s a very embodied practice that has also helped me to connect with myself. When I read reviews and hear people talk about their experience, they say it’s more than a moisturizer because of that. I’m so honored to share that, and I think it can actually help people—that’s why we’re doing this.
What would you tell people who are thinking about getting into 5Rhythms?
It’s like what a lot of therapists say: Give it six sessions. Go in with an open mind. You’re human, so you’ll judge—but try not to. Celebrate the fact that that’s being extended to you, too. If you’re feeling called, you’re going to have fun, but trust your body. And if you’re not feeling called, don’t push it.▲