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Meet Patrice D’Evans

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Today we’d like to introduce you to Patrice D’Evans.

Patrice, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
Well, all of my life I have tried to balance two very strong sides to me, which are my strong Christian spiritual side and my sensual side, including dance and performing arts. That is, I was very close to God and received Jesus in my heart to be my Lord and Savior at 15 and I have always been an amazing dancer and performer, both naturally and trained. My grandmother was a preacher and I believe I took after her. I think I may be living out her dreams, since it is more excepted nowadays to be a Christian and dance. I used to catch my grandmother watch the show Soul Train and saw how she loved the dancing. We all knew it was one of her favorite shows. As I watched her enthralled, I wondered if deep inside she was a dancer and couldn’t do it because of her belief that she couldn’t be a serious pastor led by God and dance.

I lived most of my life using my grandmother’s life example of being a devout Christian, healing prayer warrior and pastor and how she seemed to hold back her love for dance to help me finish carrying her torch. I compared her life to mine, both as a minister who loves and serves Jesus Christ and as a dancer and performer. I seemed to have had the same gifts she had, including a healing prayer warrior. Although I felt like we were similar, she never could live out in life her other side, which was a love for dance. It took my lifetime of growth, but now I live out both sides of myself with the Lord God’s permission and blessing. I am considered the Belly Dance Minister for women’s wellness and the minister of joy. And it all started when I was little growing up in NYC.

As I grew up, I learned many cultural dances based on where I lived in Washington Heights, Manhattan NYC. You see, I grew up around the Latin culture and learned many of the dances from Cuba, Puerto Rico and Dominican Republic, such as the Cuban Salsa, Meringue, Bachata and much more. Then I went to college and my closest friends were from many of the Caribbean Islands, and I picked up dance hall, soca, calypso and more. The college I attended was also quite multi-cultural and I was known, in my college, like I was in high school, as “The” performer of the school. I was in plays and musicals (acting, singing and dancing) and in many of the dance recitals both in high school and college.

Therefore, when anyone had a student performance and they wanted to bring in a professional for their dance most times they asked me. So, I danced dances ranging from Thai to Salsa, and much more. It was beginning to become clear that I was not just a natural and trained dancer, but I was a natural International dancer. I then used that ability and gift to learn more dances from many countries. When I studied abroad in Sevilla, Spain my senior year in undergraduate school, I not only became fluent in Spanish in just three months, but I learned the Sevillanna dance from the native people of Andalusia, Spain, much like I had at home and in college. I learned the authentic dances from native people of the countries in their family parties and gatherings. The Sevillanna is a dance that is very close to the Flamenco.

When I returned home from Spain and became a Spanish Teacher in NYC, I noticed that unlike the other countries from which I had learned dances, women (and men) in America did not move their waists when they danced. I thought that was essential to have a healthy sensual side and it was from God and nothing to be ashamed of. So, I decided to “Bring Back the Arts to God’s original purposes” and create a dance fitness video (DVD) to teach women and others to dance dances like Salsa, Meringue and more. I decided that my sensuality in dance and my spirituality was from God and I knew, unlike what the world was doing with dance God was going to, and intended to, use dance His way. Life happened and this plan was put on hold, but God began to put a calling in my heart to still do the video (DVD). I ignored it, thinking I didn’t know how to. So, I just focused on my family and my acting career for many years.

Then years later, around 2009, God really pushed me to use my dance to bless others. Up until then, I had decided that dance was just for my enjoyment for myself and I wanted to focus on my acting career – but God wanted me to dance. So, I started my own dance fitness class locally in North Carolina called S & S (Spiritual and Sensual – a healthy balance) with my original concept in mind. I noticed there was a leading dance fitness company doing what I had in mind from my idea from around 1999, but without the education or the Christian part that I had planned to incorporate. Then, I thought maybe God wanted me to do a DVD with that leading dance fitness company. It turns out He didn’t. God wanted me to make my own DVD to bless others with my original choreography from my Afro-Caribbean, Latin and international repertoire. So, I did.

In obedience to God, in 2013, I created my first dance fitness DVD, Saka® Dance Fitness (now it is called Saka® Core Fit) and I built my classes locally and on YouTube around the concept of the DVD. Many women were blessed from the Saka ® Women’s local classes and on YouTube. Some shared testimonies of losing as much as 100 pounds while others lost about 25 pounds. Many shared that it was more than weight loss, and they felt that there was an anointing in our class though me. The Saka ® class promised to uplift you with a fun-filled, energetic, low impact dance fitness class that was a balance of spirituality and sensuality that works the whole body especially the core, transforming you – body, mind and spirit. In our class we prayed for the women who needed healing and God healed them. We made great lasting friendships, and the women were truly able to unlock their joy and be healed and blessed – body, mind and spirit. (I also had and have a Saka® 4 Kids class, including classes for children on the Autistic Spectrum. Many of the children’s lives were transformed as well.) I was walking in and living in an obedient state to Jesus and I was so elated. I began to wonder if I was building a ministry out of my dance fitness business. Then in 2016, the Lord told me to stream my Saka ® Women’s classes and to begin a J.O.Y. ministry and I started J.O.Y. Party T.V. on YouTube. That was a separate channel and now it is a show on Sundays at 2pm live on my current channel “Patrice D’Evans”.

In 2018 God told me to stop my local in person Saka ® classes altogether and become a professional Belly Dancer (Saka ® Women’s classes are now online at BellyDanceFit.com and the DVD is still available). I was then charged with figuring out what that all meant. Today, I understand it all. I bless women through my belly dance and performance arts. I have a ministry of Unlocking A Women’s J.O.Y. keeping Jesus at the center ALL we do. I have coined the term J.O.Y. – Jesus Overcame for You. Women are still learning a healthy balance of spirituality and sensuality to unlock their joy and be transformed body, mind and spirit only now it is primarily on my YouTube channel and on my website http://www.PatriceDEvansJoy.com. And that’s how I got to where I am today.

Today, Saka ® Dance Fit. It is now called Saka® Core Fit and Belly Dance Fit with Patrice is a program from Saka®. Also, today, the ministry is primarily on my YouTube channel “Patrice D’Evans”. I’m excited that we have over 10,000 subscribers on my YouTube channel http://www.youtube.com/c/patricedevans.

On my YouTube channel, Patrice D’Evans, I have four shows a week, which are these:

On Sundays live at 2pm eastern standard time I have J.O.Y. Part T.V. where I am Spirit led to share messages from God. I have been led to study Revelation (Explained Simply), so we are in Revelation now. 

On Tuesdays, I share any performances that I am doing or have done, either dance, acting or anything that I am up to as a professional performance artist. 

On Thursday’s I share natural hair tips, tutorials and natural hair journey updates. I usually share how I use my natural hair care line of product, Ayurveda Curls, which I make, use myself, pray over and sell. I sell my natural hair product on my website http://www.AyurvedaCurls.com Instagram is @AyurvedaCurls. 

Then on Saturday, at 11am Eastern Standard time, I live stream my Belly Dance Fit with Patrice class. It’s a great way for women to unlock their joy – body, mind and spirit through belly dance and freestyling (improvisational) dance. It’s a healthy balance of spirituality and sensuality, so much fun and healing.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
I had a lot of life challenges with my family and I share that on my testimony on my YouTube channel. It has truly strengthened me and made me a strong women of God today and I say that “I’m every woman” because I can relate to almost anything a women brings to me to minister to her for healing in her life. So, I thank God today that I went through what I did to bring me to where I am today. I have to say that the biggest lesson I’ve learned is that I am nothing without Jesus Christ and in my weakness Jesus’ strength is made perfect in my life.

We’d love to hear more about your work and what you are currently focused on. What else should we know?
I am so blessed to be used by God to evangelize through my ministry of dance and performing arts. Many women and children repented, believed and received Jesus in their hearts to be their Lord and Savior in my Saka® classes and on my YouTube channel. I’m honored that God is using me to unlock a women’s joy and to share the gospel of Christ Jesus, especially during these trying times. I am also grateful that God has given me a business that has been organically growing through my YouTube channel, it is a blessing for many women with kinky curly hair types. My Ayurveda Curls natural hair care product line is just a true blessing from God. My business Saka® Core Fit will always be dear to my heart since it is where it all began – my calling for women’s wellness that is.

Also, I’m so blessed by the growth of my YouTube Channel because it has been organically growing as well. I love “my Lovelies” (my subscribers) They are a true blessing and I feel like because of them, they make my channel a channel that has grown with quality vs. quantity. That means a lot to me.

So, what’s next? Any big plans?
I will continue to share the love of Jesus and obey Him in my calling until he returns, by His grace. Also, I have some theatre projects that I will be a part of in the coming months. 

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Image Credit:
Robert Kim, Tracey Page

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