Nia at Dance Place San Diego

This week's classes: Wednesday, May 19, 11:30 am - Welcome to My Spaceship. Personal faves, including some great new discoveries, like "Hit 'Em Up Style" by the Carolina Chocolate Drops.... Friday, May 21, 11:30 am - Source Music by Lis Addison + a few tunes by Angelique Kidjo and Julianna Barwick woven in. Saturday, May 22, 10 am - Welcome to My Spaceship Monday, May 24, 5 pm - TBA Please message or email us for Zoom link if you'd like to join ! [email protected] Classes are offered by donation. Suggested donation: $10 Link to "Hit 'Em Up Style" The singer/fiddler is the amazing Rhiannon Giddens. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lPl8qlKq41o

Saturday, May 15, 10 am - Rising Appalachia The seven-week journey through the Kabbalah Tree of Life concludes this week by rooting in physical reality. This week's aspect of the Tree of Life relates to the feminine presence of the divine. We're dancing to music by women artist-activists who bring more light and love into the world.... While the traditional Jewish image of the transcendent God is male, in the kabbalah, that image has been accompanied by the feminine image of the Shekhinahthe inner glory of existence. Rabbi Jill Hammer, "The Shekhinah" That description comes from Rabbi Jill Hammer, who "is committed to an earth-based and wildly mythic view of the world in which nature, ritual, and story connect us to the body of the cosmos and to ourselves." Monday, May 17, 5 pm - TBA Please message or email us for Zoom link if you'd like to join ! [email protected] Classes are offered by donation. Suggested donation: $10

We’re at the root of the Tree of Life, the Holy Ground where sacred energy flows into the physical world. This aspect of the tree is associated with the Shekhinah, the divine femininethe inspiration for today’s routine. Friday, May 14, 11:30 am - Dancing the Tree of Life: Taproot In Hebrew, one of the names for this aspect of the tree is Shekhinah, which refers to the indwelling feminine aspect of the divine.... While the traditional Jewish image of the transcendent God is male, in the kabbalah, that image has been accompanied by the feminine image of the Shekhinahthe inner glory of existence. Rabbi Jill Hammer, "The Shekhinah" That description comes from Rabbi Jill Hammer, who "is committed to an earth-based and wildly mythic view of the world in which nature, ritual, and story connect us to the body of the cosmos and to ourselves." Saturday, May 15, 10 am - Rising Appalachia Monday, May 17, 5 pm - TBA Please message or email us for Zoom link if you'd like to join ! [email protected] Classes are offered by donation. Suggested donation: $10

The seven-week journey through the Kabbalah Tree of Life concludes this week by rooting in physical reality. This week's aspect of the Tree of Life relates to the feminine presence of the divine. We're dancing to music by women artist-activists who bring more light and love into the worldRising Appalachia and Angelique Kidjo. Wednesday, May 12, 11:30 am - Fifa (Peace) All music by Angelique Kidjo.... Friday, May 14, 11:30 am - Dancing the Tree of Life: Taproot To be inspired by my exploration during the week of this quality on the Tree of Life. Saturday, May 15, 10 am - Rising Appalachia Monday, May 17, 5 pm - TBA Please message or email us for Zoom link if you'd like to join ! [email protected] Classes are offered by donation. Suggested donation: $10

Friday, May 7, 11:30 am - Fifa (Peace) All music by Angelique Kidjo. Saturday, May 8, 10 am - Fifa (Peace) All music by Angelique Kidjo.... http://www.kidjo.com https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angélique_Kidjo Monday, May 10, 5 pm - TBA Standing on a Spiritual Diving Board On the seven-week journey through the Kabbalah Tree of Life, the first five weeks focus on ethereal realms, like lovingkindess and splendor. And the final week roots us in physical reality. This week, #6, is the channel between them ... as we prepare to take the growth and insights from this journey into the world. Called Foundation, it's located near the base of the tree and, in the body, associated with the genitals and procreation. Please message or email us for Zoom link if you'd like to join ! [email protected] Classes are offered by donation. Suggested donation: $10

Wednesday, May 5, 11:30 am - Trance Vision A beautiful meditative (though vigorous!) old time favorite classic Carlos routine Friday, May 7, 11:30 am - Fifa (Peace) All music by Angelique Kidjo.... Saturday, May 8, 10 am - Fifa (Peace) Monday, May 10, 5 pm - TBA Please message or email us for Zoom link if you'd like to join ! [email protected] Classes are offered by donation. Suggested donation: $10 Here's an old video of Carlos teaching and energizing the whole class. Kriszti! makes an appearance at the very end :-) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_nUQr5g3AYs&t=121s

Friday, January 1 - Happy New Year! NO class today Saturday, January 2, 10 am - American Utopia For our first class of 2021, we're dancing to songs from David Byrne's hope-filled musical.... Monday, January 4, 2021 ! @ 5pm - TBA Next week, we'll be back to our regular schedule. And on Saturday, January 9, I'll be doing a special routine for my birthday! Please message or email us for Zoom link if you'd like to join ! [email protected] Classes are offered by donation. Suggested donation: $10 For more about American Utopia: https://www.hbo.com/specials/american-utopia https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lg4hcgtjDPc

This week's classes: Wednesday, December 30, 11:30 am - Trance Vision A meditative (though vigorous!) routine for this liminal space between Christmas and the New Year. Trance Vision is a Nia classic, to which I've added "This Bitter Earth" and a piece by Gabrielle Roth.... Friday, January 1 - Happy New Year! NO class today Saturday, January 2, 10 am - American Utopia For our first class of 2021, we're dancing to songs from David Byrne's hope-filled musical. Please message or email us for Zoom link if you'd like to join ! [email protected] Classes are offered by donation. Suggested donation: $10 Next week, we'll be back to our regular schedule. And on Saturday, January 9, I'll be doing a special routine for my birthday! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UCH4LeK8iY4

Saturday, December 26, 10 am - Trance Vision A meditative (though vigorous!) classic routine for this liminal period between Christmas and the New Year. This beautiful old time favorite classic Carlos routine has some great moves to bring more freedom and ease to the pelvis. Here's 18 seconds of Nia trainer (and embodied sunshine) Winalee Zeeb grooving with pelvic circles.... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RvOLoy5A3s4 Monday December 28, 5pm - TBA Please message or email us for Zoom link if you'd like to join ! [email protected] Classes are offered by donation. Suggested donation: $10 Holiday Schedule: No class Friday, January 1 (New Year's Day) All other classes will continue to meet.

Wednesday, December 23, 11:30 am - Christmas/Solstice Playlist featuring Sting, Paul Simon, Bonnie Raitt with Charles Brown, Julianna Barwick, and Tchaikovsky. We'll end with a brief meditation for this time of year when we descend into the dark and plant our seeds. Friday, December 25 - Merry Christmas! No class today... Saturday, December 26, 10 am - Trance Vision A meditative (though vigorous!) classic routine for this liminal period between Christmas and the New Year. Please message or email us for Zoom link if you'd like to join ! [email protected] Classes are offered by donation. Suggested donation: $10 Holiday Schedule: No class Friday, December 25 (Christmas Day) No class Friday, January 1 (New Year's Day) All other classes will continue to meet.

Saturday, December 19, 10 am - Christmas / Solstice Songs that evoke the magic of winter and the Christmas season. Monday December 21, 5pm - TBA... Please message or email us for Zoom link if you'd like to join ! [email protected] Classes are offered by donation. Suggested donation: $10 Holiday Schedule No class on: Friday, December 25 (Christmas Day) Friday, January 1 (New Year's Day All other classes will continue to meet over the holidays.

Saturday, November 7, 10 am - Joyful Noise! We had so much fun dancing this routine today, that Janice will repeat it on Saturday! Sounding in Nia is a lot of fun. It's also, in the words of Debbie Rosas, a way to "connect to the sacred world of energy where there is no separation and where I am one with all that is." In this routine, we'll shout yes and no, sing along, chant, grunt and babble. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lf9vRwf2254

Friday, December 18, 11:30 am - American Utopia I've been weaving this new routine through the month, sharing it on a different day each week. Saturday, December 19, 10 am - Christmas / Solstice Songs that evoke the magic of winter and the Christmas season.... Please message or email us for Zoom link if you'd like to join ! [email protected] Classes are offered by donation. Suggested donation: $10 Holiday Schedule No class on: Friday, December 25 (Christmas Day) Friday, January 1 (New Year's Day All other classes will continue to meet over the holidays. For more about American Utopia: https://www.hbo.com/specials/american-utopia https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lg4hcgtjDPc

This week's classes: Wednesday, November 4, 11:30 am - Resonance+ Most of this playlist is from the beautiful soul-calming all-string routine created by Christina Mae Wolf, with "Weightless" as our final song. "Weightless," an eight-minute piece of ambient music by the British group Marconi Union, has been called the "world's most relaxing song." In one study, listening to "Weightless" "resulted in a 65 percent reduction in participants' overall anxiety and a 35 percent redu...ction in their usual physiological resting rates." You can hear it here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UfcAVejslrU Resonance on YouTube. Playlist Compilation & Choreography by Nia 1st Degree Black Belt, Christina Mae Wolf https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wae8UbuoLOg&t=1995s Friday, November 6, 11:30 am - TBI - To be inspired Saturday, November 7, 10 am - TBI

Friday, October 30, 11:30 am - Halloween Saturday, October 31, 10 am - Halloween Yes! if you feel inspired to wear a costume for the Halloween classes! But they're not required.... A symbol I worked with, making this Halloween routine, was stirring the cauldron of the pelvis and seeing it as the source of medicine. We'll stir the sacred cauldron of the pelvis with hip bumps and pelvic circleswhether gentle or vigorous, each of us choosing what feels right for our bodies. Along with Halloween classics like "Werewolves of London" and "Thriller," we'll have songs by Dead Can Dance and Loreena McKennitt that give me a sense of ancient magic and mystery.

Wednesday, October 28, 11:30 am - Trance Vision The beautiful classic routine which has some great moves to bring more freedom and ease to the pelvis. Here's 18 seconds of Nia trainer (and embodied sunshine) Winalee Zeeb grooving with pelvic circles. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RvOLoy5A3s4

This week's classes focus on stirring the powerful cauldron of the pelvis as the source of medicine: Monday, October 26, 5 pm - Trance Vision Wednesday, October 28, 11:30 am - Trance Vision Friday, October 30, 11:30 am - Halloween Saturday, October 31, 10 am - Halloween... Yes if you feel inspired to wear a costume for the Halloween classes! But they're not required. Halloween playlist in comments Our bodies have a powerful cauldron, the pelvis. Debbie and Carlos Rosas say in The Nia Technique about the pelvis: "As a container, it is a reservoir for physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual energy. In addition, the pelvis houses the sexual organs. Any movement of the pelvis can unleash primal, sexual, and sensual energy." Whoo! No wonder someone might restrict pelvic mobility. But there's a cost. "Denying movement in the pelvis will result in the loss of physical strength in your low back, feet, and legs. It will diminish your ability to maintain proper breathing and will also limit your overall endurance." "Remember to use your pelvis in every movement of your core," Debbie and Carlos write. "It is one of the best ways to keep you body energetically charged, your legs agile, your chest open, and your spine free. Use the pelvis as it was designedas a place for your soul to sit and take a load off!" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HdUKkTKzDK8&t=30s See more

Water of Life, one of my all-time favorites, Saturday 10 am.

Friday, October 23, 11:30 am - Heartsease A playlist combining songs from several routines that focus on balance

Water of Life, one of my all-time favorites. Today 11:30 am, Saturday 10 am.

My intention for all of our classes this week is to hold ourselves in tenderness and compassion. I find myself wanting to stop and acknowledge the many small daily losses, along with the deep collective grief. I'm sure we're all, at least most of the time, keeping our spirits up, finding the silver linings, writing three things we're grateful for every day. We are heroic! But I want to invite us to accept the sadness, as well; to make a place for it at our emotional and spiri...tual table. Wednesday, October 21, 11:30 am - Mayim Chayim (Water of Life) Friday, October 23, 11:30 am - Heartsease A playlist combining songs from several routines that focus on balance Saturday, October 24, 10 am - Mayim Chayim (Water of Life) Monday October 26, 5pm - TBA Heartsease is one of the names for the wild pansy, used as a botanical to treat diseases of the heart.

In honor of the Women's March, we're dancing to songs by amazing artist-activists. 10 am (Pacific) today,

Saturday, October 17, 10 am - The Power of Women I'll be creating a playlist in honor of the women's march. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q7RhQ1mdroU&feature=youtu.be

Friday, October 16, 11:30 am - Seduced In Nia, we talk about being "seduced" by the musicletting the melody, rhythm, and vibrations whisper to your soul. These songs all seduced me. I heard Daniel Kahn do his haunting Yiddish version of "Hallelujah" live. Melissa Nagatsuka (aloha to Melissa in Hawaii!) used "Beautiful Tango" on Strut Your Stuff Day, when students taught the class ... I can't wait to do that again!

This week's focus: Soothing the Soul Nerve Janice will continue to integrate simple exercises that soothe the Vagus Nerve. In his book, My Grandmother's Hands, psychotherapist Resmaa Menakem offers simple exercises to increase somatic awareness and, "create more room for your nervous system to find coherence and flow." A powerful way to begin is by calming the vagus nerve, which he calls the soul nerve. Wednesday, October 14, 11:30 am - Beyond Humanity... Two Nia routines, Beyond and Humanity, focus on balance. This playlist blends songs from those routines, plus a juicy 10-minute cooldown where we can do one of Resmaa Menakem's longer soul nerve practices. Friday, October 16, 11:30 am - Seduced In Nia, we talk about being "seduced" by the musicletting the melody, rhythm, and vibrations whisper to your soul. These songs all seduced me. I heard Daniel Kahn do his haunting Yiddish version of "Hallelujah" live. Melissa Nagatsuka (aloha to Melissa in Hawaii!) used "Beautiful Tango" on Strut Your Stuff Day, when students taught the class ... I can't wait to do that again! Saturday, October 17, 10 am - The Power of Women I'll be creating a playlist in honor of the women's march. Monday October 19, 5:00 pm - TBA