“Who needs to take drugs when you can do this?”
~quote from a recent Beach Dance participant~  
I wholeheartedly agree.  Why get high with a substance that’s toxic to your body and takes your mind away from being fully present when you can have what I’ll call a whole-being experience that takes you to a blissed-out place?   What exactly do I mean by whole-being?   Simply put, I think it’s the feeling of being free.  [...]

Relish.  Savor.  Delight.   Appreciation.  I’m still experiencing the sweet satisfaction of ten days of dancing goodness.   For the past ten years, I’ve been a counselor at a Leadership Camp for high school students and after a decade of doing it, I’m still amazed by what happens to a group of strangers in a week’s time.  
I’ve been back home for about two weeks and now that I’ve had time to rest up and regain my equilibrium (us counselors are [...]

This time last year, I had my own studio.   It was not only a lovely space to dance in, but it was a lively space to be surprised in.   My business partner, Elia and I and our community of dancers experienced many surprises during the year we danced there together.   There were dances of laughter and dances of tears.  There were moments when the music made us move differently than we were [...]

Colleen Wainwright writes a poem on her blog every Thursday and after reading her post today, I felt compelled to share a poem I wrote a few months back. 
I will dance my days filled with glee and sorrow. 
I will dance today. 
I will dance tomorrow. 
I will dance with others. 
I will dance alone. 
I will dance why not and just because.
I will dance ridiculous joy and fun.
I will dance for laughter.
I will dance for [...]

Freedom.    To be free.   To feel free.   Americans celebrate our independence from England every Fourth of July with parades and picnics, festive gatherings and firework displays, and plenty of whooping-it-up and hollering-it-out that we’re proud to be in the U.S.A.  It’s a great holiday for fun occasions and celebrations and it’s also a good day to remember what freedom means to you and to express that which you’re thankful for.  
This Sunday, people will have the opportunity to experience the [...]

It was all blue sky and sunshine that greeted us Beach Dancers on Saturday morning.   Knowing we would be on the beach for three hours that day, I was happy we would dance down to Haytack Rock in summer-like weather.   Every Beach Dance is a unique and wonderful experience however, this was probably the only time participants would dance a mile to reach a destination to participate in a demonstration.   
Those who chose to be a part of Beach Dance on Saturday [...]

Two weeks ago, one of the Beach Dance participants (Thanks, Karen!) told me about an event called Hands Across the Sand.   On Saturday, June 26, thousands of people will gather on America’s beaches to support clean energy resources and renewables and to stand together against off-shore oil drilling.  What attracted me to take part in this event was its powerful message and the way in which the event will be carried out.  Participants will join hands and [...]

I took this photo three years ago during a visit to the San Francisco area.  This sign stood outside Berkeley’s Cafe Gratitude and it was a strong indication of all the sweet sensations my friend and I were about to experience inside the restaurant.  The food was outstanding, the service incredibly friendly, and the colorful decor was inspiring.   We ate there several times over the course of three days and every time we [...]

Beach Dance is beginning a new chapter in its ever-evolving story.  I’ll be taking it away from its home base in Cannon Beach for a few weekends this summer and traveling to other beautiful beaches around the country.  I’m over-the-top excited.  I’m beyond Cloud Nine.  I am so happy about bringing this experience to new places that I’m doing cartwheels in my sleep.  While I love visiting places I’ve never been, I am most thrilled [...]

Many things on the mind of this dancer today.  Despite less-than-ideal weather this past holiday weekend, the first two events of the 2010 season happened and they were both magical and memorable.  On Friday night, five enthusiastic souls ventured out onto the beach amidst dark gray skies and a light drizzle.   Clad in our raingear, we were prepared for the wet weather, but I don’t think we knew just how wet we were going to get.
  
The theme for the evening’s dance was [...]