A few environmental impressions from my travels to Holbaek, Denmark last weekend. An ocean of clouds, a view through the reeds, and an actual swan sea/lake. Beautiful nature, good company, breathtaking views, hug-trees and a stiff northern breeze.. Thank you dear Anna Barner for sharing ‘your spot’ with me. PS: Speaking of the North – Today… Read More The Sky and the Sea
In the same vein as yesterday’s post on Matter and Mind – today I noticed in ballet class (and during pointes practise!) how much more range (and gentle control) of motion the body allows as soon as it feels ‘safe’. For instance when a ballet barre is nearby (within grabbing distance, even if it is not… Read More Safety First
Boards don’t hit back.. or do they? It’s so interesting how much more difficult it suddenly seems to kick a board with relaxed attitude (and the required precision) once you anticipate it might possibly hurt when it doesn’t quite work out.. The mind is a powerful thing. It needs the practise as much as the… Read More Mind and Matter
No Kettlebell training for me this weekend, but instead I practised different variations of the Loaded Carry while on my teaching trip to Denmark. What is it? A simple, yet powerful strengthening (and posture/alignment) exercise: You carry a Thing. Or several things. Preferably on the heavy side. Like, for instance, a set of dance bags filled… Read More The Loaded Carry
If you’d like to practise being comfortable with ‘not knowing’ (don’t we all?) check out ‘Only Don’t Know – a book of beautiful teachings in letter-form by Zen Master Seung Sahn. You can find a preview here
This is part 4 of a series on Stacey Nemours fantastic online course package for dancers. Check out the full series here: Stacey Nemour Dance! Pack – Part 1 Stacey Nemour Dance! Pack – Part 2 Stacey Nemour Dance! Pack – Part 3 Stacey Nemour Dance! Pack – Part 4 Stacey Nemour Dance! Pack – Part… Read More Stacey Nemour’s Dance! Flexibility Makeover Power Pack – Part 4
While packing for a weekend of teaching Denmark today, I stumbled upon this ‘Krone’ (not to be confused with Crone!) I had never looked at it in detail before. The Danish 1-krone coin was created exactly 26 years and five days ago. It features a 3-fold monogram of the Queen in the front, intertwined with… Read More Crowns, Kroner, and Diadems
It was a snowy day today in Germany, and – like every winter – when snow comes around, we adjust. We get up a bit earlier, clear the boardwalks, break out the winter coat, calculate a bit more time to get from here to there, and drive a bit more carefully. Somehow, there is much… Read More Weather Adjustments
This post is inspired by a wonderful live music dance performance experience this weekend. I was lucky enough to get the chance to perform with Rakiya’s Arabic orchestra at Noemie Danse‘s Oriental Roots festival in Belgium – along with a few amazing fellow dancers. It was an enriching and exhilarating experience. Below are a few… Read More Dancing ‘Live’
The adventures of the past few days made me think of how much freedom we gain once we let go of expected outcomes. Surprises can jolt us into consciousness, if we let them. For me it was – at least today – a new-to-me student in Haidong Gumdo and Taekwondo class today. Incredibly talented –… Read More Go with the Flow
