Tsunami Studio

Thursday Explorations ~ Tag, You're It!

No, we will not be running around the studio trying to catch one another during Thursday night's class. What we'll be exploring, creating, and witnessing together as a group is a story of sorts;  a story that will give each of us an opportunity to be spontaneous and use our imagination in our own individual dances while at the same time influencing what we all do together in the dance. 

We dance the stories of our lives.  We dance the stories of our dreams.  Sometimes we dance happy-go-lucky-I'm-on-top-of-the world dances. And sometimes we dance heart-filled-with-sorrow-I'm-letting-go dances.  Fun and playful, interesting and insightful and most assuredly, absolutely a one-of-a-kind experience will be had on Thursday night.  Come join us for some jolly-good storytelling.

Two new classes for Spring!

 

SOURCE and PULSE make their debut this week!

It might not feel like Spring yet weather-wise, but inside our studio it's warm and toasty...a balmy 68-70 degrees...the perfect temperature for dancing. We're celebrating the turning of the season in part by introducing two new classes, Source (mindful movement to mmmm...nice and mellow music) and Pulse (a high-energy workout to a variety of faster beats), to our weekly class schedule.  We're also offering new dancers to our studio a sweet deal ~ Check out any one of our classes and then come back and get your second class FREE!  

You can find our beautiful new Spring Schedule postcards at various locations around town (think coffee houses, bookstores and other cool spots and you'll be sure to see them) and of course, you can peruse all the class details right here on our website. We're fired up about dancing five times a week in the studio and we're looking forward to seeing plenty of new people walk through our doors.  If you love to dance and you haven't been to Tsunami yet, get on in here!  You'll be oh-so happy you did.

Exploring the unexplored . . .

I've been having a hankering for a while to dance to classical music. Not only the first movement from Bach's 3rd Brandenburg, but the weird and melancholic music that modern composers are creating today. What would it be like to not have the typical drums, rhythm guitars, and types of compositions are ears and bodies are used to dancing to?

Last Thursday, Lisa included in her playlist the theme from ET, I think it was, and I was intrigued to watch everyone's dance become very upright, proper, lyrical .  . . it seems that for most of us, myself included, orchestral music brings out the ballet dancer in us all. Which is great . . . I love those moments in my dance. But for a whole hour, would I want to dance that way? How could I respond differently to such music?

We've been exploring the abstract ideas of the elements for the past four weeks. We have gone deeply into concepts, guided by carefully chosen music, to be sure, but nonetheless we have crossed into the world where we create the dance, not the music. I think that, given this recent practice, we might be ready to try exploring the largely unexplored (in terms of dance music) and incredibly diverse genre of classical music. Not forgetting, of course, that for many centuries, chamber and orchestral music was dance music. We've all seen those period dramas of folks in lovely clothes flirting over complex partnered group dances with the string players in wigs playing away in the background. And also not forgetting, that many of the composers we consider to be the standards of classical music were rule breaking rogues in their day--pushing the boundaries as music as it was known.

So let's bring our dance and this music together in a partnership that for most of us is virgin territory. What stories and shapes might emerge from a soundtrack that we'd likely never encounter in a club or our living rooms?

Time to Count Your Blessings

 

There's no doubt about it...we are living in very challenging times right now.  You don't need to look at the daily headlines to know there is a lot of grief going on in the world.  Personally, I've been shielding myself from the majority of the media because the kind of news I want to hear never seems to be the kind of news that's being reported. More often than not the focus is on what's negative and bad rather than what's positive and good.  It takes a bit more effort to find those news sources and resources whose perspectives look on the brighter and lighter side of life, but they do exist.  And so do we and the kind of news we create is worth reporting.

Something absolutely wonderful happened at the studio yesterday.  Our Sanctuary class had eleven people dancing about on Sunday morning!  It wasn't just the number of folks who showed up that made it so moving. It was what each of us brought into the room (our creativity, our vulnerability, our emotions, our own unique physical expressions) that created and transformed that space into a sweet haven of positive energy and goodness. For an hour, as we danced and sweat, there was laughter and tears, comfort and connection. Separately and yet, oh-so-together we gathered as a group and became a community.  Has this kind of experience happened before in our studio?  Yes and yet there was something else. 

Perhaps that something else is something both Elia and I have been remembering of late which is to be grateful for everything we have; be happy with what is rather than worried with what is not. While we're ecstatic about Sunday's turn-out and can't deny the fact that we want more people to come dance in the studio, we are thankful to all of you who have come to Tsunami.  Thank you to those of you who joined us yesterday.  We are incredibly blessed to have a business we love and that offers what we do ~ an experience to move and be moved. 

Remember to count those blessings of yours today. You have plenty of them.

Thursday Explorations ~ The Element of Air

"Come Fly With Me." ~ Frank Sinatra

For the past three weeks in our Thursday night Explorations class, we've been using the Four Elements of Nature to inform and inspire our dance.  We've explored water, fire and earth and this week, we'll conclude the series by dancing the element of Air. 

It's invisible, odorless and exists whether we feel it or not.  We breathe it in and out of our lungs every second and yet it's something we all take for granted.  It can be but a gentle breeze or it can be a fierce and full-on gale.  Air...weightless and yet strong enough to support those with wings to fly. 

How might our bodies move were we to imagine ourselves as light as a feather?  How would our dance look and feel if we were able to experience the magic and mystery of flight?  Would you soar high amongst the clouds letting the wind take you for a ride?  Would you flap your wings and delight in your ability to play with the currents?  Would you fly solo or travel with a flock?

You're invited this Thursday to let go of those earthly things that feel heavy and weigh you down.  Being grounded is good.  Being tied down isn't.  There's a big difference between the two.   

Let go. 
Leap. 
Soar.

Come feel the freedom and fun of your dance when it takes flight.  

Thursday Explorations . . . the element of Earth

The deep and mysterious element of Earth will be the theme of exploration for Thursday's class. We've had a great time delving into water and being sparked by fire; and now the earth element will offer up it's wisdom and secrets to you.

What does the concept of earth bring up for you? For some, a picture of the globe, perhaps as seen from space, springs to mind. And certainly the Earth itself embodies the structural, sustaining, and nurturing qualities of the earth element. Earth is heavy, dense, and slow moving . . . working within the constraints of gravity.But earth also represents deep wisdom and learning, quality, permanence, and lasting growth. Literally, the earth is a place of death and renewal; within the dark soil plants die away to have their seeds take form.

I can't help thinking of the Lord of the Rings and the dwarves of that story, as embodying earth element. Industrious, stubborn, practical, and humorous . . . these little creatures are productive yet know how to have a good time. How would the element of earth look in your dance?

Come along and explore . . .

Expression of a Deep Listening ~ Knowing When to Change

  

"There is vitality, a life force, an energy, a quickening that is translated through you into action, and because there is only one of you in all time, this expression is unique....You have to keep open and aware directly to the urges that motivate you.  Keep the channel open...[There is] no satisfaction whatever at any time.  There is only a queer, divine dissatisfaction, a blessed unrest that keeps us marching and makes us more alive than the other." 
~ Martha Graham

I received an unexpected book in the mail yesterday that has already given me a huge gift despite the fact that I have yet to read it. The quote you see above is what my eyes first came across when I opened its pages.  Blessed Unrest...no doubt it will be an informative and inspirational read, but it's also a new term (via Martha Graham's description) that accurately and lovingly describes how I've been feeling of late when it comes to my work, my writing, and the studio. 

Ah yes...keeping open to the urges that motivate us.  Marching on to that which makes us feel more alive than whatever it is we're currently experiencing.  Listening to and learning from what adds vitality to our lives and what takes it away. It's an exquistive dance...a balancing act of important proportions...knowing when to hang on to something and when to let it go. Having said all that, yesterday Elia and I decided to make some changes to the studio's class schedule a few weeks earlier than we expected.

We have ended our Tuesday and Thursday afternoon classes, Recess and Journeys.   While we loved the ideas and intentions we had for these two classes, the time of day in which they were being held didn't attract enough of a following to continue to offer them.  It appears that evenings and weekend classes work best for most people and so as the studio enters its fifth month, we're excited to make some changes that reflect what we've learned.

Beginning the week of March 23, the studio will introduce two new evening classes, Source on Mondays and Pulse on Tuesdays. More details will soon be shared here regarding these two new offerings, but we can tell you that Monday nights will be dedicated to more ambient and acoustic rhythms (a nice, mellow way to end a Monday) while Tuesday nights will be THE night to get your body moving big time.  We'll work up a sweat and burn some calories as we dance to a variety of high-energy beats. 

Here's what our Spring Schedule will look like:

• Mondays 6:30-7:45 pm ~ SOURCE
• Tuesdays  6:30-7:45 pm~ PULSE
• Wednesdays 6:30-7:45 pm ~ DIVAS
• Thursdays 6:30-7:45 pm ~ EXPLORATIONS
• Sundays 10:00-11:15 am ~ SANCTUARY

So for the next three weeks, come and dance at Divas (our women-only class), Explorations (our creative, dive-in-deeper to your dance class) or Sanctuary (our sweet and sacred class dedicated to spirit) and then be sure to check out Source or Pulse when they begin.  We know you'll find a class or two (or maybe even three, four or all five!) that will resonate with you and you'll really enjoy. Keep the channel open!