Last October I tried out my first Inktober Drawing Challenge, and in January I’ve kept sketching going on a weekly basis. Drawing and visual arts is really a whole other way of being creative than my usual dancing and also very relevant to the enterprise of shape, shaping and space in my dance practice as […]
Self-Care September is about practices that promote well-being to empower service, learning, and creativity.
I find it easier to enjoy the spring and summer, as the warmer weather lends itself to many activities I enjoy, such as time outdoors, bicycling, picnicking, and eating fresh produce. So the game is not to try to make the best of more challenging times, but to seize the sunny fleeting days wherever I can and not miss out on my favorite bits before they’re gone again.
In February things tend to get rolling for the year and 2024 was no different, as I taught and coached online, regular classes in schools and studios as well as additionally substitute teaching for colleagues on vacation.
Working on exercises and technique for a ballet exam coming up, as well as foundational work for centre, turns, and jumps with my adult students. Choreography sketches for Alphabet Superset continued to be a creative focus, and we took part in a lot of socializing for Karneval and other events.
In celebration of International Women’s Day and Women’s History Month, I’m offering a complimentary online Beautiful Ballet Barre+ class!
We will kick off a new season of mindful movement with a delicious, gentle, adaptive beginner and beyond level online ballet barre to lovely music with one or two dancey, optionally-freestanding exercises.
Joyful and suitable to all levels and genders. Dancers will be encouraged to express themselves through classical dance movements, taking their own appropriate variations of standard ballet steps.
The first week in January being school & studio holidays and furthermore part of the 12 Days of Christmas, we continued to take time off from regular teaching and work duties, recovering from the holidays and completing our celebration of the years past and freshly arrived.
Early 2024 in Cologne, the mood was very winter wonderland, with more snow than I’ve seen in the years I’ve lived in Germany so far! It was a study in contrasts, with cozy cuddles indoors, deep inner work, sparkling fun, and jumping right out of my comfort zone and into my vision for the year!
In December I participated in Judith Peters’ aka Sympatexter’s blogging challenge called “Jahresrückblog,” in support of writing and sharing annual retrospective and reflection blog article. Love a bit of structured reflection and sharing insights that may be interesting or helpful to others!
As I’ve noted in previous years, it takes me a while to complete such a reflection process, so I didn’t click “publish” on the deadline of the challenge, but was well-served by the social media prompts, live and recorded support and community that the challenge provided.
Here I am now to share my thoughts on 2023, at least as I experienced it, and inspired to share more regular personal reflections of this nature in the form of monthly-ish blogs, in order to continue to connect with folks with similar values and interests for whom my work and being in the world resonates.
Acknowledging the subtle and dramatic changes from season-to-season is one of the ways I like to celebrate life. Seasonal rituals help me celebrate each transition, acknowledge how I’ve learned and grown and what it’s time to let go. Today is the day before the autumn equinox if you’re here in real time, a great time […]
Here I’m sharing my results, what I learned from participating in Camp NaNoWriMo this year, and benefits you too might glean from such a personal writing practice.
Creative challenges like Camp NaNoWriMo can provide structure to launch your prolific writing or artistic career.
