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.
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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!

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!

   

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.

Sweet Surprises Stir the Spirit

Last Saturday night, August 29th, the studio played host to a four year-old's birthday party.  This picture is the sweet sign that Seamus' Mom, Meghann made and put on our door for the event.  I opened up the studio for them and then left while they had their celebration.  I wanted to make sure they had what they needed for the evening and I also wanted to meet the birthday boy, Seamus.  It looked like it was going to be a great party with balloons, presents, cake, and of course, dance.  

I came back a couple hours later to say goodbye to them and lock up.  It wasn't until after they drove away that I saw the sign and when I did, tears began to fall.  They were happy tears, but there was sadness stirring within me as well.  I was incredibly moved that Meghann would take the time to create such a lovely sign that not only honored her son's birthday, but lovingly informed their guests about one of the studio's requests of our dancers.  I was so happy that our studio could serve as the space for Seamus, a dozen or so of his friends and their parents to celebrate his special day.  

As I stood there in the warm light of the studio, a simple piece of paper with a few colorful creatures and words stirred my spirit and gently held my heart.  It was the first time I really felt sad about our forthcoming move away from the studio.  While I know we'll continue dancing and we'll find another space to rent to hold classes, I know it won't quite be the same.  It won't be our studio. It won't be this beautiful place we've created together with the people who have been dancing with us this past year. 

I've never been anything less than real with my business partner, Elia and with the folks who come to the studio, but I'll admit I've been putting on a brave face the past few weeks.  There is a part of me that can't help but wonder how we could have made it financially.  There is a part of me that wants to know why more people didn't come to our classes.  There is a part of me that is incredibly sad that things didn't turn out differently.  I wish we could stay exactly where we are and I know it's time to move on.   The sadness I feel is part of my process of letting go of what is and letting in what will be. 

So in the next few weeks as our last classes are held in our beautiful studio, please know that the tears you see are happy tears.  I am incredibly grateful to all of you who have danced and loved what we've created together at Tsunami.  Truly, this has been one of the most profound experiences of my life and for that, I thank you.  My spirit has been and continues to be sweetly stirred.

An Important Announcement ~ The studio is on the move!

It began as a grand plan between two friends who loved to dance.  The idea to open a studio dedicated to free-form movement and creative expression really came to life in Elia's backyard two years ago.  Over lunch and our usual friendly banter, big dreams were brought to life on paper and that was the beginning of what would become a reality on October 8, 2008.   On that day, Tsunami Studio opened its doors and for the past eleven months we've been dancing in this beautiful space with amazing people.  

Had we known back then that the economy would take a turn for the worst would we still have begun a new business?  Yes!  Had we known back then that we would attract a smaller following of folks than we had imagined would attend our classes would we still have brought ecstatic dance to the north coast?  Absolutely!  Had we known back then we would need to close our doors in a year's time due to financial constraints would we still have taken the risks and gone on this adventure anyway?  Heck yeah and here's why...

• We have had the honor and priviledge to meet and become friends with many talented and lovely people. 
• We have witnessed grace and beauty, power and passion, laughter and love on the dance floor many a time and are ever-so grateful to those who have come to dance and who have shared a part of themselves with us.  
• We have created a small community of folks who love to move and be moved by the experience of creative movement and personal expression. 
• We have had the loving and unwavering support of our husbands throughout this journey of ours. Tsunami Studio would not have become a reality had it not been for James Dowley and Daric Moore.  
• We have learned a lot about ourselves as business owners, facilitators, and dancers.  

While the "For Lease" sign that now appears in our studio's window means we'll be leaving our sweet studio space at the end of September, it doesn't mean we'll stop dancing.  Yes, we'll be moving out and we'll be moving to another space.  We don't know yet where exactly that will be, but we promise to keep you informed of where we travel to next.  Afterall, when one door closes, another door is about to open.  

There's a lot more that Elia and I both want to say and those words will be shared here and in the studio in the coming month.  Until our next post, come to the studio and dance.  If you've never been and you've always wanted to take one of our classes, now's the time to do so.  If it's been awhile since you've danced and you still have a punch card on file with us, come back and use it up.  (Current multi-class punch-cards will expire on Sunday, September 27 which will be our last class in the studio.)  If you've been a frequent class participant, we look forward to seeing you again soon and continuing the dance with you. 

Just so you know...No Class on April 6th and 13th

 

No, we're not playing hooky from class because the weather is so darn nice. Due to some prior commitments that both Elia and I made prior to creating and unveiling the studio's Spring Schedule, our Monday night class is cancelled this week and next. 

SOURCE will resume on Monday, April 20.  We apologize for the inconvenience if you were planning on attending.  All other classes are a go, go, go this week so come and join us on Tuesday, Wednesday (gals only), Thursday night or Sunday morning.  Whether it's rain or shine we promise you'll  have a good time!