Founder of the US party collective, BODY LVNGUAGE (formerly The Get Down), Tasha Blank is a fierce soul who’s “part lion with plenty of kitten inside, wildly curious, obsessively focused, and almost everywhere at the same time.” The former dancer-turned-DJ built an inclusive environment where people can feel liberated, alive, and empowered through music and movement. After 10 years in NYC, she’s launching the uplifting crusade to new places like Denver and Vegas with a US tour planned next year.

Established almost a decade ago in NYC, BODY LVNGUAGE has entertained at multiple festival stages across the country and hosted over 30k dancers at 350+ parties with sold-out nights across New York clubs. Not one to try and break into the industry or compete with others, Tasha ultimately desired to design something new that she believed in. She had the privilege of having her first residency at Cielo, known for being one of the longest-running clubs in NYC, and reflects on how the resilient city is constantly reinventing itself. “It has such a rich history and a lot of what I do is inspired by the scenes that were alive there in the ’90s.” Although the legendary club closed in 2018, there has been “a whole new wave of amazing venues with sparkly vibes” she’s been able to host parties at.

As the spiritual leader and resident DJ at flagship events, Tasha kicks off each set with a moment of silence followed by group meditation in an electric ambiance before the wildly upbeat music commences. There are 3 main ground rules at this party that create a wholesome, welcoming atmosphere: no drinks on the dance floor, no phones anywhere, and love and respect above all. The passionate host explains how all parties share the same basic theme: actual dancing. “It’s the kind where you forget how old you are and what you do for a living, where every ounce of tension melts into sweat and all the joy you thought you lost explodes through your body in moves you didn’t know you had.” Her devotion to music, dance, spirituality, and performance has enabled dance-goers to feel the restorative, therapeutic effects of dancing, for her main focus has been on building a community, “the kind of dance family that comes together to make real magic again & again.” The biggest challenge has been to continue improving it even in drastically changing times. She strives “to keep evolving, innovating, and shaping [this project] to endure and get stronger over time.” With hopes of bringing this progressive concept around the world, the dedicated team is ready to soon bring it to spots like Miami, LA, Chicago, Austin and DC.

During the midst of the pandemic, she retreated and realized afterward that she really does need people. The “super burnt out” figure had been dancing or DJing almost daily for a decade, and after dealing with the sudden loss of those beloved dance floors, she escaped by living in a monastery and then alone in the woods for 6 months. She accepted the fact that she doesn’t “get any gold stars for being able to live in total isolation and really need lots of cuddles and delicious partner dancing all the time.” However, in that time of solitude, she came up with the idea for PhDJ — the global DJ + Embodied Leadership Academy, which was launched this year. “That time alone gave me the space to think bigger, and I realized if I wanted to make a huge impact in this life, I was going to need to build a team and cultivate a global family in a way I never had before.” 

One thing the heartfelt character loves seeing nowadays is organizations like DanceSafe and Zendo Project doing amazing work to make dance floors safer. She relays how it may not sound sexy, but the single most important factor that contributes to a banging dance floor is how safe the people feel. She conveys how “the more comfortable folks are – the more they can trust they won’t get judged, groped, dosed, or spilled on – the more they’re able to let loose. And for me, that’s what it’s all about.” She’s stoked for the current class of PhDJs who will be graduating from Powerhouse DJ School in a few months, and can’t wait to see what they do since they’re all already playing out, getting amazing feedback, and most importantly, blowing their own minds with what they’re accomplishing. They open enrollment for the 2023 class at the end of September and expect this one to be even bigger and better. Between that, her move to Las Vegas this month, and her tour and expansion of BODY LVNGUAGE, 2023 is looking to be the most exciting year yet. Check out her latest mix and support the candid DJ now on Instagram and Soundcloud.