 There are three major catalysts that have lead to the creation of ONE SOL, a summer dance camp immersion and festival that is taking place in Denver, Colorado at the legendary Cleo Parker Robinson Dance this August 7-11. 1. Collaboration not Competition. speech I gave at the Colorado Dance Educator Organization Conference in Spring 2018, entitled "Collaboration not Competition." It was after I gave this speech to an audience of dedicated dance enthusiasts including budding teen dancers and their leaders that I realized how much we are hungry for true connection in the dance world. How there is a void and vacancy in the dance world for authentic collaboration spaces and an opportunity to enjoy each other's company without the edge of competition. Which leads me to.... 2. The Edge. Rewind to the summer of 2016 and you'll catch me and multiple artists from Colorado at The Savoy, coming together for a day of workshops and performances that were aimed to "cut the edge." We created a space that would allow artists to push past their normalcy and have their work seen regardless of experience. It was a beautiful day that has stuck with me for years. My favorite part was when everyone who was there got to participate in workshops with Jen Fagan Archer, Lisa Engelken and Kebrina de Jesus--there was nothing like all being in on the same thing. The feeling of connection and vitality was immense, I vowed to create more experiences like that. Speaking of creating fulfilling experiences... 3. Sol Vida Pop Ups at Cheesman Park during the Summer of 2018. Honestly, I hit a point in my artistic and entrepreneur life that had me questioning my purpose. I have a group of global colleagues/comrades that I talk to every singe week about personal and professional development--it's a mastermind. It was in one of our discussions, that they probed at me and helped me to realize it was time to create something simply for the sake of love and passion--not money--but something that was just going to give me the pizazz of life again. This is when I dreamed up the pop up series. Some of the greatest takeaways that informed this future were the fact that these classes ended up being intergenerational. We had 12 year olds - 60+ year olds. We had representation from many cultures. And... not only did we get to train, there was meaningful choreography--what began the idea of "embodied choreography," and the opportunity to explore freeform, stillness, and the practice of holistic dance. So there you have it folx, the reasons behind this season of ONE SOL. We are coming together to train, create, heal, and perform cutting edge works together, to allow ourselves to attune to our organic rhythms, to consciously connect, and say something with the body. Dances will be created to the theme, "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised," as brought to us by Gil Scott-Heron. This is a space for people who want to dance, who want to explore. It's a place that is like no other place. A place where you get to meet form and freedom together while exploring the connections of cross-cultural, contemporary and conscious dance forms lead by embodied leaders from across the globe. Please consider joining us for this revolutionary act in self-love and authentic expression. Here are the ways you can get involved.
Yours Truly, Axé If you wanna really have some fun while you're checking this out... learn the #ONESOL Virtual Flash Mob from the comfort of your very own chosen space. This dance will be taught and danced at GET FREE!!!
0 Comments
I frequently encourage people to count their blessings, it is a sure fire way for me to get a grip on what's actually happening or happened.
I am in utter awe of the impact we have managed to make in the first year of being committed to Sol Vida Worldwide, a nomadic company dedicated to shifting normalcy through transformative dance and wellness experiences online and across the globe. There have been so many things to define, cultivate and create. At the beginning of the year, I knew this was going to be a year of discovery. I had to try out a whole bunch of things to figure out what I loved as the leader of this entity and what has the power to impact as many people globally as possible. Starting the year in Colombia, spending four months in New York, going to California and spending the rest of the year in Colorado has taught me so much and I feel so blessed for all the experiences that I've got to share with so many people from around the world. I am because of you. SOL VIDA: 18 INFINITE BLESSINGS:
I have heard some of the best things I've ever heard in my total career as a holistic dance educator and choreographer. People are begging me not to leave Colorado, to puh-lease come back to New York. It makes me feel like I chose the right thing--leaving my role as director of Dance at a high school and traveling with the wind to discover what really wants to live. I have used the power of presence and intention to build this work from a place of channeled visions. With a dream to help as many people as possible release their minds, have fun, say something and get free in the body, we are doing the work and it is only going to get better and better. Thank you for traveling with me on the way, encouraging me, saying yes, showing up, and singing Axé Axé Axé!!!! This year of discovery and infinite blessings Save the Dates: SOL VIDA 7 DAYS OF KWANZAA, December 26-January 1 GET FREE January 5-February 19, 6-week online motivational coaching with Axé, EMBODIED PATHWAYS, 6-8 pm, January 9, 2019, one woman show, Art Gym Denver ONE SOL DANCE FESTIVAL, August 7-11, multiple venues, Denver, Colorado, USA * * * If you want to learn about or practice the 7 days of Kwanzaa no matter your culture or beliefs, please join us in our private Facebook Group: A Self-Love Supreme, we will be focusing on an embodied study of the principles which are great to live by in general. We will talk about creating the life of your dreams, the collective work of radical self-love, free #SVXLive class, SOL VIDA playlist of the year and more!!! Here's the Link to Get in the Group. Just ask to become a member and you'll get to celebrate Kwanzaa with so many people from around the world, it's gonna be real good. We are going out with a bang, and getting even more vibrant than before 2019. See you there! * * * I hope you had many blessings, and if not, that you take a moment to breathe, pause and give thanks for anything you can. The more we acknowledge the good that is happening, the more likely we are to receive more. Count all the blessings. Happy Holidays! SOL VIDA 7 DAYS OF KWANZAA runs December 26-January 1! Love you long time, Axé (Ah-Shay/ I Feel the Spirit / It is So) Founder/Leader #DanceFreedomLove  Founder of Sol Vida Worldwide at Meow Wolf's Temple Tantrum, Do you ever feel like you're a big weirdo?
Being too much? Your feelings are too much? I do... kind of all of the time. In particularly, this happened to me recently when I was leading a Sol Vida Sunset Pop Up Class at Cheesman Park. I was in a weird mood. A conflicted mood. Frankly, I didn't even feel like dancing that day. It was like bricks in my body and I really didn't know how I was going to get out of that mood and become the guide and leader that I love to be. Then it hit me. I had just gotten back from my 40th year birthday celebration at a cabin in the woods with my BFF's. One of my lifelong friends had made me a special playlist for my birthday and we listened to it a lot--she gets me. There was one song that I found particularly haunting. Like it was getting under my skin. I thought it was so weird. But somehow it was so absolutely soothing. That song was doing something for me. So, fast forward to sunset at Cheesman Park, I'm having dance teacher block when I remember the song! That weirdo, kind of creepy, crawling under my skin song. The kind of song that compels me to choreograph something to it. I immediately looked it up and was relieved at last when it propelled me to get out of my mind and into my body. It made me want to dance. And it made me want to dance "weird." It made me dance differently than any other choreography I've done in maybe ever. In fact this dance started to feel like a compilation of all the dances I've ever studied, all the dances that the young people have taught me... It felt futuristic. It felt ethereal. I managed to mix up Modern, animation, with a twist of what I'd call deconstructed Hip Hop. (Here's a link to the dance...) But guess what? I was afraid. I was afraid that one was going to be able to relate to this dance. I was afraid my clients were gonna hear this song and see this dance and be like, "What do you want me to do?" I was sure it was too far out. Way too weird. And then something happened... I introduced the song and choreography and had a completely opposite reaction of what I thought was going to happen. The people who got to learn this dance... LOVED IT. They loved how it felt, how it helped them release their feelings. In fact, one of my clients was feeling the same type of way as me--confused, at a crossroads, and searching for the answers… That's really what this choreography became to be. I tell you this story, because it's about the power of overcoming our fear. It's about doing the thing that we think is weird or too much. Because you probably need to express it and the world may love what you have to express even more than you can possibly think. So in an effort to help you express yourself with bold audacity, here are a few ways to help you tap into your inner weird: 1. Do the thing that you are afraid to do. Whatever that gut feeling is that you're having inside and won't go away, do that thing. If it makes you scared, but you know it's calling you, do it. Note: We are talking about personal self-expression in the body, so be safe. 2. Your Feelings are Your Feelings... Express Them. You are a beautiful individual whose emotions are valid. They are your truth. So whether they are amazing feelings or down right crappy feelings, it is imperative that they do not stay stuck in your body. You have to let them out. If you are confused, sad, or just downright ecstatic, express that! It is crucial to give yourself a healthy outlet to live with your emotions--the body is such an important part of this release. So Dance your feelings, choreograph your feelings, or just improvise and dance your feelings however feels right for you. 3. Do Not Worry About What You Look Like. Okay, okay, we get it--judgement. Self-judgement, self-hatred, self-awareness, self-consciousness. We all have a bit or a lot of it. Please do not let these feelings hold you back from doing what is calling you. I have so many students of the young variety and the old who consistently tell me that they are afraid to show up to a dance experience because of how they will look and more importantly what I hear when people tell me this, is I'm afraid of myself. Honey's please stop those voices now. The only thing you need to worry about is the type of environment you are putting yourself in when you choose to express yourself. Be in a safe space with leaders who will guide you to your highest self and light. Guides who will celebrate you being all of you. All right dear ones, please embrace your weird. You can check me out talking about and demonstrating all this weird over here. You can also check out other people doing my "weird" choreography and making it theirs over here. Facts are, you are actually not that weird. Being a human is weird. So, let's all accept the fact that we are weird and start expressing those truths. If you want some assistance doing this work, you can start with FREE Download: 10 Ways to Get Free in Your Body I love you long time, Axé (ah-shay / i feel the spirit /it is so) Founder/Director Sol Vida Worldwide #DanceFreedomLove #DanceSavesLives #GetFreeinYourBody |
Archives
October 2021
Categories
All
|
RSS Feed
