Foxtrot Class....

Tom ,

Jack,
and lots of other new friends...
all having fun,
DANCING!!!!

wish you were here!

Want an AMAZING WEEKEND GET AWAY this summer?

Join Hugo and I at Esalen Institute in Big Sur August 18 - 20 for our workshop, "Social dance as a Spiritual Path" check it out at www.esaleninstitute.org search by the workshop name or date.

Meet Joe...

This is Joe Stumpf. He is a student of mine who has inspired me to do bigger things...or rather to finally start taking action on some of the bigger things I've always dreamt about. This blog being one of the first steps.

We are working on Waltz...









Great Frame and it's only lesson #3! 

What's under those coats?

Ok....here's one more. Kathy Myers and myself...it's tough to see, but those are actually (toy) tommy guns in our hands...somehow this all worked to Shirley Bassey and the Propeller Head's remix of Big Spender. Creativity at it's finest! It won us "Best overall Solo routine"! Just for having so much fun!

Dancing with my friends!

I recently found these pictures from The Dance North County Showcase a couple of years ago.




This is my dear friend and Student Emmy. I love dancing with her and we had such a great time doing this fun number to the Andrew's sister's "Shoo Shoo baby".







Here I am with another sweetie, Jim Arnold. We are dancing a waltz. It was a real landmark for us...Jim's first solo performance!

Why I dance...

I am called to share with you some personal reasons why I love dance and why I love sharing it with you. For me, dance has been a magical healer. No matter what state my emotions or spirit are in, when I dance I am always renewed. Dancing puts me in the present moment and allows me to focus on just feeling good.

You may know I promote several different types of dance they mainly fall into two categories. Formal - or structured dancing (ballroom, salsa, swing etc.) and Freeform - non structured. Both have their own benefits and can benefit each other.

Briefly, Formal dancing offers me an opportunity to work toward mastery of my body and enjoy communion with a partner when done really well. It also offers me plenty of opportunities to look at my habitual patterns in learning new things, relating one on one and social interactions. (Just a few small things that effect my whole life!)

Freeform on the other hand allows me to move deeply into an internal landscape offering an opportunity to examine and PLAY with awareness of how I allow myself to express and of course where I hold myself back. Some freeform journeys are just a fun playful time where I get to be free, others become a deep shamanic journey where I discover deeper truths about myself. If you see someone lying on the floor the whole time, never assume they aren't doing anything, for they may be on an subtle yet powerful journey attending to the most subtle sensations of their being. For me, most freeform journeys are a mixture of both ...Play and Deep Work. What a rush.

Formal dance training can benefit my freeform by giving me greater control of my physical structure allowing me to expand my edges. Freeform benefits my formal dance by giving me greater self awareness and a sense of freedom which carries over. Start watching dancers and notice those who are more tied to the form or more into their own thing. To me, the ultimate is a balanced blend of the two. Freedom and enJOYment is in the balance of form and expression. The more JOY I have in life, the better I feel.

Common Ground

Scientists, web programmers, chef's, handymen, psychotherapists, entrepreneurs, famous authors, healers, astrologers, real estate agents, radio personalities. Where is one place all these people gather and find common ground? Dancing!

The Social Dance Mixer is a place where you can expand your circle of influence while learning a new skill that will stay with you the rest of your life! Mark you calendar for July 21 8:15pm You'll learn basics of Rumba and have a great time meeting all kinds of new friends. What a fun way to connect!

The Freebox


The dance is happening all moments
ask not, with whom or what do I dance
ask instead with what
or whom
do I not dance?