Tsunami Studio

January Grooves

     No matter how cliche the idea of New Year's resolutions might be, there is no denying the sense of a fresh start that January brings. Winter is here for a while yet, but the days are already getting longer. There is a global energy of change and renewal at this time--why not think about ways that you want to renew your commitment to yourself and your health and wellness? There's nothing wrong with taking stock of where you are and where you'd like to be. Often a new exercise plan or trying a new form of creative expression is part of our resolution to treat ourselves better in the coming year . . . yes, I think you get it . . . Tsunami Studio is a great place to re-invigorate your commitment to creativity, exercise, and fun.

We have the following events planned for January:

Bring It On! - New Year’s Day Dance

Begin the first day of the year with a two-hour celebration of body-movin’, heart-groovin’ music.  Dance off your New Year’s Eve indulgence. Dance your intentions for 2009.  Dance like it’s the first time you ever did. 

Thursday, January 1 from 11am-1pm   (doors close at 11:30 am)

$12 or bring a friend and it’s 2 for $20

Encounter – An Introduction to Free-Form Movement

This interactive and fun workshop gives participants an opportunity to learn the benefits of free-form dance in a safe and comfortable environment. Through a variety of movement-based activities, creative expression is explored, self-confidence is gained, connections are made with others and one’s own dance is discovered.  

Saturday, January 24^th from 1 – 4 pm   $39 

(Space is limited; Pre-registration required. Call 503-325-1162 or email to reserve a spot.)

Friday Night Spotlight – Big Hair New Wave 80’s

Come join us for our new two-hour themed dance.   On the last Friday of every month, we’ll be playing special tunes to tempt you into the studio. Whether our spotlight is on a specific genre, era or artist of music, the focus will always be on having a fun and festive time.  Dressing up isn’t required, but this month if you want to break out the blue eye shadow, bell-bottoms and big hair…go for it!

Friday, January 30th, from 7 – 9m  (doors close at 7:30 pm)  $12

 

It is good, so good to dance, especially after a long hiatus. Even though we only missed a week of classes at the studio due to weather, I'm used to dancing five classes a week! With the snow, holiday bustle, traveling to be with family, there just wasn't the time to dance on my own. Needless to say I was glad to be with other dancers tonight (Friday) at our last Dance Jam. Although we are saying goodbye to that class, we'll have two new regular daytime offerings and more special classes/events in the coming weeks. Look for updates to our schedule on the blog, or on the Winter schedule postcards that will be in the studio and around town soon. 

I'm posting the playlist from tonight's class, per request. We've always talked about making the playlists available on the blog, but just hadn't gotten round to it yet.Perhaps this needs to be one of my New Year's intentions . . .

First Wave
Hide and Seek
    Imogen Heap
Unfinished Sympathy
    Massive Attack
Mas Que Nada (featuring the Black Eyed Peas)
    Sergio Mendes
Pegajoso
    Afro Reggae
Discoteque
    U2
Egyptian Drummer
    RLP with Hozzam Ramzy
Loco
    Loving Paris
Dance to the Music
    Sly and the Family Stone
Staple It Together
    Jack Johnson
Lullaby
    Shawn Mullins
Cumulus
    Imogen Heap

Second Wave

I don't have the name of the first blues song . . . given to me by a friend
African Vibrations
    Kwanzaa Posse featuring Massive Attach
What is Jazz
    Club des Belugas
Praise You
    Fatboy Slim
Move Your Body
    Eiffel 65
Alma-Ville
    Vince Guaraldi Trio
Hotel California
    Gypsy Kings
Going to California
    Led Zeppelin
Despertar
    Aisha Duo

Unexpected and yet...delightful

 

While the snow was a lovely sight to behold along the Oregon coast this past week/weekend, undoubtedly it has had many a business owner all cold and bothered.  I'm one of those folks who get pretty excited when flakes begin to fall at the beach.  However, when the weather prevents me (or anyone else for that matter) from dancing at the studio, I get a bit frustrated.  Elia and I cancelled three of our classes and a Saturday night special event due to the week-long blast of below normal temperatures.   

I wholeheartedly agree with Alice Walker's statement above..."Hard times require furious dancing." No matter what state the economy is in currently or where it might be when the calendar turns and a new administration begins, we must take care of ourselves and each other.  Elia and I, and the folks who have been dancing at Tsunami on a regular basis since we opened a bit more than two months ago, know that one of the best ways to relieve stress and tension is by moving the body.  It doesn't matter whether your dance is fast and furious or slow and steady.  What matters is you take precious time out of your day, every day, to get in touch with how you feel rather than how you think.

What is more satisfying?  Listening to the mainstream media repeat their stories of doom and gloom or listening to the beat of your own heart and breath?  What is more joyful?  Thinking about next month's bills or the next move you'll take to create what you really want in your life?  The point I'm getting at is...we have choices.   Snow falls and we can choose to complain about it or cavort around in it.  The economy is rough right now and we can choose to worry about it or we can work together to make it better.

Life is unexpected and yet...delightful...if we decide to make it so.   While I would have much preferred to have had the studio open rather than closed the past few days, I really did enjoy watching those flakes fall and making snow angels on the beach.

In observance and celebration of the upcoming holidays, Tsunami Studio will be closed on:

• Wednesday, December 24
• Thursday, December 25
• Wednesday, December 31

Furious dancing will be had again this Friday evening, December 26 from 7-9pm.  (PLEASE NOTE THE CHANGE OF TIME - DOORS WILL CLOSE AT 7:30pm.) It's our last Dance Jam class and we'd love to have you join us. 

Our Divas class will resume on Wednesday, January 7 and our Explorations class will resume on Thursday, January 1. Our Winter class schedule begins the first of the year and we're excited about our new offerings. Stay tuned for a post tomorrow about our two new classes, Recess and Journey as well as information about our New Year's Day Dance. 

 

 

40 Reasons to Dance

 

I turned 40 years young this past weekend.  Even though my body is changing, I still feel like a kid most of the time.  Any one who can catch serious air-time like the two women you see above (yours truly and my friend, Dawn Sibilia), isn't old!  So if age is a state of mind, an attitude, or an outlook on life, how old (or young) would you be?  No major freak-outs have occurred since the calendar and the clock turned on Saturday, but the number 40 has been on my mind. 

After seeing more than twenty of my friends dancing around the studio on Saturday night with big' ol grins on their faces, I was inspired to create "40 Reasons Why I Dance".  I share them here because... 

• They might resonate with you and inspire you to create your own list.
• They might motivate you to come to the studio and try out one of our classes. (I enthusiastically encourage you to do this!)
• During Thursday night's Explorations class, participants will have an opportunity (in a very unique way) to express one of the reasons why they dance.

In no particular order, here are 40 reasons that move me to dance...

1. Self-Expression...I can be fully, no-holding-back, authentic ME!
2. Fun...Moving my body to music is always enjoyable.
3. Peace...There is a sweet place of calm inside me I can find through dance and dance alone.
4. Freedom...The more I can let go with my body, the more I can let go with my mind.
5. Creativity...Exploring the different ways my body can and wants to move without any restrictions or rules is very liberating. I am a movement artist.
6. Exercise...Calories are burned, muscles are formed, weight is maintained.  Strength, flexibility and stamina are mine.  And at times, it's nice to sweat and breathe hard, too.
7. Escape...Dance often provides me a temporary get-away from whatever it is in my life I'm not quite ready to face. 
8. Collaboration...Inspiring others to dance and being inspired by others' dance is a beautiful thing.
9. Mystery...I love not knowing what will show up in the dance. I love knowing that every dance will be different.
10. Joy...No other physical activity brings me more pleasure and satisfaction (well, maybe sex does sometimes).
11. Sadness...For tears to fall freely, for grief to move through me and for all of it in between.
12. Acceptance...Allowing myself to just be with what is...this always seems easier to do when I'm dancing. 
13. Possibility...Dance gives me the chance to consider all the choices I have.
14. Love...Of self, of others, of the world, of a Higher Power...they are always good reasons to dance.
15. Sanctuary...There is safety to be found in one's own arms.
16. Gratitude...For all I have and for all I am, gratitude is always present in some form in my dance.  
17. Forgiveness...I can give this gift to myself more easily through movement than through words.
18. Passion...Dance is something I can no longer NOT do.  It's not an option...I must dance.
19. Quiet...The music may be playing, but all I hear is silence.
20. Connection...Sometimes during a dance I'll tap into something I have no words for other than sacred.
21. Intimacy...I'm a sensual creature and my dance gives me an opportunity to explore my inner desires and feelings in a safe way without having to act on them.
22. Commitment...It's practicing the promise I've made to myself.
23. Desire...I can have anything I want when I'm dancing. That doesn't mean I actually get it, but I can experience the feeling of having what I desire. 
24. Release...I have yet to find a better way to rid myself of stress, tension and fear.  
25. Observation...To witness others in their dance while I'm in mine more often than not, adds to my own experience.
26. Exploration...I can journey to the places that scare me, provoke me and intrigue me without being attached to an outcome.
27. Bliss...There are but a handful of things that bring me profound pleasure.  Dance is one of them.
28. Imagination...I can soar amongst the highest clouds and travel to exotic, far-away lands.   Dreams don't take place only when I'm asleep. They often visit me when I dance and I'm wide- awake.
29. Reflection...I can remember the day's events or revisit a fond memory.
30. Contentment...Just being me with no expectations, judgments or worries...I'd like to go to this place more often in my dance.
31. Wisdom...I'm often provided answers to the questions I'm dancing.
32. Growth...There is always something I can learn from each and every dance if I'm willing to listen.  
33. Challenge...How deep will I dive into my dance?  How much will I allow it to inform and transform me?  Ah yes, that's the challenge I love.
34. Courage...To try out new music, new moves, and new ways of expressing me.
35. Play...I dance to be silly, to feel care-free and to simply have a good time.
36. Meditation...Through movement I find that still place within.
37. Presence...Being aware of and feeling my heart beat, my breath, my voice in one moment, and then in the next moment and in the next...
38. Inspiration...New ideas leap forth with enthusiasm when I dance.
39. Communication...I can dance how I feel and speak to another without the use of words.
40. Community...Connecting with like-spirited folks and sharing the love of dance with others..it's what I'm meant to do.

Whatever YOUR dance is in the world, may it be a source of unlimited inspiration. 

Meeting the Mystery

 

The shortest day is coming; we're heading down once again into the dark time of the year. The solstice is a time of death and renewal, as the old year dies away and the sun is reborn into a new year. In pagan traditions the dark was both feared and welcomed. People understood that the waning light was a cycle of nature, and so built ritual around it, but at the same time there must have been a fear that the sun might not return. People built fires and lit candles, and celebrated the sun so that it would have strength, energy, and inclination to be reborn, so that the days would lengthen and the spring would come.

We may not celebrate this way anymore (although some of us do!), but we all notice the decreasing light and weakening sun. We understand the themes of birth and death, and while in our culture we may focus more on birth, in the celebration of Christmas, the darkest time of the year is also a natural time to approach the shadowy, mysterious, and often, more scary and "dark" places inside of us.

What is the purpose of exploring the dark? What or who may we encounter as we prepare to enter the unknown part of ourselves? Perhaps we'll see something we don't like, perhaps we'll experience a feeling that scares us. But truthfully, there is always light, just as the sun is never really absent, and if we intentionally explore the less familiar or comfortable places in our hearts and minds, shining a light of confidence and compassion, we may discover just what we need to evolve.

I experienced the death of my kitty last week, very suddenly and, for me, traumatically. But in being present for and being willing to enter fully into the feelings this death brought to me, I was also able to meet the mystery of the dark, that ultimate unknown which is death. In encountering death, be it literal or metaphorical, the opportunity exists to understand more of life, of light. When we experience the absence of light, we must ask why. What inside of me needs to be illumined or reborn? What from a specific event or action can be transmuted into something new?

Thursday night we'll be meeting the mystery that is found deep inside of us. We'll be dancing from darkness into light, celebrating both the rhythm of the season and the essential rhythm of transformation taking place within us all the time.

What's the Point? ~ An Exploration of the Pause

"At the still point of the turning world.  Neither flesh nor fleshless;  Neither from nor towards; at the still point, there the dance is.  But neither arrest nor movement.  And do not call it fixity, where past and future are gathered.  Neither movement from nor towards, Neither ascent nor decline.  Except for the point, the still point, There would be no dance, and there is only the dance."  ~T.S. Eliot

In this Thursday's Explorations class, we'll be diving into what T.S. Eliot deems "the still point".  It's that place in our dance when we take a moment or two (or three) to pause and see what shows up in the stillness of the body.  For many people, free-form dance is more than just a physical form of artistic expression.  It is an expression of emotion and spirit, movement and motionlessness.  It can be both an active and a passive creation of one's being.

What does it feel like to dance without movement?  What inspires us to move our bodies again after a pause?  Is it what's on the outside (the music, the other dancers) or does it come from within?   How powerful is the pause in the dance?  How wonderful is it at this time of year (when the month of December seems to move along at a faster pace than any other) to take a few moments to stop and be still? 

Come to class this Thursday and discover the point...your still point.