Kirsten and Chip FreeBox TV Episode 2

In an earlier post I mentioned working with couples who've been together as long as 41 years. Chip and Kirsten have been together just 2 months. Look how great they move together. They are using their dance lessons as a way of getting to know each other and grow together as a couple. Listen to what they have to say:

Jeremy and Abby

This is Jeremy and Abby. This episode is the first one filmed on my new MacBook. They were great sports showing up and letting me film them. This is the first in a series so keep tuning in to watch their progress and maybe even learn something yourself!

Couples Dancing

I've been teaching dance for over 18 years. Throughout the years, I've noticed that my client roster usually has a theme. Some years I've had lots of single men, other years many single women. Some years my client base is heavily skewed with wedding couples. In the past I focused on competition style dancing...in recent years my teaching, while still honoring technique and form, has emphasized using the art form of dance to enhance the experience of the person dancing rather than simply molding a person into another form. (FREEBOX)

This year my student base is made up of mostly couples. I have couples who are taking lessons for their own pleasure and self improvement and they range from as newly acquainted as 1 month (6 weeks now) to 41 years married! I currently have several couples who are getting married soon, a couple that's been married for 13 years, one that's been married 28 years, another that's been married 21 years .

Each couple has come to me for a different reason on the surface. To learn to dance for an upcoming event, to have a hobby we can enjoy together, to prepare for a trip to Argentina, etc. What each of them find is that they are building a new foundation together. Whether they've been together for eons or just moments, learning to dance together is new territory for all of them and a great place to recreate themselves moment to moment.

I love working with couples and helping them to love each other more fully through dance. Sometimes it's obvious how this happens....a close embrace, a bit of seductive choreography, a conscious loving touch. It's less obvious how learning technical alignments and body mechanics can increase the romance in a couples life. But it's just these shared experiences of learning something together and experiencing a shared feeling of accomplishment that bond people together.

"I learned something that was difficult, I am improved from doing this thing and I did it with you --with your support."

This is powerful. The beautiful thing about dance is that once you learn how to do this difficult thing, it's entirely joyful and you get to do it over and over again with your favorite partner!

Dance and Relationship

It's been a while since I've posted here. I have been spending a lot of time reassessing my business and what I'm up to in the world. I'll just give you a small hint here. I'm working to create products that highlight the empowering effects of learning to dance, especially in relationships. At least, that's what I find happens with my students. Of course, I'm bringing a lot more to the lesson than 17 years of dance teaching. There's life coaching, therapeutic training, and a pretty strong spiritual practice in the mix.

There are so many ways in which dancing mirrors the rest of our lives. As my coach said to me..."How you do anything, is how you do everything." So true. So, not to scare anyone, but I basically can tell a whole lot about you and how you function in relationship just by teaching you a few dance steps. Don't worry though, because your safe with me! Not everyone sees it, I just happen to have a very keen sense in this area...and rather than finding that frightening, it's really a great thing, because I can help people have better relationships AND be great social dancers! What a combo.

I love working with couples just before they get married because it gives them a real opportunity to look at their communication styles and skills and perhaps improve them or at least become more aware of how they affect the partnership.

Well....if you haven't heard from me or seen me around the studio as much, that's what I'm working on these days. If you are actually reading this and have any encouragement for me, I'd love to hear it!

Allison and Mike...a happy wedding dance story

Hi Mary:
Just wanted you to know that our wedding was wonderful and our dance,as you can see from the pictures, was a huge success. Everyone had fun along with us. We came up with a signal for when he was coming across me. He just tapped me on the shoulder twice and that worked well! I have to say it was the best night of my life and we are very happy to be married. Thanks so much for your help. We will call again soon for more lessons. Let us know if you are ever teaching group lessons.Take care!
Allison

Rest, reassessment and vision

Seems time for a seasonal slow down. Many of the wedding couples I was teaching over the summer have gone and gotten married. It's nice to have some time to relax and reassess. It's amazing how much I learn everyday by just paying attention. Opportunities seem to appear out of thin air! Of course I know that there's a lot more going on in that "thin air" than the phraseology of it implies. All those radio waves our thoughts create are traveling around connecting with whatever they can find that matches their frequency so they can combine with them and create more of the same. So I've been spending much time practicing mindfulness and committing to my vision. It's a big step, a big deal to committ to a vision that only lives in my head. It's scary and risky and OHHHH sooooo rewarding when I start to see that it's beginning to manifest and others are starting to see (and hold) what I have held for so long. Ahhhh faith. Trusting that the unseen, and only felt or desired can and will become "real". It's magic. The magic isn't without effort, actually that is part of the magic, keeping faith that it can happen and exercising the will to continue to move into it.

So my vision of Social dance as a Spiritual Path is truly inspiring to me. The opportunity to facilitate something that is so fun and can be so transformative, peace building and heart opening totally jazzes me up. I hope someday this message will get out to those who need to hear it. Until then, I'll keep making my offering awaiting with open heart those who will step forward to recieve it.

 

Return from the Journey to Esalen

Our Workshop at Esalen Institute www.esalen.org was a humbling and expanding experience. We got a much bigger view of the potential of "Social Dance as a Spiritual Path" as a path toward peace and compassion...while being fun and exhilarating.

Hugo and I worked together weaving dance in with his person centered process approach. Our attendees were an amazing group which included the founder of an organization called www.solidarity.org as well as a gentleman who is actively working on peace relations in Libya. Very inspiring stuff!

The Beautiful Big Sur Coast line...stunning!

The "canyon" at Esalen...one of my favorite places...the trees are all good friends of mine. They have lifted me up and given me such amazing inspiration...

The benefits of learning to dance

This week I've been pondering "service". How can I be more of service to the world? How can I serve not only more people, but how can I offer more to those I already serve? I've been asking that question a lot and what I'm getting is to share my passion in a bigger way!

I've come up with a list of benefits I have recieved from dance and I figure you might be enjoying some of them too...now I ask you...

Who do you know that would like to:

• gain confidence
• meet new friends
• get exercise
• grow spiritually
• expand thier circle of influence
• learn a skill that lasts a lifetime
• feel better in their body
• add grace and balance to life
• increase their capacity for joy?

Do you know anyone who is recently single? Maybe someone who is new to the area or perhaps you know a couple that is just becoming "empty nesters". Perhaps it's someone you work with or someone you go to church with. Or maybe a neighbor. Wouldn't it be wonderful to help this person by introducing them to the world of Social Dance? Please take the time to be of service yourself, think of this person who could really benefit from dancing and give them my email or better yet, send their information to me so I can talk with them personally.

By the way...did you realize all the benefits listed above are ones you are recieving everytime you take a lesson or engage in a Friday Night Mixer! It's good to remind yourself of what a great gift you are giving yourself...when you do the benefits actually multiply!

Sharing dance is sharing Life!

Links to my friends and teachers and partners

• Dance North County


• SoulMotion
  
• ContactEntertainment

The Loving Ballroom

In the Loving Ballroom, we all accept each other as we are. We agree we are together to love ourselves and each other through dance. In the loving ballroom, partners connect with the beloved in each other. We practice self acceptance are commited to presence and we LIVE. The more accepted I feel, the more loveable I feel. The more loveable I feel, the more loveable I am. In the loving ballroom I learn to have healthy boundaries. In the loving ballroom I am treated with utmost respect. In the loving ballroom I am encouraged, safe and loved. In the loving ballroom, I learn to enjoy learning. In the loving ballroom, I get held. In the loving ballroom I have the honor of holding.

"For you have me love much, So I will Love you much. I will anoit you with love. Everywhere you go, people will love you and you will love them ......" Rhema word

A brief Jitterbug Lesson...my first Video post!

Ok...it's here and it's brief and impromptu. Thanks to Joe for bringing his camera, being my guinea pig and helping me get the video online! Enjoy a little Jitterbug lesson...hint...this is what we'll be doing this Friday at the Social Dance Mixer 8:15-9pm at Dance North County - Don't miss it!