February 2012 Newsletter - Aloha!

A'a i ka hula, waiho i ka maka'u i ka hale Translation from Hawaiian: Dare to dance, leave shame at home   First thing tomorrow morning I leave for Hawaii. I feel like I have been preparing for this Nia and Belly Dancing retreat for nearly a year yet I still feel like I have so much to do! I have butterflies in my belly and excitement fills my soul. Joining me on the journey to Hawaii are my Nia sister-colleagues, Sandra Caldwell and Jen Kraft. They are both phenomenal women-healers that I feel honored to dance with. And just a week ago my beautiful mother-in-law, Winni, decided to join us for the retreat. Winni has just recently discovered her passion for sewing. I always knew she was talented. She made my wedding dress 11 years ago and it was truly the most beautiful dress I've ever worn. Wait until you see the skirts, veils and tops she made for us to dance in at this retreat. Wow! I feel full. Life is good. My intention for this retreat is to share what I love most about Nia - the art of being fully present in my body and joyfully dancing my dance. The mindfulness, presence and joy that this practice has brought into my life is unparalleled. If I can just share a taste of it I will have accomplished a part of my life's purpose. I also know, from friends, that Hawaii has a way of working her magic. I am open to whatever decides to come through me while I am there. I am ready to teach, to share, to learn, to receive and surrender to the magic of paradise. The retreat will be held at the Kalani Oceanside Retreat. Take a look at the facilities: http://www.kalani.com/guest-info/facilities Can you understand why I can hardly wait to get there?! I will try and post photos and short reflections about the retreat on my blog: http://everybodyloveyourbody.blogspot.com/ and Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/EverybodyLoveYourBody The retreat runs from February 4 - 9. While I am away my classes at Community Fitness will continue as usual and will be subbed by the exquisite Gretchen Musgrove. While I am gone, feel free to take this online class masterfully taught by Nia creator Debbie Rosas: http://www.nianow.com/story/2012/01/nia-class-video-awareness-of-muscles Note: Press play on the video on this webpage and then expand to the full screen using the icon that looks like four arrows on the bottom right side of the video. I will be back in Seattle on February 10th arriving home on the red-eye in time to take a quick nap and teach Second Friday Nia from 7:30pm-8:30pm at the Dance Space in Greenwood. I haven't selected a theme for this class yet but I suspect it will have something to do with Hawaii :). Please join me that night and feel free to wear a leis! My regular teaching schedule resumes when I return with these exciting changes: Mondays - Open Flight Studio No class on February 6 due to a performance at the studio. My last class will be held on February 13, 2012 at 5:30pm. Please join me in dancing a goodbye dance to this beautiful studio overlooking the University Way. Tuesdays - NEW - Nia and Yoga Join me and Liziah Woodruff, certified Viniyoga instructor, for this weekly 75-minute class 9:15am - 10:30am The Dance Space in Greenwood 124 N 103rd Street Seattle, WA 98133 Note: Please bring a yoga mat. Class fee is the same. $13 drop-in or use a class card Wednesdays - Community Fitness 65th St studio, 5:30pm - 6:30pm Thursdays - NEW - Nia 9:30am - 10:30am The Dance Space in Greenwood 124 N 103rd Street Seattle, WA 98133 Note: This will be a regular class but I am also offering it as an Introduction to Nia class for new students. Second Friday Nia - next up: February 10, 2012 7:30pm - 8:30pm The Dance Space in Greenwood 124 N 103rd Street Seattle, WA 98133 Saturdays - Community Fitness Roosevelt studio, 1:00pm - 2:00pm Sundays - Delilah's Belly Dance Studio in Fremont, 10:30am - 11:30am Sundays February 19 – March 18, 2012 - Nia 5 Stages of Self-Healing Five-Week Series: The Dance Space in Greenwood, 124 N 103rd Street Seattle, WA 98133 5pm - 6pm on 2/19, 2/26, 3/4, 3/11 and 3/18 Cost: $50 for the series or $13 drop-in Description: Nia 5 Stages is a powerful integrative practice based on the five stages of human development: embryonic, creeping, crawling, standing and walking. This practice is dedicated to self-healing and to using these five movements as stimulation to feel better in your body. The object of practicing these five simple movements is to prepare the body to become more functional, energetic, and comfortable while doing any movement such as: dancing, walking, running, yoga, martial arts, etc. This practice allows you to sense the natural ability your body has to realign itself and self-heal through movement. By the end of this five-week series you will have an in-depth introduction to each of the movements so that you can sustain a home practice. Come for the series or drop-in when you can. I am especially excited to be establishing a consistent presence at The Dance Space in Greenwood. As Gretchen Musgrove says often - it is our sanctuary. Indeed it is. It is a sanctuary - a place to heal, thrive, laugh, love and heal. I am grateful to joing Gretchen, Susan Tate and Jena Hennessey there. Please follow us on our blog and Facebook page. See you in a week - It is likely I will return with a tan, mosquito bites, a love for Hawaii, and a new passion for belly dancing to match my passion for Nia! Jennifer NEW! 75-minute Nia and Yoga Weekly Classes with Jennifer Lucero-Earle and Liziah Woodruff Tuesday mornings - Classes begin Feb 14 9:30am – 10:30am at The Dance Space in Greenwood $13 drop-in or use my class card. Bring a yoga mat.  This class includes 45 minutes of Nia: sensory-based movement practice that combines the expressiveness of dance, the power and explosiveness of martial arts and the wisdom of the healing arts, and 30 minutes of Viniyoga: a highly adaptable, meditative, relaxing and healing form of yoga. This weekly class will leave you with a healthy body, quiet mind, open heart and vibrant spirit.

Whether you've never done Nia before or are a fairly new or experienced student, this series is open to all who want to return to beginners mind-body and deepen their Nia practice. Introduction to Nia Six-Week Series Thursday mornings - Classes begin Feb 16 Classes are held on the following dates: 2/16, 2/23, 3/1, 3/8, 3/15 and 3/22 9:30am – 10:30am at The Dance Space in Greenwood, 124 N 103rd St, Seattle, WA 98133 Cost: $65 for the six-week series, $13 drop-in or use my class card. Join me for this six-week introduction to Nia. No previous experience required. Learn to dance in a way that expresses your unique self while improving your balance, coordination and developing greater flexibility, agility, mobility, strength and stability. Nia is appropriate for all fitness levels, body types and ages. Wear comfortable clothes, bring water, your bare feet and a smile. Come for the joy of movement! Sign up for the series or feel free to use my class card or drop-in. To register email: jennifer@everybodyloveyourbody.com Five-week Nia 5 Stages Series  Sunday evenings Feb 19 - March 18 Specific dates: 2/19, 2/26, 3/4, 3/11 and 3/18  Time: 5pm - 6pm Where: The Dance Space in Greenwood, 124 N 103rd St, Seattle, WA 98133 Cost: $50 for the series or $13 drop-in Nia 5 Stages is a powerful practice to realign and self-heal the body. Through music, imagery, movement and language, this class guides you through five stages based on the natural phases of human development: Embryonic, Creeping, Crawling, Standing and Walking. This practice is dedicated to self-healing and to using these five movements as stimulation to feel better in your body. The object of practicing these five simple movements is to prepare the body to become more functional, energetic, and comfortable while doing any movement such as: dancing, walking, running, yoga, martial arts, etc. This practice allows you to sense the natural ability your body has to realign itself and self-heal through movement. By the end of this five-week series you will have an in-depth introduction to each of the movements so that you can sustain a home practice. Sign-up for the series, drop-in for $13 or use a class card. Register: jennifer@everybodyloveyourbody.com

Feb Schedule and Playshop Info

Hello everyone,

A reminder of my schedule over the next week:

Thursday, February 17, 2011 – I am debuting the routine “Passion” at 6:30pm at Fresh Fitness and Dance in Wallingford. The focus of this routine will be dancing your body from a place of effortlessness and love.

Elise Tissot-Storey is the lovely little lady in red.

Elise Tissot-Storey will be covering my classes on:
Friday, February 18, 2011 at 6pm at Delilah’s Belly Dance Studio in Fremont, and
Saturday, February 19, 2011 at 11am at Fresh Fitness and Dance in Wallingford.

Elise will be teaching the routine "Butterfly". I have not taught this routine yet but I can tell you that Elise teaches it so beautifully! She teaches with such grace and heart. I thoroughly enjoy dancing with Elise. She has inspired me to learn this routine. Come dance Butterfly with her while I am in San Francisco!

Classes are canceled on Sunday, February 20th and Monday, February 21st.

I return to Seattle next week and am looking forward to resuming my regular teaching schedule on Thursday, February 24th!

“Through art and dance we reclaim our primal heritage and move towards a more embodied future.”  - Anna Halprin

I have shared with many of you where I am going this weekend. I am headed to San Francisco to participate in a special weekend workshop with Anna Halprin. From what I understand, the workshop is on the powerful intelligence of the body and to create personal and collective dances that have meaning and includes movement rituals and other somatic experiences beneath the beautiful redwood trees in Marin. I have been looking forward to this weekend for months and hope it will make me a better person, teacher and student of movement as a healing art.

One last thing. There has been a slight change to the start and end time for the three Nia 5 Stages Playshops I am working on. Take note of the new times:

3 Saturdays:
March 12, 2011: The Base of the Body
April 16, 2011: The Core of the Body
May 14, 2011: The Upper Extremities

Time: 1:30pm-3:30pm
Where: Civetta Dance Space in Greenwood
Cost: $17 per class or $45 for all 3

For more about the playshops: http://everybodyloveyourbody.blogspot.com/p/events.html

To register for any or all of the playshops email me directly at jennifer@everybodyloveyourbody.com.

With love in my heart and gratitude for being your friend, teacher and student,

Jennifer

February Update (Newsletter)

Susan Tate's debut of the new Nia Routine R1. January 1, 2011.

Hello everyone,

Happy New Year! I hope 2011 is off to a great start for you. The last month has been quite wonderful. I began, quite joyously, teaching five classes per week in January and introduced two new routines: Opal and Sexi. In February, I will be working with theme "love" and introducing the Nia routine Passion mid-month. I use "love" in the broadest sense to include love of self, other, nature, humanity and of course, the love of our bodies and movement :).

Class Schedule

My current class schedule is listed below and can also be found on my website:

Mondays: 5:30pm at Open Flight Studio in the University District
Thursdays: 6:30pm at Fresh Fitness and Dance in Wallingford
Fridays: 6:00pm at Delilah's Belly Dance Studio in Fremont
Saturdays: 11:00am at Fresh Fitness and Dance in Wallingford
Sundays: 5:00pm (Gentle Nia/Nia 5 Stages) at the Civetta Dance Space in Greenwood

Sunday Class Changes:

I am changing the structure Combined Nia 5 Stages and Gentle/Restorative Nia class on Sunday evenings. Starting in February, we will begin the class with a 40-45 minute Gentle Nia class (level 1) and end with about 10 minutes of the Nia 5 Stages. I have ordered new knee pads from Nia headquarters and hope they arrive within six weeks.

February Holiday Schedule:

No classes on Friday, February 18th, Sunday, February 20th and Monday, February 21st.

*I will be out of town for the holiday weekend.

Class is ON for Saturday, February 19th:

Elise Tissot-Storey, my Nia colleague and friend, also teaches at Fresh Fitness and Dance. Elise's classes are held on Monday mornings at 9:45am and Wednesday mornings at 10:45am. Elise, who I can only describe as an absolute love, will be covering my Saturday, February 19th class when I am out of town. Please come and dance with Elise! 

Upcoming Nia Mini-Playshops:

Playshops are what Nia folk call workshops. I am currently planning three Nia 5 Stages playshops for Spring. These playshops will provide you with a more in depth practice of the 5 stages.

The Nia 5 Stages is an integrative practice based on the five stages of human development: embryonic, creeping, crawling, standing and walking. When the body moves through the Nia 5 Stages, the body, mind, emotions, and spirit naturally realign, unify and integrate, leaving a greater sense of wholeness, health and well-being. Developed as a practice, these stages lead to changes that improve one's physical comfort, ability to move efficiently, and improvement in whole body functioning and posture. 

In each 90-minute playshop, you will be guided through the 5 Stages practice followed by short Nia class.

More information about the 5 Stages Mini-Playshops coming soon! In the meantime, save the dates:

Saturdays: March 12th, April 16th and May 14th

When: 2:15pm-3:45pm

Where: Civetta Dance Space in Greenwood

Cost: $17 per class or $45 for all 3

Stay in touch:

A reminder that I usually post the class focus (and more) on my blog. You can also find me on Facebook and Twitter. 

That's all for now. I am looking forward to dancing with you soon and throughout the year.

With warmth and gratitude for being your teacher, student and dance playmate,

Jennifer