DANCE LAB

I would like to share a little bit more about my class, Dance Lab. It is my newest Art For Life creation and I am very proud of it. It was born in confluence with the most beautiful yoga/movement/arts space in Todos Santos--Cuatro Vientos. This was a true experience of synergy--a lifetime of various experiences culminating in this class, with the perfect space.

I love leading the class, using a headset microphone for the first time--spouting out a spontaneous mix of poetry, guided meditation and movement suggestions. Teaching this class is one of the greatest joys in my life.

Dance Lab is a 75 minute meditation through stillness, movement, pilates and dance. Through all the levels and modes of Dance Lab—we develop our awareness of all the corners of our experience. Being experts and artists of our most authentic expression. Dance Lab is a chance for you to feel safe to move freely, developing your own body intuition and guidance. You will have the opportunity to rest, play, meditate, move, dance, create all in one class. You will leave feeling energized, and fresh—ready to celebrate the evening with friends, family or in sweet reflective repose.

Dance Lab was designed to create an opportunity for an intensive, personal work out of the body, mind and spirit. It was designed to gradually guide you into a deeper experience of yourself and your own creativity—increasing your range of expressiveness. As the music builds and the heat in your body builds, you integration mind, body and emotion, which ultimately leads you to the spiritual plane of unity within and without. As the sun sets, and the energy comes to a peak, you are returned to an upbeat, connected space of connection with both self and other, ready to welcome the evening with newfound energy, authenticity and joy.

Dance Lab is for those who want to develop their range of expressiveness through dance, or to have an authentic experience of movement and self connection and expression. It is also an incredible full body work out: designed to develop your concentration, mind/emotion/body awareness, loosen all the joints, work out and stretch the major muscle groups—with a special emphasis on the core through pilates exercises.

I have so far created 41 unique playlists since I launched this class on January 7th of this year. I have missed only one class due to illness.

Here is the playlist I created for today (I am proud to say it features music by two of my friends):

Ah, Breath Voices         Silvia Nakkach  
Compass           Habit Trail    Compass   
Unison         Björk    Vespertine  
Joga      Björk    Homogenic 
Consequence  The Notwist
Epliohunk      Ratatat               
Fidelity          Regina Spektor  
We Are the Wild        Holly Mae and the Painted Room    Turns of Phrase         
Nocturnes Op.15 No.2 Fis-Dur       Chopin   
Cherry      Ratatat   
Heads Up         Karen O the Kids   
Big Time Sensuality        Björk     Electronica    
Main Offender          The Hives        
Single Ladies (Put a Ring On It)        Beyoncé   
Hips Don't Lie         Shakira ft Wyclef Jean   
Quiet And Small         Looper   
Track 05        The Planet Sleeps 

Zumbathon

For the past five months, twice a week, I have been teaching a dance class of my own creation called Dance Lab. It's been one of the most positive & thrilling experiences of my life. And it's gotten me in really good shape. I created the class based on a variety of influences in my life--my extensive training in acting & improvisation, my dabbling in modern, ballet, tap, swing, salsa dance, my grad training in movement & dance therapy, my longtime practice of pilates, yoga & meditation as well as my deep love for making dance playlists and holding dance parties.

Before I created Dance Lab as a class, I did the same practice in my living room. And before that, I occasionally went to a Zumba class taught by an incredibly vibrant woman in her 60's named Jan. Jan is a powerhouse full of love of dance. I hadn't been to Zumba for a long time because I now have my own practice, but my friend Dominique invited me to join her on Friday for a Mexican Zumbathon at the Eijido Building (a community center) in Todos Santos. When we arrived to the giant space, there were 40 Mexican ladies in spandex leggings and neon tops waiting to dance. And then off in the corner was a group of 4 Gringas, including Jan, and her daughter (also a Zumba teacher) in the same type of outfits. In another corner were 3 Mexican men, wearing matching outfits--all in black. Dominique said she felt like the Sharks were about to fight (or have a dance-off with) the Jets. I laughed in recognition. Then we burst out into song "I want to live in America." But we were the outsiders, living in Mexico.

Finally the music started, and one of the Zumba instructors (pictured right with the Don't Walk Dance T-shirt on) began dancing in the front. She had so much dance pizazz, it was amazing to watch. And then every one followed her moves, everyone, that is, except me. Now here's the  point of my story: although I have always been a dancer of some sort, and am often the first one to get the dance party going, I have never been very good at absorbing dance routines. Trying to figure it out puts me in my head and out of my body. I suddenly can't tell my right foot from my left. It's frustrating. And it's no fun. This is why I created Dance Lab, it's a space where you don't have to learn steps, but instead you can create your own (taking inspiration from particular dance forms, but with out having the pressure of being correct.) Zumba is all about learning steps and moves. I want to love Zumba because I love to dance, and I love to dance with others. But instead, I feel like I am spending all my energy trying to follow the moves instead of dancing and expressing myself.

I was reminded of this once again at the Zumbathon. But this time I tried something different. If the moves were easy to follow, I would follow them. But the moment they got too complex for me to follow, I just did my own dance. And through doing my own dance, I felt my body come alive again. It was inspiring to watch the  six different teachers-- Gringas and Méxicanas & Méxicanos do their moves with such confidence and joy. What I loved most about the  experience is just the feeling of being around a lot of people dancing. The energy is infectious. And there I was, in the back row, sometimes dancing with the crowd, sometimes doing my thing. My very own one-lady Dance Lab.