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NEWSLETTERS in CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER:
OCT05| SEPT05|NOV03|SEPT03| JUNE03 | MAY03 | APR03 | MAR03| FEB 03 | JAN 03 |APR 01| DEC 00 |SEP 00 |JUL 00 | APR 00 | FEB 00 | DEC 99 | OCT 99 |AUG 99 | JUN 99 | APR 99 | FEB 99 |NOV 98 | AUG 98 | MAY 98 | MAR 98 | JAN 98
If you or your friends would like to be on the Dance Weaver mailing list and receive a free monthly copy of the Journey Into Movement newsletter, please send your name to: lisa@danceweaver.com
Journey into Movement
December 2005
Imagine then a dancer, who, after long study, prayer
and inspiration, has attained such a degree of understanding that his body is
simply the luminous manifestation of his soul; whose body dances in accordance
with a music heard inwardly, in an _expression of something out of another,
a profounder world. This is the truly creative dancer, a natural but not imitative,
speaking in movement out of himself and out of something greater than all selves.
– Isadora Duncan.
I received several responses to my last newsletter’s inquiry into other’s
dance experience. Here are some comments of value I have reprinted with the
author’s permission: Yes, I feel that movement from a very deep source.
My outer cells call for it even before they sing for the air we so desperately
need. Let go of 54 years of answering only the call of my circumstances, let
go and just be. I sit here as the first glow of a new day expands my vision.
So common an occurrence, from darkness to light...still the shadows then appear.
Dance these away too... each foot fall releases them. Right now Deva Premal
works her way through my body gently calling, and like a serpent I let my cells
form up, rise and fall in waves of simple awareness. Spin and twirl your heart's
beat with the music. You rise in your freedom and we are all set free.
Dance on my friend, dance on... – Tom Zizzo
For so long,
I have pleased others. I lost myself or perhaps never had the time to find myself,
to allow my inner beauty to dance, fly and skate across the room. We look at
taking time for oneself as a luxury but in reality it is a necessity to
feed the soul and let it blossom into the form it was meant to be. I miss
dancing. I hope to be there on the 15th. School, work and commuting are eating
my time. I should know next week how tough my finals are and if I can come and
unlock some of the energy that is numb inside me. Cadina Benveniste
Your newsletter
was great for so many reasons – especially, perhaps because it contained
internal thoughts instead of attempting to be inspiring! Many people experience
upset or disquiet during the quiet times in our lives that happen while we are
building what is to-come. I find it inspiring that you are gone completely
into the space-between-the-busy-ness place and are building, building, building
while you assimilate and create. Thank you for sharing that information
in your inimitable, well-written way. Dia North
Thank you
for reminding me of the truth of that inner place thru movement and dance.
Thank you for the copy of the piece about misfits, & truth in
beauty. Lately, in my struggle with survival, finding a job,
trying to find a way to get by, (in Marin) I have been forgetting the truth
in the above. Dance has always been for me to connect with that point
of birth of a moment alive, and suddenly the miraculous opens. Interesting
that I wd still get stuck in comparing myself - to performers, to a scene, to
people who connect with others, to people that can dance in step, and do great
ballroom dance, compare myself with all those and see myself as hopeless. Yet
some of my deepest, most profound moments, have been in connecting deeply in
my self with movement. Solo. Maxine
In gratitude,
I respect your sharing. So personal, sensitive and RIGHT ON! I can
relate. Lately, I have been feeling quite alone even though I have two
teen-agers roaming about the house, my hubby, 5 cats and one dog. In the
past, I would have not welcomed this lonely feeling, too afraid to explore the
consequences. Now, at 48 years old and considering myself a wise wise
woman/crone, I dance with it, walk my dog with it, sit blankly starring at the
moon with it. Shelly Ross
…I looked around for a moment and thought, wow, I should not take this
for granted and really appreciate the long journey and the efforts, passion
and love that brought me to this place at this time in my life. Rita Glassman
***
DANCE WORKSHOPS:
I only have one planned at the moment and it is a fantastical dance adventure
on a remote island in the pacific. Here is how writer and friend, Cathey Tarleton,
sums up Molokai…
Molokai is a perfect little gem of a place with wonderful, rarified, aggressively
honest people there poised, eager to download their whole life story and
sum total of their knowledge. They are teetering on a thin tightrope between
encroaching development and what looks to be a dying lifestyle. That and the
whole island is apparently made of music--from rain on a galvanized trash can
to the talented hands and feet and voices randomly placed before you to absorb.
I won't go on, but can't encourage you enough to check it out and tell your
friends.
2nd annual
DANCING ON MOLOKAI
February 18 - 27, 2006
Discover the remote island of Molokai, the birthplace of the hula; it is
the sacred island where the Hawaiians sent their kahunas (shamans) for training.
An island where there is so little automobile traffic, there's not a single
traffic light. We shall spend 9 nights at Hui Ho'olana Retreat Center.
Every day will include an hour-long gentle, guided stretch and then move into
a 90-minute creative dance practice exploring the healing nature of going deep
within and listening to the body as you wake up to your own dance __expression.
Lisa will guide you through many practices that include Contact Improv, Poetry
in Motion, Sculptural Movement, Bone Building, and Intuitive Development through
Dance. Daily excursions to many wondrous places and frequent swims in the ocean
will compliment our focused dance practice. This dance adventure is for any
one of any age who wants to connect with their body in a creative, healing way.
No previous dance experience is necessary. Add dance to your repertoire and
give form to the mystery of life that dances within you. The cost is $2200 and
includes healthy & delicious meals, double occupancy, excursions and dance
& stretch instruction.
AIRFARE ALERT:
Aloha Airlines www.alohaairlines.com
has special sale fares for the next week that run from $320 RT from the mainland
to several destinations in Hawaii. Also Island Air www.islandair.com has round
trip airfare from Honolulu or Maui to Molokai for $101 or you can take the ferry
from Lahaina, Maui, twice a day to Molokai for $40 one way.
***
There will be more Dance Weaver workshops in 2006 but this winter I’m going
inward and taking a sabbatical from organizing and planning. I will be traveling
and continuing to explore my own dancing. You will hear from me again when the
fruit trees bud and the tulips blossom. Please stay in touch and continue to
send me your dance revelations…
Always in dance and many blessings,
Lisa Alpine
360-379-1324
lisa@danceweaver.com
www.danceweaver.com
www.lisaalpine.com
www.wildwritingwomen.com
JOURNEY INTO MOVEMENT
October 2005
I have been dancing intensely exploring my own
movement in a studio I rent four times a week. I love dancing....as you know...
and this is an amazing time for me. Probably one of the main reasons I moved
up to Port Townsend, WA on the edge of the U.S. border with Canada. To isolate
myself and reconnect with my river. I am not completely isolated--many friends
and students have come to visit and I have been involved with various events
around here like the film festival--I housed a director and went to a slew of
dynamic films and parties.
After every dance session, I come home and take notes. Here is a bit from my
journaling after the first day:
I am guarding my dance space and time protectively. I do not want to inspire,
motivate, encourage, guide, focus, witness, djay or listen to any one else but
myself in the studio. A time to get to know myself again. Unadulterated. Sometimes
uninspired and critical. Too fat, too lazy, too boring, and too stiff. Those
nagging weights that haunt the mind vacuum. I do not care what they say. I know
I am reconnecting to my inner dance and also getting toned and muscled and flexible.
What a luxury---to do this just for me.
I am investing in my own creativity and digging a new well looking for the gold
dust of inspiration. Not bad at 51 years old! I sure must like to dance because
this has been on ongoing quest over many decades and many lifetimes rolled into
this one.
As I dance, memories arise from all these lifetimes I have created and layered
and let go of: Relationships, family, friends, places, passions, activities,
objects.
I spend a lot of time by myself and this is accentuated in the dance studio,
Most people dance with others. I dance with me and the space and the music.
It is an adventure for me to listen and see the doors slowly opening to my trust
of my dancer’s instinct yet again. This time I am not doing anything radical
to make it happen like sometimes in the past. Just me showing up and unlocking
the studio door, plugging in the Xmas lights, putting on my ancient black leather
dance shoes—how many floors have they danced on? Then stretching for upwards
of an hour with my eyes closed. Playing with my body, loosening it from its
stiffness. Then music and movements. It is getting freer than even last month
when I started this odyssey. Amazing! Perseverance pays off.
(I will continue to share my dance notes as they evolve and already know what
I am going to write about in the next newsletter—the importance of oxygenating
the cell tissue with exercise…)
***
I received several responses to my last newsletter’s inquiry into other’s
dance experience. Here are some comments of value I have reprinted with the
author’s permission:
I love your newsletter and what you are saying. I, too, am looking for that
inner space where creativity is born. Constantly. In many ways. Without (much)
compromise. I want you to know your teaching has had and has meaning for me.
I trust what you offer and who you are.
I relate to what you quote from John Lee, for I only want mentors, and friends,
who live in their bodies. I don’t trust only words, and concepts are not
of much interest of value to me. But I do trust moving from the inside and relating
to others from a rather non-personal (but quite intimate) space. And the language
of the heart matters- a lot.
I am living on Maui now, with my wife Hanna. We just bought a beautiful house
in Huelo and are in a tropical paradise with fruit trees and a wonderful healing
environment. We are trying to live our dreams and live our truths, even not
often knowing what those might be! Lately I know clearly, once again, that I
am quite a misfit. I enjoy the communion that can happen between misfits, or
those that follow their own paths.
Vinn Marti was here teaching Soul Motion again last month, and will be coming
for a longer stint in October. He brings something deep to the dance room that
I have really enjoyed. I am pretty finished with regular dance events. I want
some real meeting, through the heart and through a meditative presence. Anything
else does not satisfy, even when the room is filled with beautiful people. The
soulfulness and listening in the room was extraordinary at times, and so was
the dancing. It’s hard to go to a Dance Jam or Barefoot Boogie anymore.
I wish you well on your journey in Port Townsend. I might see you on Molokai
sometime, who knows? Keep in touch and thanks for listening and for your sharing.
-- Love, Anudeva
And…
My dance story? Gee, I can hardly imagine life without it anymore.
Several years back (around age 51?) I realized that I'm in this dance thing
for the long haul; otherwise I'll have to pack up and move on to the next life
of dance.-- Blessings, Jennifer
Another:
Now, is there room for me at the Dance Blast on the 15th? My knees are still
problematic, but how they love to dance! Dance, AND music does indeed
just take one’s inner being and sends it twirling and reaching to the clouds.
Those clouds in Molokai were like none that I have ever seen....they were magical...speeding
so quickly through the sky. Thank you for guiding us on these travels. Love,
susanna
Please, send me your dance thoughts. It is important to know that there are
like-minded (or bodied) folks in the world who also love to explore the art
of freeform dance movement. I would like to have my newsletter and website become
an ongoing dialog for dancers.
***
I have two dance workshops on the horizon. Here are the details:
There are a few more slots left in the next Dance Blast in San Rafael on Saturday
October 15 from 10 AM – 1 PM. This will be followed by a potluck. The cost
for this workshop is $35. We shall have a guided stretch and then dance dance
dance to all my favorite music. Directions will follow with your registration.
I will also be teaching private individual 90 minute dance classes from Friday,
October 14 through Friday, October 21 in San Rafael, California. The cost is
$65-$95 on a sliding scale. Feel free to contact me about what these special
sessions may achieve for you in your dancing body.
Last call on the lower price for the Molokai trip. The deadline for that price
is 10/31, Here’s the scoop:
DANCING ON MOLOKAI
February 18 - 27, 2006
Discover the remote island of Molokai, the birthplace of the hula; it is
the sacred island where the Hawaiians sent their kahunas (shamans) for training.
An island where there is so little automobile traffic, there's not a single
traffic light. We shall spend 9 nights at Hui Ho'olana Retreat Center.
Every day will include an hour-long gentle, guided stretch and then move into
a 90-minute creative dance practice exploring the healing nature of going deep
within and listening to the body as you wake up to your own dance __expression.
Lisa will guide you through many practices that include Contact Improv, Poetry
in Motion, Sculptural Movement, Bone Building, and Intuitive Development through
Dance. Daily excursions to many wondrous places and frequent swims in the ocean
will compliment our focused dance practice. This dance adventure is for any
one of any age who wants to connect with their body in a creative, healing way.
No previous dance experience is necessary. Add dance to your repertoire and
give form to the mystery of life that dances within you. The cost is $2100 by
October 31; $2200 thereafter and includes healthy & delicious meals, double
occupancy, excursions and dance & stretch instruction. AIRFARE
ALERT:
(Here are some airfare tips: www.pandaonline.com/travelspecials has good fares
RT from the mainland to Hawaii as does Aloha Airlines www.alohaairlines.com
with special sale fares for the next week that run from $320 RT from the mainland
to several destinations in Hawaii. Also Island Air www.islandair.com has round
trip airfare from Honolulu or Maui to Molokai for $101 or you can take the ferry
from Lahaina, Maui, twice a day to Molokai for $40 one way.)
***
If you also dabble in the written word and like to mix words with travel then
consider my Travel Writing Workshop taught in San Francisco at the Writing Salon
on Saturday, October 22 from 10 AM – 4 PM. The cost is $95. You can find
out more about my writing classes and private editing and coaching services
at www.lisaalpine.com
***
I hope to hear from you about your dancing path…
DANCEWEAVER NEWSLETTER
September 2005
"Your dance took me today and suddenly I began
to whirl. All the realms spun around me in endless celebration. My soul lost
its grip. My body shed its fatigue. Hearing your drum beat and your hands clap,
I floated up to the heavens." - Rumi
How are you this season of changing colors and moods? Have you been dancing
in some form? Twirling down a dirt path in the woods—lightly stepping over
sienna-toned leaves? Taking complex tango classes in anticipation of a fantasy
(or reality) trip to Argentina? Sweating your prayers at a local dance jam?
Sashaying around your living room to a secret favorite song? Whatever!
Just keep it happening ‘cause dancing in ALL its forms is nourishing and
rejuvenative.
Since I left my own private dance palace in Marin County this summer and migrated
north to Port Townsend, WA, I have rented a dance studio— I will be teaching
in it but mostly it is for me—a place to pray and explore the inner space
where creativity is born. My goal is to replenish the inspirational well that
gives me direction in my own dance and then in my ability to guide others into
their dance as an expressive healing art form.
So that is my story… what is yours? I’d love to hear from you! Please,
please email me if you want to share your dance stories and questions on how
to connect even deeper to this delicious art form.
I have two dance workshops on the horizon. Here are the details:
There will be a Dance Blast in San Rafael on Saturday October 15 from 10 AM
– 1 PM, with a potluck to follow. The cost for this workshop is $35. We
shall have a guided stretch and then dance dance dance to all my favorite music.
Directions will follow with your registration. Space is limited to 12 students
so register early.
I will also be teaching private individual 90 minute dance classes from Friday,
October 14 through Friday, October 21 in San Rafael, California. The cost is
$65-$95 on a sliding scale. Feel free to contact me about what these special
sessions may achieve for you in your dancing body.
The next big dance adventure is my 10 day trip to the remote island of Molokai:
DANCING ON MOLOKAI
February 18 - 27, 2006
Discover the remote island of Molokai, the birthplace of the hula; it is
the sacred island where the Hawaiians sent their kahunas (shamans) for training.
An island where there is so little automobile traffic, there's not a single
traffic light. We shall spend 9 nights at Hui Ho'olana Retreat Center.
Every day will include an hour-long gentle, guided stretch and then move into
a 90-minute creative dance practice exploring the healing nature of going deep
within and listening to the body as you wake up to your own dance __expression.
Lisa will guide you through many practices that include Contact Improv, Poetry
in Motion, Sculptural Movement, Bone Building, and Intuitive Development through
Dance. Daily excursions to many wondrous places and frequent swims in the ocean
will compliment our focused dance practice. This dance adventure is for any
one of any age who wants to connect with their body in a creative, healing way.
No previous dance experience is necessary. Add dance to your repertoire and
give form to the mystery of life that dances within you. The cost is $2100 by
October 31: $2200 thereafter and includes healthy & delicious meals, double
occupancy, excursions and dance & stretch instruction.
(If you are already registered for the Molokai dance workshop here is a travel
tip: Island Air (www.islandair.com) has round trip airfare from Honolulu or
Maui to Molokai for $101 or you can take the ferry from Lahaina, Maui, twice
a day to Molokai for $40 one way.)
If you also dabble in the written word and like to mix words with travel then
consider my Travel Writing Workshop taught in San Francisco at the Writing Salon
on Saturday, October 22 from 10 AM – 4 PM. The cost is $95. You can find
out more about my writing classes and private editing and coaching services
at www.lisaalpine.com
I do believe that dancing and writing make a lovely duet in the creative firing
of the inspirational juices. Here is a passage from John Lee’s book, "Writing
from the Body":
"People who are breathing their own lives not only encouraged us to take
deep breaths, but showed us how to do it. They invited the air with their whole
bodies... In our search for mentors, we must bear in mind that we need the support
of people who LIVE in their bodies, who aren't just visitors in their own skins"
That is all for now. I hope that your life is full and that you share that fullness
with others.
Journey Into Movement November newsletter
Dancing Light in Paris
Do not just stare at art—become it
Get involved and interact.
Taste the immortal beauty of art by dancing with it
Do not hold back
Art is alive
You are alive --Lisa
This photo was taken at night in Paris last summer. I was there
with my Wild Writing Women gang to gather at a villa in the south of France
as guests of Maureen Wheeler, founder of Lonely Planet Guides. We had a few
days to savor Paris beforehand and we had do a book reading at Shakespeare and
Co.
The evening of our reading we celebrated with a raw oyster and Sancerre feast and
then wandered in the glow of my favorite city on earth. Art is everywhere. There
were these amazingly gold gilt modern spikes coming out of the earth in front
of a church near the Louvre. I had to touch them and move around them –feeling
their glorious golden teeth reaching to the heavens. Carla King took this photo.
The French lovers sitting on a nearby bench were unfazed by my snake like dance
as I wrapped my limbs around the sculpture.
I teach only two more workshops this year. One is in Hawaii
from 11/11- 11/8 and the other is a one day workshop at my studio in Marin in
December. I have taught the Dancing Light workshop for several years now right
before the holidays. It is a celebration of the coming of winter and the lighting
of our internal candle of intuition and trust. Here is a description of
the workshop:
DANCING LIGHT: INTUITIVE DEVELOPMENT THROUGH DANCE
Saturday December 13, 11 AM – 4 PM. $75-- includes lunch.
The intuitive mind is a sacred gift and the rational mind
is a faithful servant. We have created a society that honors the servant and
has forgotten the gift. - Albert Einstein.
Light yourself up from the inside! Refine your sensitivity and awareness to the energy and information that dances in and around us. After a wonderful dance warm-up we will work on techniques to open up your intuitive abilities through dance. We will practice spinning our chakras open, stimulating and feeling our many senses while we dance, seeing from the inside out, appreciating our sensitivity, and many other sweet and safe ways to melt boundaries and encourage you to trust your gut.
Journey Into Movement September newsletter
Those who danced were thought to be quite insane by those who could not hear the music. - Angela Monet
Those faraway feet, those whimsical extremities... When I teach a dance
class, I ALWAYS start from the ground up. I have the student look down at their
feet and notice if they are aligned with each other or not--most of the time
they aren't. One foot skews slightly to the side and this is where we begin.
I ask them to straighten their feet so they are perfectly parallel. Why? For
balance and alignment. This simple focus builds a stable pyramid supporting
the body?s weight from the ground up. This is good for posture and prevents
wear down in the arches, ankles, knees and hips.
Most people's ankles are frozen stiff but they, like all parts
of the body, respond quickly to attention and stimulation.
A Practice: Stand in alignment and roll your ankles
slowly from side to side (this is also a great skiing and running warm-up).
Feel the junction where the ankle joins the foot. Now shift your weight front
and back bending the ankle. Now rotate them slowly making a full circle that
you can feel and see.
The feet are the farthest away from the body so your mind has
to work to stay focused on them and how they feel. Your attention
doesn?t flit down there like a butterfly, it is your mind connecting with the
nerves in your feet that make a connection through the nervous system
developing the part of the brain that houses the messages to the feet. This
stimulates the electrical connection so the feet are alive and ready to
move!
Pretend your feet have ears! Your feet will hear the beat and
translate the music without you having to tell them what to do. This reestablishes
rhythm which many people think they do not have. Then you can dance with no
mind, just focus, and it is great exercise.
A Practice: At home, try dancing to just four songs
listening with your feet ? let them guide you. Toes have a purpose, too!
They are not just for stuffing into the ends of shoes but provide balance
as they adapt and respond to the contours of the ground. Get used to feeling
your feet and their shape against the floor.
I think the feet have a sense of humor. I tell students to pretend they
are standing on stage in front of a large audience. When the curtain rises,
all that is visible are their feet because it only goes up to their
knees. Their dancing feet have to entertain the audience so they better
get creative and not just do the same step over and over again. This is one
way to get out of the box of repetitive, conservative dance movements.
The feet also have vision. The shaman Don Juan taught Carlos
Castenada how to walk in the dark and see with his feet as if they had eyes.
I have experienced this in the Galapagos Islands in Ecuador on a late night
hike over the lava fields to a bay where the hammerhead sharks bred. We
crossed a jagged, uneven surface with no moon (or flashlight) to light
the way. Two hours in and two hours out and I never looked down, I just let
my feet guide me.
This takes trust! In order to trust your feet you have to be
connected to them. Befriend your feet and free them from the prison of shoes
and cramped movement, imagining they are cat paws kissing the ground lightly
as you dance your way through life.
Walking, dancing, running ... no matter what movement form you
do, always start from a neutral and aligned position. You will move forward
with grace and ease.
"If you can stand whole in your physical
body, there is nowhere on earth you cannot stand whole in your being."
- Arisika Razak
***
Here are the four dance workshops left on my 2003 schedule. I'm now working
on 2004 and considering the delights of week-long dance retreats in Tulum,
Molokai, Costa Rica and once again-- New Mexico.
photo taken by Lisa Alpine in the Atacamas Desert,
Chile.
DANCING BONES: Increase Bone Strength & Flexibility
with Dance
Saturday September 6, 11 AM - 4 PM
Learn how you can increase your bone density and flexibility through dance,
and work on alignment and weight placement awareness which enhances balance.
Not only do you need to be flexible in your musculature system, but also your
skeletal structure so that your bones do not become brittle and stiff. Encourage
your bones to build up and support you. Along with a plenitude of bone strengthening
dance and stretch exercises, we shall also enjoy a lot of frisky dancin'! $50
includes a bone-strengthening lunch!
photo taken by Lisa Alpine at Sierra HS
HEATING UP YOUR DANCE AT SIERRA HOT SPRINGS
September 19 - 21
Sculptural Movement in forest settings; massage-water-dance methods in the springs;
guided stretch and dance jams; Contact Improvisation with Ken Martini and Lisa.
Includes indoor or outdoor camping, hot springs, wholesome meals, dance guidance,
dejaying. $275 by 8/31; $295 thereafter. 10% discount if you
bring a friend.
graphic created by Herbert Rivera
Note: Aloha Airlines is having an airfare sale though 9/4 ($440 RT to the Big
Island.) You can get Mileage Plus air miles on United with Aloha, too. Check
out the prices at: www.alohaairlines.com
BIG ISLAND OCEAN LAVA FLOW DANCE
November 11 - 18
A full week of dance guidance at Kalani Hanua Retreat Center on the Big Island
of Hawaii. We will dance in the 2,500 sq.ft Rainbow Room wood floor studio and
take excursions to stunning natural environments to practice Sculptural Movement
and dance interaction with the elements including flowing lava as it pours its
earth core vitality into the ocean. We will also loosen up in the ocean, in
nearby hot spring pools & volcanic steam vents; and in the retreat center's
watsu pool with assisted stretch-massage-dancing. The cost includes: Group dance
instruction; 7 nights lodging (double occupancy with private bath); fine vegetarian
meals; a hula lesson, exotic excursions including an evening hike to the
active lava flow and dance to Pele, and frequent beach visits to swim, snorkel,
and romp -- maybe even with the inquisitive dolphins that frequent nearby black
sand Kehena Beach. $1500 by 8/31; $1550 by 9/15; $1600 thereafter.
photo taken by Lion Goodman
DANCING LIGHT: Intuitive Development Through
Dance
Saturday December 13, 11 AM - 4 PM
Light yourself up from the inside! Refine your sensitivity and awareness to
the energy and information that dances in and around us. After a wonderful dance
warm-up we will work on techniques to open up your intuitive abilities through
dance. We will practice spinning our chakras open, stimulating and feeling our
many senses while we dance, seeing from the inside out, appreciating our sensitivity,
and many other sweet and safe ways to melt boundaries and encourage you to trust
your gut. $75-- includes lunch.
The intuitive mind is a sacred gift and the rational mind is a faithful servant.
We have created a society that honors the servant and has forgotten the gift.
- Albert Einstein
JOURNEY INTO MOVEMENT JUNE newsletter
I would only believe in a God that knows how to dance. - Nietzche
DANCE AS A HEALING ART FORM & PRACTICE:
I incorporate many movement exercises that release energy up
the spine and into the brain from the occiput. These will be included in my
Dance Weaver: Journey Into Movement book. Here is an excerpt and a practice:
Dancing the kundalini: unwinding the snake. Much of the dance warm-up I teach
has to do with loosening, lengthening and strengthening the spinal cord. In
Eastern religions, it is believed that the life force is coiled at the base
of the spine. One name given this energy is kundalini and many yogic practices
are based on releasing this potent surge upward to the brain, which is reputed
to increase your spiritual awareness. I use aware dance movements that focus
on you enlivening the spinal cord which, I believe enhances the flow of the
spinal fluid to the brain. This keeps your spine limber and the discs healthy.
My practices can also improve your posture, strengthen back muscles, prevent
pinched nerves and arthritis in the vertebrae and possibly stave off osteoporosis.
Aside from the physical benefits, it is also a way to increase the circulation
and awakening of your kundalini.
A PRACTICE: The snake
Find your alignment by placing your feet parallel
to each other exactly underneath your hip sockets. Bend your knees slightly
so they are not locked. Create a wave movement that starts at the sacrum and
slowly waves upward passing through every vertebra all the way through the neck.
Keep your jaw relaxed so that energy and tension does not get stuck at the occipital
junction. Now do it again from the bottom of the spine to the top. Feel the
movement pass through every disc. If you do not feel a certain segment of your
spine and back, go even more slowly through that area until you sense the movement.
MUSIC MAKES THE WORLD GO ROUND:If you would like to enhance your music collection,
I have six new CD compilations bringing the total to 18. Request a CD order
list to review the selections.
*
The theme for the June Wild Writing
Women and my writing website newsletter
is All Things French. In both I write a Travel Getaway column on Paris
and include a list of French music CDs. I have a passion for world beat music
that I collect during my global roamings and play in my dance classes. Here
are some recordings I've purchased while traveling in France that you can also
buy in the States:
Les Chanson De Paris compilation of classics by Brisa Entertainment.
Happy Feet by 81/2 Souvenirs: Fun up beat jazzy quirky
tunes.
Purple Passage by Uman: A brother and sister team who
do unusual New Age music.
Sabsylma by Zap Mama: Really creative African style women's
singing group who rocks!
Sourir by Les Nubiens: A lovely,
sexy CD of music by 2 Nubian sisters who reside in Paris.
Prose Combat by MC Solaar: Rap
music actually sounds good in French! MC's voice is super soft delivered with
a nice beat.
Any CD by the French group St. Germaine-very hip dance beats that get everyone moving.
Journey Into Movement
May Newsletter
· Dance Health Notes · Dance Poem ·
"Movement is only as good as the stillness that underlies
it." - author Pico Iyer
DANCE HEALTH NOTES:
You can fly? Symphony conductors live longer
than any other profession. Why? They use swooping, passionate hand and arm gestures
that work the heart muscle. To build strength in your arms and ease the tension
that builds up in the shoulders and trapezius, I can teach you to lift your
arms using the lateral back muscles. Just like a bird when it flaps its wings.
This adds tremendous grace to the movement and builds a strong back. It is also
a natural way to eliminate flabby under arms.
A PRACTICE: Learn to fly
Find your alignment position. Slowly lift your arms out to the side but don't
engage your trapezius muscles. Feel the lateral back muscles kicking into gear
and lifting the arms skyward over your head connecting to the under arms and
out the extended finger tips. Now lower your arms slowly using the same technique.
If you do this a few times you will start to feel your back responding.
The above exercise can be altered to practice while driving:
A PRACTICE: Holding the Steering Wheel
This will build your under arms and prevent neck and shoulder tension while
you drive. Hold the steering wheel lightly with your fingers or palms. Don't
grip tightly as that will cause tension to run up into the neck. Now lift your
arms up from the sides of your body using your under arm instead of hanging
the arms off the steering wheel. Also engage your lateral back muscles. Keep
a gentle bend in the elbow and float your arms a slight distance from your body
as you hold the steering wheel.
DANCE POEM:
Note: This poem was written by Les Shill. I know him as a phenomenal dejay and
mystical poet.
THE TIME OF THE DANCE:
In the Majesty Of the Geological Fan
People gather in the embrace
Of the Earth Mother,
Beamed to the extraordinary
By the natural atmosphere
and the sensuality of being;
Walking is transformed into
the ether of the dance
and in it sensuality unfolds.
On the splayed earth
This ritual is timeless
And age-honored;
The flame of rhythm
And the cascade of song
Are extrapolated via the dance,
Sing for us singer
Drummers lay it right on,
The flower of movement is
The cloak that we don,
In the eye of existence
In the key of the kiss
In the notion of continuance
In the bath of bliss
In the fire of our passion
In the love that we share
In the glory box it glistens
In it's moisture we dare
To define our connections
To extend our hands
To build the pleasures
To transform the bands
Of the time of the dance
Journey Into Movement
April Newsletter
· Dance Notes · Dance Poem ·
All the buried seeds
crack open in the dark
the instant they surrender
to a process they can't see.
-- Mark Nepo
DANCE NOTES:
Just a brief note to let you know that Sabrina Page (dj rhythmdeva) and music mistress at Dance Spirit in Marin County for a decade, will be the dj at the next Techno Cosmic Mass - Sunday April 13 at 6:30pm. The theme of this event will be the Cosmic Christ, and for those of you who haven't been to one lately, there is more and more dancing throughout, as well as dancing following the event at 9:15pm. The Techno Cosmic Mass, created by Matthew Fox and The University of Creation Spirituality, is a fabulous multimedia event, see www.technocosmicmass.org for more information. The address is: 1933 Broadway, downtown Oakland, in the beautiful Historic Sweet Ballroom.
DANCE POEM:
Why I Dance
by
Jules Layne
Impossible
to be stuck
while moving
joy arises
tears may flow
even anger, pushing hard, stomping against the floor
against the things that hurt or loom over
threatening to come too close
tenderness
this twirl, this shimmy, this sweep of a graceful arm
how much we all want to be seen and loved
engaged and free
soulful
as each song ends
another begins
letting go, letting come, letting go
myself with myself, with
the others
no denying this stew of energy we share
the music a pool of qi to swim in
together
celebration! hope! love!
D A N C E
***
To find out about my writing workshops, go to www.lisaalpine.com
Journey Into Movement
March Newsletter
· Dance Notes · Tastes & Sounds
· Dance Poem · Parting Bite ·
That which God said to the bloom
and caused it to laugh in full-blown beauty,
She said to my heart
and made it a hundred times more beautiful. -- Rumi
DANCE NOTES:
Where to Get Your Groove Goin’:
The Groove Garden - Marin's Monthly Dancetribal
Gathering-is held the first Saturday of every month at the Fairfax Community
Church. It’s a techno blizzard of dance for all ages. DJ Dragonfly prevails
and says of his bashes: "Did I say tilt the bay? Saturday night we disassemble
the dance floor into a masticated mash of burning floorboards with the best
mix-up in world grooves, funky breaks, tribal house and more. The chillroom
beckons when you need less, and organic treats and massage
await your body!"
It costs $12.00 and goes from 8:00 PM - 1 AM. To find
about this and other Dragonfly events, go to: www.thegroovegarden.com
Dancing Bones:
I wrote about the importance of bone strength and
flexibility in my last newsletter. Lion Goodman responded with this interesting
information that pertains to what I experienced on the ski slope:
Here's a physiological fact that aligns with what you were saying about bones:
When bones flex, they produce a tiny piezo-electric current - the same thing
happens to crystals such as quartz when they are flexed or pressed. This characteristic
of some materials is used in making electronic components. In our bodies, this
electrical current helps in the process of molecular calcium being laid down
into the bone. Surgeons now know this so they get people up and moving after
operations much more quickly than they used to. This is why exercise is needed
to keep bones strong, and why old people who don't exercise get brittle and
break more easily. This also explains why astronauts, who have no gravity to
push against, experience bone loss during long stays in space.
On that note, check out my Bone Building workshop May 3rd.
The Magic of Mineral Water:
There are two week-long dance workshops scheduled
for this year. The first is to New Mexico in May and the 2nd is to the Big Island
in November. Both include stays and visits to hotsprings. I believe in the healing
properties of mineral water, especially combined with the release that dance
initiates in the body. At Ojo Caliente Mineral Spa, where we stay in New Mexico,
there are seven outdoor pools to soak in -all very potent and with different
affects on the body depending on their individual mineral content. On the Big
Island, mineral waters gush from many sources near the lava flow. We do watsu
on the ocean’s edge in the soccer field-sized lukewarm Millionaire’s
Pond; snorkel in warm clouds of mineral water on a reef; and climb into a womb-like
steam vent with the waters dripping down the interior of our natural wet sauna
. All tremendously magical settings and a wonderful combination with the daily
dance & stretch routines we do during the workshops. Mother Nature is my
favorite healer!
Weaving Words & Dance:
To find out about my writing workshops, e mail me a request for the monthly
Journey Into Writing newsletter. This month I include a getaway travel article
on Eureka & the redwoods; writing tips, reading recommendations, and more.
TASTES & SOUNDS:
A Hindi Feast
I always went to restaurants when I wanted Indian food. Not any longer for I
have discovered the bible of Indian cuisine: Lord Krishna’s Cuisine: The
Art of Indian Vegetarian Cooking (ISBN# 0-525-24564-2). This hefty hardback
(slightly hefty price, too, @ $35) has led my sweetheart and I on a delicious
journey discovering ambrosial recipes which are easy to prepare. Sorry, no more
description - I must get back to the kitchen and grind my spices.
Of course, the food tastes better if you are also listening to Indian music.
Here are some recommendations:
Sky Kisses Earth by Prem Joshua: This is a great one to grind spices
to! Rather hip and seductive.
Eternal Dance by Atman: Definitely dancey and more trance-cosmic
than traditional.
Devotion by Rasa: A good CD to stretch and relax with.
Monkey by Jai Uttal: Classic and fun mixes to cook with as your
ghee is melting.
The Essense by Deva Premal: Very soothing chanting in a lovely voice.
Shri Durga compliation by Cheb I Sabbah: An interesting remix
of Hindi dance vibes gone techno.
DANCE POEM:
Audette Sophia entered this poem into the "Why
I dance" poetry contest and won a Poetry in Motion workshop which she attended
two weeks ago. The workshop was over-the-top with talent and inspiration. Magical
things transpire when the muse takes over!
Why I dance
I dance because it is the quickest way to lose myself-
And thus find myself.
I dance because my emotions and passions live in my body
and have a language of their own.
Dancing gives my permission to fluidly explore the feeling tones of my many
facets.
To feel passionate, powerful, childlike, beautiful, vulnerable, strong, and
fluid.
To forget about my brilliant theories and epic concerns, to let go of my mental
grip on concepts of crisis, oppression, environmental destruction and war
To be a soul in a body that feels-
Insecurity breaking open into liberation
Liberation melting into surrender
Surrender delivering me into the arms of Connection
Connection causing sadness
and evolutionary surging of fiery passion
Lifting me into an explosion, bathing me in my own intensity
And then again on another journey-
Movement becomes the magic carpet that can carry me to many realms and dimensions
I dance because the Universe is essentially music
And movement is my native tongue. -Audette Sophia
PARTING BITE:
Life is like photography. You use the negative
to develop-- Swami Beyondananda
Journey Into Movement February Newsletter
* Contest Winners * Dance Notes * Music Recommendations
*
CONTEST:
I received many beautiful responses to the poetry contest subject
of "why I dance". I picked three winners. They are Patricia Marina,
Jules Layne and Audette Sophia (call me to collect your certificate for a Monthly
Dance Intensive or for the upcoming Poetry in Motion workshop.) Here is Patricia
Marina's poem: I will publish the other two poems in upcoming newsletters.
Why I Dance
When I dance to the rhythm of the conga drum, I am free, I am ageless- I feel
no pain
Beauty surrounds my every step, I am warm, I am alive, and there is only the
limitless space of now
Time stands still as I dance to the beat of the conga drum
There is no where to hide in the dance
I am alive, I am in love, and I feel no pain
Anywhere, anytime I can dance to the beat of the conga drum
I am happy, and my mind is at ease
What a delightful feeling this is
I feel whole, I am cleansed
I was made to dance to the beat of the conga drum
I am dancing, I take pause, I am refreshed yet energized, I feel open, and I
feel no pain
I look forward to dancing either alone or with company; it doesn't matter as
long as I can keep dancing to the beat of the conga drum
I can let go I am strong in the dance and know deep inside dancing completes
my life
I feel light with joy, I am satisfied, and the beat fills my heart to over flowing
I could not feel better in the dance, which is my life, because I have found
a
friendly place where I can be where there are no boundaries or limits to how
good I can feel
It doesn't matter how I look, whether I am fat or thin or what color I am
This place is called dance and it welcomes us all
This is the place where I feel ageless and beautiful,
and I feel no pain
as I keep on dancing to the beat of the conga drum.
Patricia Marina - January 4, 2003
DANCE NOTES:
"Every man is the builder of a temple, called
his body, to the god he worships, after a style purely his own, nor can he get
off by hammering marble instead. We are all sculptors and painters, and our
material is our own flesh and blood and bones." - Henry David Thoreau.
A student called today and inquired about how I
use dance to increase bone strength and flexibility, and improve alignment and
weight placement awareness. This is the theme of the upcoming Monthly Dance
Intensive which is sold out but a theme I will teach again due to the demand.
Not only do we need to be flexible in our musculature
system, but also our skeletal structure so that our bones do not get brittle
and stiff. I learned this two years ago on a ski trip. I had pushed myself on
the slopes all day. I attempted several black diamond runs at Squaw Valley -
no small feat. I didn't run them gracefully but I made it down in one piece.
It was time to head back to the base - shadows and cold were clamping down on
the terrain. I almost made it to the bottom. Then, my ski hit an edge and I
flipped. I was going fast. The ski stuck upright into the hard packed snow.
I felt my leg pressing downward against the rigid boot rim. The bindings were
set too tight and would not release. In slow motion I could feel my leg bone
bending and bending. I knew it was going to break at any moment yet it flexed
(I could FEEL it) and then-the bindings released and I fell against the snow.
In great pain, I stood up. Shaking. I knew my leg was a millimeter away from
having snapped in two and that the only thing that prevented that was the flexibility
in my bones. Yes, it is not just muscle that should be flexible but also the
bone- I did not know this until I felt my own leg bone bending.
So how do you create stronger and more flexible
bones? Here is what I do: When I stretch my legs or arms:I slowly pull them
and torque the bone along with being aware of stretching the long muscle groups.
Become aware of your bones that lay under the muscles. Press on them when you
stretch. Flex them. Pay attention to them. How do they feel?
Also, when I am dancing I make a point of doing
springing type motions up and down as I dance. While I do this, I have my weight
come right through the center of my leg bone structure as my feet land on the
floor. This encourages the bones to build up and support you.
Strong flexible bones increase our balance and
will keep us from tottering over and breaking bones as we age. I teach my mother
and her friends these exercises so they don't have so much fear constricting
their movements. Teach this to seniors in your life.
I have changed the dates of the New Mexico Silver Desert dance week to May 13 - 20. There is limited space on this trip so please register soon if you are contemplating joining us to dance in ancient ruins amid blooming cactus. The discounted rate of $1,350 is only available till 2/15. Round trip airfare direct from Oakland to Albuquerque on Southwest Airlines is currently $200 which includes all taxes. This fare will hold till through 1/31 and may extend beyond that but I am not sure. Call me for more details.
MUSIC RECOMMENDATIONS:
Tried and true World Beat compilations:
Worlds Collide Global Remixes - a 2 CD set. Excellent!
Global Sounds: Journey Into Music - 2 CD set. A fusion of world music
and ambient remixes.
Quango World Groove - A sexy celebration of dance music.
Dance Around the World - Funky dance remixes of classics from Could You
be Love by the Itals to Scatterings by Juluku.
Journey into Movement January 2003
* Contest * Notes * Music Recommendations *
CONTEST:
Early this morning as I watched
clouds lift off distant hills, revealing bright green early grass carpeting
and smoky blue hill crests, I thought, " What fun to have a contest for
my dance students so that they have the opportunity to take a Dance Intensive
for free!" So try your hand, and pen, at this…
Write a mini essay (200-500 words) or poem on why you dance. E-mail it to me
by 1/20. I will choose three winners and post their writings in the next newsletter.
The prize will be gift certificates for a Monthly Dance Intensive the winners
may use any time during 2003.
NOTES ON WRITING & DANCE:
It seems that many of you who dance
and love creative movement also enjoy writing. It certainly is true for me.
The movement keeps my body happy and expressive and the writing stimulates my
mental gymnastics. When combining the two arts, I feel full and satisfied with
my life. Henry Miller said it well, "There is only one great adventure,
and that is inward towards yourself."
Did he also dance? I have heard stories from old beat era friends of mine (Bill
Worth and Guy Lawlor) who worked at Napenthe in Big Sur where Miller lived in
the 1950s. They remember him dancing lively versions (well lubricated, of course…)
of the Greek Mazurka on the deck overlooking the vast Pacific along with Kim
Novak and other notable types. The muses of music, dance and poetry have been
tickling our souls and soles for millenniums …
For a list of my writing classes and the upcoming W5 Wild Writing Women Writers
Conference at Fort Mason on January 25 & 26, go to my other website dedicated
to all my writing services at www.lisaalpine.com
MUSIC RECOMMENDATIONS:
Timbuktu by Issa Bagayogo –
a very cool African blend.
Verve/Remixed – a combination of famous jazz singers (Nina Simone, Sarah
Vaughan, etc…) mixed with modern dance music.
Mantra Mix – Semi-techno and hip dance compilation with a mantra theme.
It benefits the Tibetan Refugees Fund.
Meli Meli by Cheb Mami – contemporary western rhythms with traditional
Algerian beats.
Pictures of Passion – compilation of vocal and symphonic music. Haunting
and deep.
Buddha Bar 1 & 2 – Fun, ambient, world beat goes electronic compilation
of listening and dance blends.
Afrotronic 2 - Double CD. Another dance compilation mixing African, Brazilian
and funk.
The Garden of Mirrors by Stephan Micus – Wonderful, haunting, soft sounds.
The Breakbeat Experience – This one is recommended by Winnie, a dancer
friend in South Africa. It has different culture and genres of toons.
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"It's still kind of a new experience for me to dance the True Dance ... with people watching. I'm never sure if they see it, what they actually get. If they do see past their own eyes. But if there is a chance of anything coming across, if anything of the heart and passion with which we truly live can ever be seen and shared and lifted to the sky, then that chance spins with a dance. The unfurling of an arm and the invitation to fly. Thanks for calling me onto the carpet this weekend." -- K.K., participant at recent Sierra Hot Springs dance weekend. |
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Journey into Movement September 2000
HEY, I'M ANIMATED! Herberth Rivera, my web-guru, has done it again. Delivered even more color and vibrancy to the Dance Weaver website by adding animation. Yes, we dance on the web! The music the green man (I drew him ages ago at the kitchen table and it cracks me up to see him brought to life and dancing!) is somersaulting over will be an original piece by Nicolette titled, What da Funk? She has incorporated whale calls into the track along with a BEAT!
INSPIRATIONAL TIDBITS: Allow the natural force of your original mind to wash you free. - artist Richard Lang. Truth is what our hearts truly desire, not what our minds perceive, - dancer, Janet Weaver past this one on when I was dithering about a lover. You know, protecting my heart, afraid to open up and get hurt. That kind of mind-loop.
POETIC PASSION: Excerpts from a poem titled, The Marriage Contract, written by Claire Etcheverry after the recent Mendocino Ocean Dance weekend:
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I promise… to be in awe of my body's genius | |
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| For sensing, | ||||
| For integrating the Universal and Personal, | ||||
| For renewal, | ||||
| For rebirth, | ||||
| For expressing these experiences. |
I too wrote a poem, but during the Mendo workshop when we did a poetry jam fueled by our dance on the dark rock tidepools in the morning. This is improvisational: ON THIS GLITTERING DAY
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My mouth kisses a kiss of volcanic passion. | |
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| Bones ring out, a clanking sound that | |||||
| puckers lips and makes birds startle, rising up, elevated to heights | |||||
| where fish below are silhouetted. | |||||
| Juicy anemones beckon those birds back to roost on lavic shelves. | |||||
| On this glittering day, delicate infant shells are displayed as a necklace around the anemone's tentacle fringe. | |||||
| Alive Alive | |||||
| The ocean thrives. | |||||
| Rich in simple life forms. | |||||
| Thick in saline soup. | |||||
| Salted to perfection. |
MENDO BENDO: The Mendocino Ocean Dance weekend was a dance of creatures. Whales spouted offshore, black dolphins surfaced, as did bull sea lions arcing off the wave tops chasing a school of fish as pelicans dive bombed the writhing sea, boiling with anchovies, I believe. Then there were the pristine tidepools we were fortunate enough to peer into and dance next to. Thick with anemones, thumbnail fish, darting shrimp, slinking snails, beds of mussels. It was so HOT, we went swimming several times in the shivery jade green waters of a protected cove. A beach, divided by a fresh water stream, provided our stage for delving deep into advanced Sculptural Movement. I took it farther than usual with a lot of coaching and partner duets. This will be one of the focuses of the Monthly Dance Intensive on September 9th.
"IF YOU'RE NOT LIVING ON THE EDGE, YOU'RE TAKING UP TOO MUCH ROOM!" - Alison Wright, one of the Wild Writing Women (my writer's group) who got destroyed (as in, almost died) in a bus accident in Laos this year and yet, is off to Antarctica for a one month photo shoot even though her doctor said "stay at home." The WWW creed: "I shall voyage about the world in search of adventure, and a good storyline, no matter what. Let Martha Stewart stay home and make table arrangements!" On that note, you might consider taking my travel writing workshop at the Writing Salon in San Francisco on Oct. 28th.
Journey into Movement July 2000
MID-SUMMER NIGHT'S PARTY JAM: Another dance party is in the mix with dejay Les Shill and myself on July 29th from 9 pm to whenever we stop dancing. Sweat is the purpose. as Dance Weaver-ites and friends unit for a summer's
