Tsunami Studio

Thursday Explorations ~ Birth & Death

What were you born to do?  Who were you born to be?  What are you "giving birth to" in your life this year?   This week in our Explorations class, you'll have an opportunity to consider your own coming into existence and dance what that means for you.  Birth, bringing forth, beginning, light...these are a few possibilities to play with. 

And then during next week's Explorations class...we'll explore death, dying, ending, darkness.  What meaning do you give to endings?  How does one die well?  What might it be like to dance your own death?  Again, these are a few suggestions to consider.  You might discover that these two topics are very similar or vastly different from each other.  

The invitation for the next two weeks is the same; be open and willing to let the dance take you to some place you haven't been before.  It will be as deep as you want to dive.  It will be as wide as you want to wander.  Each class will be powerful in and of itself, but I encourage you to attend both as a way to heighten your dancing experience. As always, we hold a very safe place for all emotions to be expressed and for all dances to be danced.  Come and dance your dance.

We're Still Dancing ~ January Class Schedule

A big THANK YOU to all of you dancers who joined us on New Year's Day dance.  Two hours of dance definitely did our bodies and souls GOOD! 

It's a new year and for many people it's a time to reconsider what we want in our lives.  Consider dancing with us if you want to...

• Move your body more
• Express yourself creatively
• Add more fun and joy to your life
• Unwind and relax your mind
• Meet and connect with interesting and interested people
• Deepen your spiritual practice
• Try something you've never done before
• Become a part of a community that cares for one another 
• Experience the unexpected 
• Have a damn good time

Whether you want all of these things or you want just one of them, we invite you to come and experience a class and see for yourself that what you want is possible for you to have through dance. 

Here are our January offerings at Lotus Yoga Studio (2935 Marine Drive) in Astoria, Oregon:

~Sanctuary~
A half hour of sitting meditation to music followed by an hour of dance designed to move both body and spirit.
Sundays 6:00-8:00 p.m.

~Explorations~
An opportunity for you to play with creative elements in your dance and connect in new ways to yourself and with others.
Thursdays 5:30-6:45pm

Classes are $12 and are on a drop-in basis.  We respectfully ask both newcomers and seasoned dancers to arrive early so class can start on time.  We're excited for another year of hosting ecstatic dance classes and events along the north coast of Oregon.  Dance on!

A chance to dance in Cannon Beach

 
New Year's Day 2010 is only three days away.  Wow!  And now what?   What's next for you as one year comes to a close and another one is about to begin?  I'm reminded of a particular line in a Mary Oliver poem that says, "Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?" 

Above all else... over the voices that whisper sweet wishes and the voices that roar passionate dreams...beyond the shoulds and coulds and the maybes and the might-nots...there is an answer I return to again and again with no hesitation and no self-doubt...above all else, I plan to dance. 

I will dance my days filled with glee and sorrow. 
I will dance today. 
I will dance tomorrow. 
I will dance with others. 
I will dance alone. 
I will dance why not and just because.
I will dance ridiculous joy and fun.
I will dance for laughter.
I will dance for love. 
I will dance on solid ground and on clouds high above.
I will dance my madness. 
I will dance my fear. 
I will dance in faraway places
and those near and dear. 
I will dance because I can and because I must. 
I will dance because it's what my spirit trusts.
I will dance in the morning light and in the setting sun. 
I will dance until my dance is done. 

This Friday, January 1, 2010 from noon until 2:00pm, Elia and I will be hosting a special dance to welcome in and celebrate the New Year.  We invite you to come to Cannon Beach and dance your one wild and precious life.  Happy New Year's to you and yours!  We wish you a safe and insanely good holiday.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

New Year's Day Dance Details

WHERE: Chamber of Commerce  207 N. Spruce Street

WHEN:  Friday, January 1 from 12:00-2:00pm

$12 per person or two for $20

 

Dance Your Blessings in December

This month we're continuing to offer two classes each week at the Lotus Yoga studio in Astoria.  Elia is facilitating the Explorations class on Wednesday evenings from 7:00-8:15 p.m. and Lisa is facilitating the Sanctuary class on Sundays from 6:00-8:00 p.m.  

The holidays tend to be hectic times and so perhaps it's even more important now than at any other time of the year to pause and give thanks for all you are and all you have in your life.  Dance provides us opportunities to reflect and also to rest. Movement of the body often brings stillness to the mind.  And stillness of the mind...that's an exquisite gift only you can give yourself this holiday season.

We invite you to join us this month as we explore contact improv on Wednesdays and "Reasons for the Season" on Sundays.  

Wednesday classes are December 16, 23 and 30.

Sunday classes are December 13, 20 and 27.

There are many reasons we celebrate this time of year with special events, family gatherings and holiday festivities.  I chose four reasons for us to dance in celebration with this month.  Last Sunday we danced JOY.  This Sunday we'll dance LOVE.  The following Sunday we'll dance PEACE and the last Sunday of the month we'll dance GRATITUDE.

Speaking of gratitude...Elia and I are ever-so grateful for all of you who continue to make dance a part of your life and have supported our efforts to create and sustain a dancing community along the north coast. We wish you and your loved ones a beautiful and blessed holiday season!

Wednesday Explorations ~ Bring "IT"

What is it that you really want?   If there was just one thing that you'd like to create or do or have in your life between now and the end of the year, what would it be?   Whatever "IT" is, more than likely it's been something you've wanted for some time now.   Maybe it's something you've been thinking about for a good long while or maybe it's even been years, but for some reason you've procrastinated, postponed it indefinitely or purposely ignored it despite the fact that it's still something you desire.  Maybe it's something you've decided you'll put off until the New Year. 

Consider this...what if you brought that idea, goal, dream of yours to class on Wednesday and explored how it might feel if you were you to begin passionately pursuing what you really want RIGHT NOW?  What if you were not only reminded why "IT" was so important to you, but also realized how you could bring "IT" into your life before 2010 begins?  

It will be a dance of possibility.  A dance of passion.  A dance of epic proportions.  And in the end, if you choose to share "IT", it will be a dance of acceptance and accountability.  Come dance what you desire.  

The Shape of Your Dance

YIPPEE! 

After a month-long hiatus, our Explorations class is back!   It's on a new night (Wednesdays at 7:00pm) and it's in a new space (Lotus Yoga Studio - see previous post for location details), but it's the same dive-a-bit-deeper-into-your-dance experience that we've been offering for most of this past year. 

This Wednesday night, November 4th, we'll be exploring the different shapes our body takes as the music changes and we move across the dance floor.  You'll be given an opportunity to dance circles, angles, and lines and perhaps discover what shapes move you the most both physically and emotionally. 

What meaning, if any, do you give to certain shapes and how might that effect how you move and where in the room you move to?   When Is your shape blatant and big and when is it subtle and small?  Come and play with the shapes your body takes.  Come find out where a shape takes you.  

November Classes at Lotus Yoga

Greetings and Dancing News contained in the video above.  Check it out and then come dance it out at one (or both!) of our classes happening in November.  Elia and I look foward to seeing you soon!

NOVEMBER CLASSES AT LOTUS YOGA (located upstairs in the Centre of Balance building at 2935 Marine Drive in Astoria)

Sundays ~ 1, 8, 15 & 22  SANCTUARY  6:00 - 8:00pm

Wednesdays ~ 4, 11 & 18  EXPLORATIONS  7:00 - 8:15pm

Please note there will not be a class held on Wednesday evening the 25th or on Sunday evening the 29th.  Classes are $12 and you are welcome to drop-in and join us anytime throughout the month.  If you'd like to save a few buckeroos, pre-enroll (which means you're committing to and paying in advance for all three Wednesday classes or all four Sunday classes) and it reduces the fee to $10 per class. 

Got questions?  Call or send us an email.  See you on the dance floor!

It was a sweet celebration...

"Some people come into our lives and move our souls to dance.  They awaken us to understanding with the passing whisper of their wisdom.  They make our world more beautiful.  Leave footprints in our hearts, and we are never, ever the same."  ~Anon

It's been a little more than a week since we danced our last class at Tsunami Studio.  While my heart is still filled with joy and gratitude from the four-hour celebration, I've also been aware of the sadness that's been playing alongside that sweet, sweet feeling of love.  Yes, oh yes, we will continue to dance elsewhere, but damnit, I'm going to miss our lovely space.  I'm going to miss 1350 Exchange Street.

I'm very appreciative of what we created there and I'm excited to see what happens next and...(this wasn't something I was expecting), I find myself grieving our loss.  When I walked into the studio on Monday to begin clearing out our belongings, I realized I was a lot more attached to four walls and a fir floor than I had thought. I've let go of plenty of things in my lifetime, but this time it felt different.  That afternoon standing solo in the studio, I let the pain of letting go have its say.  As the tears fell and my body shook, my last dance at Tsunami led me away from loss and steered me toward freedom.

As I take time away from our dancing community this month, I take all of you with me.  All of you have touched my life (and Elia's too!) in so many ways that even when we're not dancing in each others' company, we're stlll connected to one another.  Community has a way of making you feel that way. 

To our dancers...thank you, thank you, thank you.  In one year's time, you helped to transform Tsunami Studio from a place where strangers meet to dance into a place where dance creates friends out of strangers.  

In no particular order...Elia, Daric, Dan, Nels, Dinah, Joan, Jenni, Barbara, Nancy, Teri, Sheila, Debra, Emily, Kimberly, Carrie, Denise, Beth, Belinda, Narissa...in a few days' time I'll be dancing with all of you on the beautiful beaches of Maui.  I look forward to seeing you on a dance floor somewhere in Astoria in November!  Until then, dance in your living rooms.  Dance outdoors.  Dance with each other. 

Just have a look at us...we gotta keep on dancing!

   

Keep on Keepin' On

Fall is a perfect time for new beginnings. At Tsunami Studio, most of you know we are down to our last few classes in the Exchange Street studio. What a great time we've had here! Laughter, tears, love--we've seen a little bit of everything as our community and dance practice have grown and evolved. Lisa and I are so grateful for the space, the time we've had here, and for YOU!

While moving from our perfect space is a transition with a bit of melancholy attached, we both know that the dance is not determined by the space, the music, or the lighting. What makes the dance is the dancer, and wherever we dance together we create community. We are still checking out spaces in Astoria, but we have found a home for our Sanctuary class in October. Judy Matelich of Lotus Yoga Studio has welcomed Tsunami with open arms and heart. We are excited to offer our Sunday Sanctuary class in her sweet, spiritual space. (How's that for some alliteration?)

Lotus Yoga Studio is quite a bit smaller than what we're used to, so classes will need to be pre-enrolled at this time to ensure that we have room to move. Lisa will be taking some time to travel in October, and Elia will facilitate the 4-week session of Sunday classes.

Here are the details:

Where: Lotus Yoga Studio, 2935 Marine Dr., Astoria ~ 2nd floor

When:  6 - 8pm October 4, 11, 18, 25

Cost: $40 for the four Sundays

After our four weeks in the new space, we'll evaluate how it worked for us. Lisa and I will still be keeping eyes open for larger venues as well.

For more info on the class or to register, email Elia at tsunamimovesyou@gmail.com

A Few More Moments

I don't say this to sound fatalistic, but to be realistic...there are just three more classes left at Tsunami Studio.  I'll admit that sentence was somewhat tough to write down.  One more Divas.  One more Explorations.  One more Sanctuary.  And while we, most assuredly, will continue our dancing adventures elsewhere, no longer will we have this sweet space that is uniquely ours.  And when I say we, I do not mean Elia and I.  I mean all of us who have danced together, laughed and cried together, created something amazing together in this beautiful studio in Astoria, Oregon. 

Since October of last year, Elia and I have been committed to making Tsunami Studio a place of creativity, connection and community.  Without a doubt, we've done that.  While it's hard not to develop a fond appreciation for and slight attachment to the physical space in which so much has happened over the course of a year, we want our dancers to know this; it's not the space that created all that dancing magic, goodness, and love.  It was all of you that made it possible for us to have the kind of experiences we've had together. It was all of you who helped us realize our dream of having our own studio. 

This Thursday, we'll be exploring the concept of "a moment".  What is it that captures our attention from one moment to the next?  Do we choose to notice a moment or does a moment choose us? Why are some moments easily forgotten while others are forever etched in our minds and in our hearts?  We will create and dance a few more moments separately and together and reminisce about the ones we've already shared.  We hope you'll join us for one of our classes this week. 

Stay tuned for a post in the next day or two about our last class on Sunday night.