Back-to-School is a good time to practice flexibility, adjusting to learning, new knowledge and schedules. Also the late-summer heat in the northern hemisphere is that much more conducive to a good stretch out. But tests to our personal resilience and ability to respond with agility to change come all year long. Maybe you already love […]
Dance theorists identify 7 basic movements of ballet or classical dance technique, and we can see these essential building blocks at play in every ballet pas, step, or movement. I’m excited to announce that around these 7 essentials, I’ve designed a free summer dance challenge to begin or continue your ballet journey, and you […]
Natarajana / King Dancer / Lord of the Dance Pose, more commonly referred to simply as “Dancer,” is an iconic and challenging yoga pose that invites us to discover our own courage and compassion.
During July, I am sharing a fully adaptable “Summer Dance Intensive” program to develop body and mind for those who would like to be immersed in dance or yoga and don’t have the chance to attend such a workshop in-person. The suggested free sequences can provide a complement or bridge to online or in-studio practice. You can tailor the program to your needs, with anywhere from 5 minutes to 5 hours per day!
Welcome to week two of my first offering of the Adult Adaptive Summer Dance Intensive! If you have not yet read or participated in Week 1, please go back to this blog and podcast for the full scoop on the suggested program and ways to make it your own! In week two, we are focused […]
“Whatever you stockpile–be it diamonds, big houses, fame, money, proficiency at advanced yoga poses, or less flashy things, you will inevitably encounter two certainties. First […], all will be lost. Second, these things, in and of themselves, will never satisfy your cravings, which are expressions of your fear and emptiness.” -Judith Lasater in Living Your […]
Hanuman’s Journey In the book Myths of the Asanas**, which details the stories behind the names of yoga’s poses, Alanna Kaivalya and Arjuna van der Kooij tell the tale of the monkey god Hanuman, who inspired the iconic forward-splitting yoga pose: “Hanuman’s journey, as recounted in the Ramayama (the epic tale of Rama), is one […]
“These are very charming poses, which doubtless owe their inspiration to antique painting and sculpture. The name arabesque applied to the flowing ornament of Moorish invention is exactly suited to express those graceful lines which are their counterpart in the art of dancing.” – Cyril W. Beaumont and Stanislas Idzikowski in The Cecchetti Method of […]
Turnout, external rotation from the hips, duck-walking ballet dancers…what does it all mean? Why is this “turnout” so important in classical ballet? A controversial topic indeed, here I discuss the myths, the function, technique tips from leading pedagogues, and how to build strength and flexibility to optimize this capacity in the body and expand our […]
