...Write it down. "Our ACEs (Adverse Childhood Experiences)can be a vulnerability but I also think they're the source of our super powers" ~ Dr. Nadine Burke Harris Have you ever been in a funk? When you're just not feeling positive or like yourself? I was just in one for about 10 days. I don't know why it started and at the time didn't know why I couldn't kick it! Arg! It was so frustrating and I didn't feel good about myself at the end of the day. I was not being the mother

... that started years before COVID pivot [ piv-uht ] to turn on or as on a pivot. to modify (a policy, opinion, product, etc.) while retaining some continuity with its previous version Yup, that has been 2020 for so many of us.... pivot and then pivot some more. Although this year has been difficult I truely see the value in what 2020 has forced me to recognize. And that is to look around me and see what is actually going on so I can make slight or major pivots accordingly.

A story about courage and communication Presently in my jazz classes we are choreographying new group jazz dances for upcoming competitions. After one of my classes this last Monday a student came up to me and said she felt like everyone else had a solo part except her. Even though it wasn't true I couldn't discount the way she was feeling. First off, I am so proud of her to have been vulnerable and courageous enough to come talk to me about how she was feeling, I'm not sure

A lesson in vulnerability This last week I sat down with my heels class to talk about performance.... "How can I get more performance out of you?" We talked about character. We talked about emotion. We talked about feeling. We talked about story. We talked about costumes. We talked about lighting. We talked about what famous dancer they could picture performing the piece. And then someone said, "In order to open up and show true emotion on and off stage you need to be vulnera

Delibrate Practice I woke up this morning with a few ideas swimming around my head for my blog today. But when I received a text message from one of the dancers I've been private coaching it was clear what I wanted to explore. Focus. See, the dancers who I work one-on-one with text me videos throughout the week of them working on certain skills. I reply back with encouragement and tips to help them practice correct technique until the next time we meet. I find it very helpful

That simple phrase can lift you up. It's almost holiday season!! A very special time of year to give thanks and help those in need. This year above any other I feel like we could all use a little help from our friends to spread some love. Last week in myDANCEjournal LiVE our community talked about tools to help with stress, nervousness and anxiety. Did you know helping others can relieve stress? I know when I'm feeling like I'm drowning in my own crap, taking a step back and

What's your mindset? Competition is a funny thing. Funny in the way that it can drive people to do their best or it can drive people to fall apart.... and everywhere in between of course. And it's all based on what your mindset is, not what placement you got. My "Dear Dance Parents" blog and posts a couple weeks ago brought up some great topics of conversation. Thank you to all the parents who participated with comments or private messages. These conversations are so importan

Let's create some! dra·ma /ˈdrämə/ noun 1. a play for theater, radio, or television. 2. an exciting, emotional, or unexpected series of events or set of circumstances. Just as Charlie Chaplin did back in the age of silent films, we as dancers need to create an exciting, emotional performance with our movement and expressions. Growing up dancing I never really thought of myself as an actress because I was never a part of the plays at school or took an acting class. In fact, th

It's Canadian Thanksgiving! The first thing that came to my mind when I closed my eyes to dig a little deeper about what I'm most thankful for this Canadian Thanksgiving was my health and the health of my family. We are an active family and the thought of one of us being unable to dance or play hockey for whatever reason made me feel grateful that we can. Then I felt guiltly. Guilty because not everyone can. Guilty that there are people suffering all over the world right now

Physically and virtually... We have been setting goals and creating new habits inside the on-line community of myDANCEjournal LiVE and it's soooooo exciting!!! It sounds simple enough and I'm sure we can all write down at least 2 things that would either be a goal we should strive for or a habit we should adopt. Can you think of a time that you dug deep and decided to go all in to achieve a goal? You are excited and create good habits at the beginning and but around week 3 or

...a bitter sweet International Dance Day I can't imagine what it was like for the studio owners who had to close their doors because of COVID. My heart breaks for them. Owning a dance studio is hard work and for most they can't survive without generating revenue for one week much less multiple months. Last weeks myDANCEjournal quote was "You know you're a dancer when your studio is like your second home" Yesterday was International Dance Day and my thoughts couldn't help but

#proudtobeadancer I have been on a bit of a mission lately to bring dancer pride to the forefront of the dance community and beyond. This last week I had the pleasure of running a couple acting classes for the dancers of The L.A.X. held at Accentz Dance Studio in Vernon, B.C. During these classes we made some "Public Service Announcement" (PSA's) videos about dancer pride. Take a look... Group #4 Group #5 Not only did I want them to have the experience of talking in front of

Do you keep going or quit? I love teaching. I love teaching because I get to learn in the process. This last week I taught hip hop at a wonderful dance studio called Canadian School of Ballet in Kelowna B.C.. I've had the pleasure of teaching at their intensive for the last couple years. The dancers I worked with made me so proud with how they showed up and worked hard every day. Here is one story that I was most proud of.... One of the classes had an average age 9. When I wa

Props to all the mama-preneurs out there. Being a mom and keeping a house hold running smoothly is hard enough. Now layer a start up business on top of that?.... holy moly. Some days I'm all in and some days I ask myself, "What the heck am I thinking?" and break down crying... like right now. But this is life. It's about growning and working through the hard times to make us stronger and wiser than we were before. I really admire mothers who have their own sucessful small bus

I am forever a student. There was a time early in my teaching career when I thought because I was a teacher I should already know everything there is to know about teaching dance. However I knew in my heart I had so much more to learn. I was so insecure and scared to ask questions. This mentality got me nowhere quick with lots of fear and anxiety. I think when people are deemed a leader or teacher in their field sometimes they have that same mentality. Trust me, it only holds

...a great learning opportunity I remember the first time I ever competed a solo. It didn’t go well. I’m so thankful for that experience though because it taught me a huge lesson in accountability. Because I didn’t bring my best that day, I didn’t place well. It was all on me. I was 100% accountable for what happened on the stage that day. And even though the judges can have off days too, I knew in my heart I got what I deserved. That moment was so pivotal for me. Recently I’

I promise you it's mostly a mental hang up. When the teacher would say,"...now the left." I used to feel like the picture above; completely out of sorts! Lol! In the last little while I've been really intrigued with why the left is such a scary place and how we can over come it. It all started with teaching on Zoom... When teaching on Zoom I would start on the left all the time because I was reversing everything so the dancers could follow along and mirror me. After a couple

...but I should! I should at least once a year anyway. Why? Because they always teach me something! This last week I had the pleasure of teaching at Accentz Dance Studio here in Vernon B.C. There were three different levels/ages of classes. One of the classes being younger than I usually teach. I walked in the first day and was quickly reminded how different it is teaching kids who are under 9 years old. And by different I mean hard. Lol. I got back in the groove pretty quick

... Love this statement made by Micheal Rooney.... "There's no finish line." Man these are good quotes by Micheal Rooney!!! Take a listen. This last week I had the pleasure of sitting in on an on-line dance intensive called "The CAMP" based out of Los Angeles. One of my private students Eva (she's the taller girl in the above picture) was accepted into the program that included top choreographers from LA and ran by the world renowned dance agency MSA. There were 17 amazing te

...Said no mother or teacher ever! When I hear my kids or students say "I can't do this" it breaks my heart. It breaks my heart because sometimes I believe in them more than they believe in themselves. But here's the deal, the person that needs to believe in you the most is YOU! So how can we help our kids and students to believe in themselves? Well, first off we can be good examples and show them how it's done. This was the quote in myDANCEjournal this week... "When you need