DACAC

2011-10-20T19:10:00.001-07:00

2011-08-04T19:58:00.000-07:00

LANDING neither east, nor west...I've got a lovely danceFIT location for 2012....somewhere in the middle of our many roads. I am so happy to be able to offer a THURSDAY night danceFIT class 6pm-7pmpm at Trinity St. Paul's Center: For Faith, Justice and the Arts, just west of Bloor and Spadina.

LOCATION:
Trinity St. Paul's Centre
427 Bloor Street West
Tor Ont M5S 1X7
Location Link: http://www.trinitystpauls.ca/content/community-heart-city
Teacher (Miriam) Phone: 416-939-1672
Teacher (Miriam) Link: http://dancefitcanada.blogspot.com/

The hard wood floor space is nice and fully wheelchair accessible. It's a home, and the staff are so kind! I'm thrilled. The janitor is named Jim, and well, he's pretty keen on clean dance floors.

COST:
I am just figuring out costs now...but I hope to keep it in the ball park
Of $12 w/ tax.

CLASS DESC:
Rooted in the best of dance-fitness danceFIT workouts include choreographed sequences in continuous flow-motion. Set to resonant house, smooth worldbeat, funk, soul, disco, electro-dancehall and a hint of cello, the practice unites top-down neuro-feedback mechanisms with full-body fitness, including martial arts, weights, yogaa and restorative practices. Think of an ocean-side salt licked sea breeze all wrapped in a state of the art “wellness blueprint” for movers and non-movers, high level athletes, dancers and non-dancers, fit and non-fit alike. No experience required, shoes optional.

If you know Miriam's "Funk the Fat", or "Flow Motion Fitness" work based on years of teaching Nia, danceFIT unites all aspects of emotionally connective holistic living all the way to Funky Town. See you on the dance floor! - M

Miles Nadal JCC Goes House

2011-06-14T17:21:00.001-07:00

Miles Nadal JCC danceFIt dancers gave it UP house style at tonight's 6:30 danceFIT class in Toronto. Thank you, so grateful for the good vibes, great tunes and awesome dancing. See you every tuesday for a little more of bling, a lot more boom....

Tracks included... My Reflection (Manoo Mano Stella Re); So Grateful (Fanatix Remix - Bobien feat Dennis Ferrer) ....as seen in photo above; Slow Ride (Foghat); Most Precious Love (Dennis Ferrer Mix) and so on and on....and on and on.

JCC Public Classes and Members!

2011-02-22T12:41:00.000-08:00

6:30-7:30pm
Miles Nadal JCC, 750 Spadina Ave + Bloor St., Spadina Subway Station
[Public+Members] Classes

COST
$15 +tx. Drop-In Only Avail [Free for Members of MNJCC]
Stay a while! Pass includes saunas, whirlpool and gym. Have an awesome all-day spa!

Rooted in the best of dance-fitness danceFIT workouts include choreographed sequences in continuous flow-motion. Set to resonant house, smooth world_beat, funk, soul, disco, electro_dancehall and a hint of cello, the practice unites top-down neuro-feedback mechanisms with full-body fitness, including martial arts, weight use and yoga. Think of an ocean-side salt licked sea breeze all wrapped in a state of the art “wellness blueprint” for movers and non-movers, high level athletes, dancers and non-dancers, fit and non-fit alike. No experience required, shoes optional.

If you know Miriam's "Funk the Fat", or "Flow Motion Fitness" work based on years of teaching Nia, danceFIT coming to the Miles Nadal JCC unites all aspects of emotionally connective holistic living all the way to Funky Town. See you on the dance floor! - M

LINKS
Join FaceBook: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=43686255297&ref=ts
http://www.facebook.com/pages/DanceFit-Canada/263856046038?ref=ts
Blog Spot Class Discussions: http://torontomoves.blogspot.com/
Class Schedule: http://dancefitschedule.blogspot.com/

“Fridays to Mondays Were Made for Dancing!”

2011-02-05T15:13:00.000-08:00

Many of us have waited in anticipation for a community dance-fitness program specifically designed for adults and young adults; this class welcomes individuals with Parkinsons, MS, diabetes, hip and knee replacements, fibromyalgia, chronic back pain, cancer, and anyone who uses mobility aids or wheels in everyday living.

The class will learn together while seated; individuals who want to stand, are encouraged to stand. Dance choreographies will be taught in standing and individuals in wheelchairs will demonstrate the wheeled way. If your balance is severely at risk, walkers and canes are needed and/or a friend 'dance-assistant'. Modify to your body, not anyone else's. Spouses, friends and partners please remain with the registrant if he or she is having a rough day.

I have two locations for uptown and downtown folks. Schedule and Info at www.dancefitschedule.blogspot.com
Call Miriam at 416-939-1672 Email: Torontomoves@gmail.com

CLASS LINE UP + BIO

2011-02-02T11:58:00.000-08:00

CLASS BLURBS [For Print]
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FLOW MOTION FITNESS with Miriam : An invigorating dance-fitness program integrating dance, martial arts, weight work, and restoration in “flow motion” for full-body strengthening and lean muscle sculpting. Set to the best of funk, house, jazz, classical, and international beats - Flow Motion is ready to enliven, energize!

FUNK THE FAT
A full-body, core-cardio fitness blueprint for serious sculpting. Always originally mixed the the best of house, funk, disco, rocksteady, and dancehall, Funk the Fat brings all the shine and the "chill" attitude of a pop'n club to the studio floor. Choreographies include cardio-dance, martial arts, weights, mats, balls, gliders and bands. Dress 2 Drench!

DanceFIT Intro
Always wanted to join a class but your feet can't move to the beat? You're not alone! Get fit, get funky, ask questions and learn how to integrate the rhythm and flow. Come on now... ease on down, ease on down the road!!

CLASSICAL STRETCH
A stunning flow-based full-body stretch class set to Bach, Mozart, Sati, Puccini, jazz, opera and friends. Enlivening and restorative this movement-style program, uses chairs and floor work to move into deep stretches and wider ranges of joint motion. An authentic body-improvement favorite for golfers, racket players and athletes.

danceABILITIES: BODY+BONE BASICS
A fitness program for aging club members to address the need for body-health basics including maintaining healthy bones, balance, flexibility, muscle tone, and circulation. This non-competitive, friendly environment invites everyone to stay fit and stay active – together.

danceFIT danceABILITIES Canada (*registered business name)
These dance-based classes are moved through in standing and with chairs. Oriented towards dance and the full use of music, memory, and right brain motor-sensory choreographies this program offers rejuvenating and refreshing doses of fun, strength, community, embodiment and vitality. Can also be named "Hips and Knees - Please!"
Call For Details 416-939-1672

AQUABoogie [On Hold]
All the dance and cardio training you can handle in a non-impact environment. In watery bliss, hit-up the best resistance moves from Aquafit and mixed martial arts - all choreographed to a world class beat and a holistic body wellness orientation.

PERSONAL TRAINING SERVICES
Private and Small Group Dance-Fitness

ACUBALL MASTERS CLASS
http://www.acuball.com/

Spend an hour with Miriam discovering stretch and myofascial release techniques using the Chiropractor designed Acuball. The Acuball, used by atheletes in the NHL and NBA and featured in Chatalaine, Flair and Self, helps us reach into deep layers of muscle and fascia in the neck, back, belly, hips and legs and assists in maintaining the healthy alignment of our spinal chord. The smaller Acuball-mini helps us reach, with ease and self agency, into the smaller muscles of the feet, arms, gluts, ITB, AB-Adductors and upper back.

The Acuball's specially designed acupoints and heat stimulate blood flow. This increases circulation, helping to 'flush out' built up toxins that accumulate in tight muscles causing pain. Direct pressure from the acupoints also massages muscle and mobilizes joints, further enhancing pain free body movement. The acupoints also stimulate your Central Nervous System, like acupuncture does, to release natural painkilling, relaxing and mood enhancing chemicals like enkephalins and endorphins. Because of this, people who use the Acuball in bed, before retiring for the evening, often report enhanced feelings of relaxation and deeper sleep. Moreover, Miriam's dancefit students have been using the ball, and rarely experience post-training soreness or lactic acid build up.

The Spine Align Belt of the Acuball acts like accordion, opening and ‘freeing up’ your spine all the way from your low back up to the top of your neck. The acupoints at the side of the Spine Align Belt also give an acupressure treatment to the important postural muscles running along both sides of your spine (the erector spinae muscles).   Better spinal motion, improved Central Nervous System flow (since your Central Nervous System runs through your spine) and improved posture result. The area where your neck meets the back of your head is a key area for wellness enhancement. Why? Because it is here that your brain exits your skull and becomes your spinal chord, transmitting vital information to every part of your body. Any tightness here affects your brain's ability to optimally communicate with your body, so you want this area to be as loose and flexible as possible. Because we spend so much time with our heads bent forward - working, computing and care-giving this area deserves our caring attention. ☺

"All of this happens 100% naturally, reconnecting your mind and body in the process. "
- Dr. Michael A. Cohen, Developer of Acuball

SHORT BIO
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Miriam Sarah Schacter

Founder of danceFIT danceABILITIES Canada, Miriam is one of Toronto's most popular group-fitness instructors specializing in dance-fit classes on land and in water including Flow Motion Fitness, Aquaboogie, Classical Stretch, Funk the Fat, and the Acuball Master's class.

Miriam not only teaches with strength, talent and the coolness of charisma packed in rock glass of class, she was trained as a physio assistant to respond to the needs of long-term body-care, whether it be due to the processes of aging or post-operative changes. Miriam is currently completing a 6 year program in psychotherapy with a focus on neurological perspectives and is the dance teacher for the Center for Movement Disorders, part of "Dancing with Parkinsons".

Booking 416-939-1672 www.dancefitschedule.blogspot.com

"Stretching more than your Waistline Makes the Summer Shine"

2010-12-01T13:11:00.000-08:00

Miriam Schacter, founder of danceFIT danceABILITIES Canada, says "summer always comes along with big-burger-BBQs, weddings, and late-night-soirees." So to help your guests enjoy their entire meal experience, pile up on embodied-savvy along with the savory.

How to get started: As a holistical host, invite your guests to a stretch break between appetizers, main courses or desserts. Encourage people to move from their chairs so they have time to stand, digest, or feel how full they might already be.

What Miriam recommends:

1) Back and Belly: Interlock your fingers over your plate and stretch your palms out to the middle of the table. Breath out. Reach interlocked fingers up to the ceiling and stretch through your abdomen. Breath In. Release hands gently by your sides while greeting those sitting next to you.

2) Neck and Upper Spine: Place your fingertips gently on the table in front of you. With ease, turn your neck from side to side in a slow "No" motion. Follow up with an easy "Yes" motion. Breath deeply into your ribcage and lift through your spine. Finally, with your fingertips still supporting you, close your eyes and rotate your head in gentle half circles forwards.

3) Core and Breath: Slowly, twist your upper body half way on your seat and hold on to the back of your chair. Use the chair for the hold, not your muscles. Breath slowly and enjoy the stretch. Return back to center and gently roll your shoulders in any direction. Take a moment before twist-releasing to the other side.

Take your time as all these moves can slow down your eating pace and alcohol intake. Remember, that anyone with health concerns can modify these embodied motions. CHEERS to all for a job well done!

Other Ideas? Children especially love a "sunday-morning-family-dance-party". You can create any ritual that celebrates embodied together-ness. Not only do you get moving, you model to others "how to" create positive energy in themselves, instead of "how to" consume in both product and produce. ~ MS

Miriam Schacter is a burger-eating dance fitness choreographer living in Toronto

********************************END**************************************

Contact:
Miriam Schacter
Cell: 416.939.1672 Email: mir.iam@sympatico.ca
Site: www.torontomoves.blogspot.com
Photo: Countryliving.com

On Finding 4 - Directions (or 5, 6, 7, and 8)

2010-11-21T12:33:00.000-08:00

THEME: In class this week I spoke of the different ways we can meet ourselves in movement. We can all start easily, by accessing new directions in space through motion. We can try 4 directions or "ways" of moving in particular.

NOTE: What i write about in this blog, is based on experiences in class, so i hope the extension of that experience, in word, may be useful in anyone's own 'body-practice' or experience.

Much of our lives are now spent in tasks that demand a FRONTAL orientation in life. This might include working front of computers, watching tv, standing at counters, exchanges in commerce, standing in lines, talking to others, working out in gyms on treadmills, and so on. Much of our daily life input and output is from sources accessing the FRONT part of our bodies. I strongly recommend that in maintaining healthy, vibrant, robust nervous systems with highly connective brain functioning - we move in many directions and work-out our body in 360 DEGREES of awareness from the inside out. Frontal connections may be easy, even lazy or simply naive; That information is as much for fitness teachers as it is for students! So... what about our SIDE BODIES, BACK SENSES and INTERNAL DIRECTION CHOICES? Let's consider them in 4-DIRECTIONS.

1) THE GROUP - Together in Motion, Meeting in Random Motion
In class, we often dance as a group. We get to work hard together and move in dynamic action aligned with the intensity, complexity or tonality of the musical score. Sometimes we move in the same way, sometimes I scramble it and we change the space... or move the space. Here we can meet ourselves in the group. We meet our group energy.. and we use it. We mess it up.. we make it funky... we make it deep, heavy, profound, striking, loud, large, robust, sweeping, grand, gestural, lovely....

In group movement, we can experience our bodies in space in terms of spacial density. We can move into a densely populated space and then find an emptier area to move through. There seems to be a natural constriction and expansion feeling that is experienced in this way.

2) WITH PARTNERS - Mirroring and Opposition
We also work in partners in dance-fit class. Certainly in martial arts as well. Partner work is very important. It brings us out of our narcisisstic senses and shows us again, how to attune to another, safely. Here we learn how to be a good student, a good teacher, a good partner. Whether we are working in opposition or in "mirror" work do we wait for our partner's actions before responding or do we jump ahead, not waiting for communication? Do we mirror so fast.. there is no mirror and we have lost our connection to ourselves with the other? It may be shocking to find ourselves in the position that we don't really know how to work with a partner in body and in mind. We have poor eye contact, or we don't want to touch (how many people say sorry for brushing an elbow?) or we change our movements to make them less showy or less vital! Perhaps we can't think anymore when facing a partner.... or we become totally self -conscious and ashamed? Partner work is a good time to work on all these things. Where did that way of being start? Why? Who told you that nodding hello to a co-dancer in motion was an intrusion?

So, let's face it...(pun intended) in partner work, we learn again how to find joy, embodied pride and community boldness in moving like a leader, a follower, a dancer.

3) SELF in implicit community
In class we work with ourselves - alone. We move our body to the music, to the beats. We struggle to hit the counts.. and even if everyone else is getting it.. the room cannot do the work for us. We, as individuals, in the collective must find and hit the marks ourselves.

4) THE SELF WITHIN
Finally, in class, we work within ourselves. We can close our eyes. Use our senses of space and natural time to explore places within. D. W. Winnicott, a brilliant child's physician and psychotherapist called this place the "incommunicado core". Of course, this core, in dance may be linked to the physical sense of a bounty of support, love and fullness. In therapeutic work, this core may be different. I would certainly recommend for anyone in therapeutic work, to meet themselves in motion as well. This is where all moves and connects neurologically. [If interested, See "Forms of Vitality: Exploring Dynamic Experience in Psychology, the Arts, Psychology, and Development" By Daniel Stern, MD- University of Geneva, Cornell, Columbia U]

A friend of mine questioned me if there is such thing as a 'self in a self'. Is it not all part of the the self? he wrote. I think he is correct; however in the body our sense of self with our eyes closed or in motion may feel different than the public 'self', Here, in motion, 'self' means so much. It means being connected to everything, and feeling one's true original experience as one can only feel it. Feeling one's sense of self - seems to be a very good neurological practice that can lead to much self agency in action and reflection in interpretation.

let's try a few more directions....

5) ALL THINGS OUT, ALL THINGS IN
Once you have tried all these "ways" or directions of motion, try to really sense them in your frontal body, side bodies, back bodies. Try to move on your diagnols (a whole other realm you may want JAZZ for). Once you have done all of that.... try moving in all those directions with a living sense of your breath and how you use it. Once you have done all of that.... move in the direction of Nirvana... lol. Of course this breathing is the same thing as Nirvana.

In sanskrit Nirvana means "blowing out." In a buddhist context, this means a "blowing out" perhaps of the fires of greed, hatred and delusion. These words can be awfully poetic and far way even if we think we know what they mean. Let's bring them closer.... from an embodied perspective.

When you have satisfied your body in motion...in self, with the "other", with others - few other states feel satiating. Greed or gluttony no longer has a hold, because you know there is enough for you and you know when you have had enough. You have seen, felt it and experienced it in class. There is enough for every body in class! This sense can be used or directed towards other modes of behaviour. Next time you are in a situation of jelousy, or feeling that everyone "has", and you "have not".... know there is enough for every body, and you can find a way for your body too. It may be different - but there is a way. Once you have enough in your body YOURSELF, it naturally gives out. It's all part of the same process.

Hatred can't be carried because you have gained an understanding of living tools, mediation skills and mental resources (yes I said ME-DI-A-TION, not med-i-ta-tion..lol); You have worked with others in partners, and have seen first hand that many people have not had a safe place to practice acting, being, and speaking in integrated ways - connected in minds and bodies - where language and action mean the same thing. Class-mates may have needed your help, leadership, partnership, eye contact, patient communication and understanding. You may have needed these things too. At times, you may have needed to move out of the way.. nicely.. gracefully to make enough space for both you and the other. You begin to sense that it is not shameful to give or take space. You may gain an understanding that so many people are not able to operate well in society due to trans-generational developmental neglect. If they have no idea what peace in space, in connection or in themselves feels like.... they cannot share it. They will not know, there is enough for every body. If you know what natural fullness or satiation feels like somewhere in your life, (in a dancer's way, in the studio and our bodies) you can pull that gained understanding into other areas of life.

Finally, you can no longer operate in delusion, because you practice responding to the needs of moment. Sometimes we dance without music, but usually we don't know the dance 'til the song communicates its tone, style, vibrancy. Then, we work together. Why choose an internal life, instead of baring the fullness of what the moment asks? We cannot step into our partners dance space 'til they have stepped out (salsa anyone?) Why hold onto anxiety as if we did not have the tools to respond well to the needs of the issue at hand? Where did we learn that no-body will help us? Can we learn to bare the burdens of truth - even if the truth hurts? We can deepen ourselves in motion? Can we breath into autonomic nervous system regulation together, and alone? ... can we breath to hold the hard times to deepen our depth of possibility and potential?
Yes. For me, for example It is very scary to write this way, who am I to say these things in words. But, fear does not feel balanced, so I try. And I breath.. real deeeeeep.

Nirvana in the sutras means the end of the identity of the mind (citta) with empirical phenomena. I am no expert, but the internet implies this is "the liberated mind (citta) that no longer clings'... In my words, i might say.... "Mama may have, papa may have... but god bless the child that's got his own."

So... how to we get our own? In our body, might be one way. Eastern language seems to be translated with western words all about the "mind".

I find a way to translate ideas into the natural body as my starting point. Embodied senses are thinking sense too. Maybe the writers explaining Nirvana, or Zen..... did not know how to speak of this embodiment in clear 'how to' ways other than In poetry or in paint. Or perhaps translators and teachers did not know and only spoke of trying to tame the mind. Maybe they take the body for granted. I don't know. Maybe I have just not read the texts or known others who use words to direct the body in clear ways, doctrin free. For example, i feel, even when meditating - we are busy. We are busy being in fullness. As a matter a fact, we are so busy in our senses being full... there is no room for anything, that doesn't feel like nothing.

:)XOX, and sometimes WHY? M

************************* *********THE SIMPLE SUMMARY *****************************************************

So, in full use.. a dance class or dance fitness class gives us access to at least 4 points of reference to ourselves. Or, 4 directions. Finding all these places, in our hour together helps our nervous systems naturally reach towards a body knowing of satiation.

This kind of real completion and bodily sense of fullness - in group, partners, self and self within - cannot come from what we can buy...touch.. or graduate from. In this path we get to experience a sense of using ourselves in the fullest of our capacities we have to be used. And this, is a healthy body knowing that can be taken to many areas of life. Start through the door you like best, and see where it takes you?

DANCE FITNESS IN TORONTO

2010-08-30T15:01:00.000-07:00

danceFIT danceABILITIES Canada is now registered to provide a wide range of fitness and 'dance-abled' fitness programs in studios and care facilities. If you are interested in dance fitness in Toronto in general, getting trained, or to just support a Canadian push, drop me a line.... Torontomoves@gmail.com

"danceFIT danceABILITIES Canada" is my business and part of a grassroots community initiative to support dance-fitness teachers and dance-fitness choreographers who are currently teaching programs in the public to children, teens, adults, and elder populations in all movement abilities and capacities.

Mission: If you are currently a dance-based fitness teacher, meaning, Nia; Zumba; PowerGroove or if you are a supporter of Dance Fitness in Toronto Please Join Up on facebook: Search on FB the name "Dancefit Canada;" I've put together the FB page so fitness teachers and those who enjoy dance-fitness can push together in keeping enlivened movement on the forefront of Toronto's shift towards embodied-lifespan activities.... Please feel free to post your web link or upload your dancefit class photos.

As fitness clubs go through changes, and new studios get created, let's make sure that those who choreograph are helped in creating and maintaining space for fitness that is more than pre-scribed and pre-scripted work from pro-choreographers based in countries that have been at this much longer. Help dancers here be leaders, innovators, and professionals responsive to our communities. The programs developed here will be diverse, inclusive, and authentically unique if we all lend a hand. In line with that thinking, I am currently seeking to establish and produce the first DANCE FIT DUNDAS SQUARE in 2011. Please write if you are interested.

While all university and college dance therapy programs have been cancelled in Canada* a good dance-fitness teacher can still teach dance-based work strengthening "feedback" systems in the central nervous system and brain - individually, in community, and in consistent spaces and over a life time. As a Right Brain fitness approach, Dance Fitness drives forward our whole nervous system - Body Up!

For aging populations real dance moves that maintain balance including cross over stepping, heal-toe traveling all keeps the lower body joint systems fluid and flowing. With all these neuro-proprioceptors staying 'awake' falls are simply less common. I call it thai-chi training for disco dancers. Everyday, i see women and men who have 'lost' flexibility in the balls of their feet, leading to instability. With a good tune, we can take care of all these problems together and gather back the skills we've lost without even noticing.

I will be speaking on radio shows on upcoming fall programs on this very topic. In the mean time - check out the following on line, this will be important for more and more aging Canadians.

Dancing Delays Dementia
"Neurologists Find That Dancing May Reduce Risk of Developing Brain Disease"
"Scientists have come up with yet more evidence to suggest that keeping the brain active can ward off senile dementia"
http://www.circledanceindementia.com/Circle_Dancing/CIRCLE_DANCING_IN_CARE_HOMES_AND_SUPPORT_SETTINGS.html
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/3006130.stm

http://www.dancingwithparkinsons.com/
http://www.dancingwithparkinsons.com/press.html

WHAT IS A DANCE-FIT TEACHER?
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In addition to choreographing a great dance-fit class, a holistic dance-fitness teacher will be able to provide classes related to a) an experience of safe personal body-boundaries b) personal centered-ness c) strength, autonomy and empowerment d) social consistency and attachment in a body-focused space e) provide a mode to help with body-based depression or commonly experienced body-based dissociation or isolation f) positive sensuality related to healthy sexuality g) fundamental range of motion, full-body and core strengthening h) able to use fitness tools such as weights, balls, bands and mat work as a dancer i) provide assistance for osteo and arthritic related needs j) able to work with international beats and choreograph fresh routines as per professional dance class preparation. It is integral that a dance fitness teacher is a dancer, a profound music collector, and trained in performance and teaching.

In the general fitness world, music-oriented choreographies and rhythm-based work-outs are not the focus. Hence dancefitness is a drastically different, right brain expression of full body-mind activation and use - for yourself and with others.

OUR BODY + PSYCHEs IN DANCE-FIT
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IN our body is how we FIRST learned (or didn't learn with care) about everything in life from/with our parents and caregivers. I would like to see more dance-fit classes city-wide to take care of Toronto's hips, knees, shoulders, breath, BP, BMI, nervous sytems, integrative body-mind emotional maturity practices and so on. I invite also traditional psychology-based therapists, to use body practices (thai-chi, dance, yoga, meditation) as ways for their clients to explore their relationship with their body (in time, space, with others) in addition to traditional therapy. Let's raise the bar on integrative, sensory-verbal practices. Looking forward to your ideas for a healthier Toronto.

DO YOU WANT TO TEACH?
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For dancers, I will be holding trainings in 2010-11. For community people will personally train you to teach dance-fit if you belong to communities that would benefit from an embodied-approach to long term body, mind and community health through responsible, integrative movement practices. Are you a person who loves to dance and also is recovering from drug/alcohol use? do you use walkers or wheelchairs? Dancers can always raise the bar on being real... Pro or not, if you want to start a grassroots positive and conscious program in your community.... i'll do what i can to help. Touch base, we will train together in respect and lived experience. Torontomoves@gmail.com

:) !! So.... how do you know if you are a dance-fitness teacher? Well, chances are...

1) you are willing to lick the shake off your handheld blender before you have unplugged it.
2) you make up most moves in the subway or car and you don't care
3) you are mostly OCD and thus have taught your self how to remix music for your own classes
4) you won't teach for less than you are worth
5) you don't smile all the time and you know don't have to
6) people give you music in every form for your classes when you're not bugging store owners about what they are
playing overhead
7) you believe in Richard Simmons..but, hey... you know you've got your own way...
8) you kill yourself to create authentic kick'n moves on count or die
9) you know the difference between a sprung floor and faux wood flooring
10) you go crazy when one side of the room doesn't have a speaker

(*please update me if i am incorrect...because I'll take the degree)

Acuball Workshops, Classes and Distribution

2010-08-07T13:02:00.000-07:00

So, big day! After meeting a few times with my friend Marla Gold, who teaches Nia and Acuball Classes (among a long list of healthcare worker certifications)... I became a new member of the Acuball distribution team of teachers and health care practionners who use, teach with and absolutely love this beautiful.... blue.. ball.

Actually, there is The Acuball and The Acuball- Mini. I am using the Acuballs in class and meeting with practionners who want to use this tool for themselves, or with patients/clients in small offices, corporations, medical teams, in therapy, and at home. If you already have an embodied practice in your work life, the use of the ball and Michael's intention in it's accessibility to the public, will make quite a lot of sense to you.

There are many ways to use The Acuball. In class i will be focusing on the spine and myofascial release techniques along side our movement, weight training, stretching and embodied meditation. (For those of you who don't know, myofascial release is a form of soft tissue work to aid in releasing muscle and muscle 'casing' contractions, tightness and so on. In clinical terms we can say that myofascial release aids in treating somatic dysfunction, accompanying pain and restriction of motion. )

The Acuball’s effectiveness is the result of a number of really bright design features. Lying on the floor of Michael's medical office this morning.. we both enjoyed the simplicity and accessibility of 7 years of very intense research by Dr. Cohen, friends and his team. We'll be using these in class so get ready to loooooove your muscles and your body. It's like embodiment, ment for easy understanding and access. And thanks to Leslie, on admin, for being a great multi-tasking photographer :)

1) Dual Stimulation Zones for Large & Small Muscles
The zone on the bottom of the Acuball has multiple smaller acupoints for doing lighter work like releasing tight muscles in your scalp, face and temples or massaging your child. The larger acupoints on the rest of the Acuball are for deeper work like loosening larger muscles in your neck, legs, hips and low back.

2) Spine Align Belt for Releasing Tight Vertebrae
Many spinal problems come from tight muscles which cause vertebra to lock together, 'jamming up' instead of flowing freely. The Spine Align Belt, a precision moulded groove running around the middle of the Acuball, allows you to lie directly on the Acuball - opening and loosening your spine one vertebra at a time. Like pulling an accordion open, this helps to ‘free up’ your spine all the way from your low back up to the top of your neck. The acupoints at the side of the Spine Align Belt also give an acupressure treatment to the important postural muscles running along both sides of your spine (the erector spinae muscles), allowing them to open and relax. Better spinal motion, improved Central Nervous System flow (since your Central Nervous System runs through your spine) and improved posture result.

The area where your neck meets the back of your head is a key area for wellness enhancement. Why? Because it is here that your brain exits your skull and becomes your spinal chord, transmitting vital information to every part of your body. Any tightness here affects your brain's ability to optimally communicate with your body, so you want this area to be as loose and flexible as possible. Because we spend so much time with our heads bent forward - working, computing and care-giving this area is almost always tight. The Spine Align Belt allows you to open this crucial area, which as you'll experience for yourself, feels truly wonderful.

3) Heatability
If you like the feeling of heat on tight sore muscles, you'll love the Acuball's unique patented heating ability. You certainly don't have to heat it, many people use it at room temperature, but you should try it. People have remarked countless times that they love the sensation of deep penetrating warmth on sore, achy muscles. Many people love taking a heated Acuball to bed with them. Why does it feel so good when it's heated? Heat expands muscles, causing blood vessels to open up, bringing more blood to tight areas. This increased blood flow flushes out accumulated wastes, calming irritated nerves and loosening muscles back to their normal relaxed state.

The Acuball-Mini
The Acuball-mini’s smaller nibs and harder feel make it perfect for releasing tight muscles in the smaller muscle groups of the body such as the feet, shoulders, upper back and arms. It is particularly effective in the feet for relieving painful conditions like plantar fascitis. Athletes (golfers, runners, tennis players) use the Acuball-mini before their activity to loosen problem areas in their feet, shoulders or arms to enhance muscle performance and reduce risk of injury.

See You in Class!!
Miriam

For booking workshops and kits call Miriam Schacter
DanceFIT Canada PH: 416.939.1672
Torontomoves@gmail.com

YOU ME and NEUROLOGY

2010-07-18T09:57:00.000-07:00

Developmental Trauma and The Developing Brain in Relation to Attachment Theory, Regulation Theory and The Neuroscience of Psychotherapy AKA Why People Need a Holistic, Integrative Dance-Forme Class

Please note these are the studies of the writer and need not be related to everyone. Find out what resonates with you, in your own way. Let me know! The ideas on the table, not necessarily right or wrong. So, let's find a place in-between so we can safely explore and discover in thought and deed. Moreover, studies change and theories change, so some ideas will become better articulated in the future.

PART ONE:
Why does Miriam think We Need a Movement-Based Home-Base?

Let's start by looking at how our brain and bodies develop. When I say BODY, I mean, our nervous sytem that runs to every muscle in our body. I mean, our ability through an 'embodied-mind' to interpret information, and act or behave in gesture or deed with authenticity and reciprocity of care.

From birth (and before birth)our brain and body is shaped and nurtured - individually, interpersonally, and in space within natural time. We (brain-body) can also be shaped by neglect or abuse. Or a combination of both. Everyone has a story. Sometimes it hard to figure out, not what DID happen, but what DID NOT happen. As adults, as we see what the other options are, we bump into those places where a feeling or cognitive connection was not taught or maintained.

In infants we know the following "Limbic areas of the human cerebral cortex show anatomical maturation in the middle of 2nd year, suggesting that corticolimbic functional activity expressed in ‘emotional activities and mechanisms of memory are operating at this specific time.’ (Rabinowicz, 1979) This maturation reflects not only growth of connections but also a pruning [cutting off of] or parcellation [how we store info] (Ebbisson, 1980)

So, How we get treated and touched, from a 'sensory perspective', creates the nervous system and brain connections. We all get 'pruned' or 'parceled and packed' differently which affects all behavours and all thought processes. When I say, a sensory perspective, i mean, if we are taught to use our sense to gather information about ourselves, others and our environments. When our senses get ignored or over-rided or neglected, we don't develop our own senses or empathic perceptions well. We can become, senseless... in the true meaning.

I suggest that holistic fitness and DANCE CLASSES, movement classes and compassionate body practices can assist in experiencing a new 'home-base" for adults. I suggest that for people with a 'secure-base' already, movement programs push our creativity and authenticity - body-up - to places that benefit many, including ourselves. So come out, come out where-ever you are, and dance!

As children, if our families were open to exploration, our movement in the family in word, in deed, in motion, and in thought) essentially flows within and without. We learn to feedback and witness in authenticity of self, collective care-taking, and emotional love. When this 'home-base' is secure, our life can expand in safety. It’s like having a good place to run to when we fall, or being able to call “time out.” In J. Holmes’s chapter on Bowlby’s work titled, Attachment, Anxiety, Internal Working Models , “all of us, from the cradle to the gave, are happiest when life is organized as a series of excursions, long or short, from the secure base provided by our attachment figures.” (Holmes, p. 61, 1993).

I suggest that connective and integrative dance-fitness classes provide fun space for adults, seniors, and youth to a) connect to new senses b) explore visual and physical feedback c) share in a positive community environment d) integrate feeling, thought and speech d)practice self agency and self-other-care e) self regulate mood changes or electro-chemical systems f) practice spacial temporal cuing g)practice healthy relationships replacing abusive... and continue to be funky, passionate, strong, creative beings.

So, in class, over time, everyone gets to experience a new place to start from with physical consistency, care of community, collective movement, mutually understood gestures and embodied meanings, empathy, exploration, motivation, energy shifts, and the sense of being able moving through good times and bad times.

From a therapeutic perspective, the following can be said. In my experience with integrative dance, movement and martial art forms we find paths to foster neural growth and integration; This is expecially important for mental and nervous-system health on inter-personal and intra-psychic levels. In our aim for feelings of integration, movement, restoration, unity and peace, we can try...

1] The establishment of safe and trusting relationships
2] Gaining new information and experiences across the domains of cognition, emotion, sensation, and behaviours
3] The simultaneous or alternating activation of neural networks that are not integrated or dissociated.
4] Moderate levels of stress or emotional arousal alternating with periods of calm and safety
5] The integration of conceptual knowledge with emotional and bodily experience through narratives that are co-constructed with safe (and funky) others
6] Developing a method of processing and organizing new experiences so as to continue ongoing growth and integration outside of therapy or counseling.
(Cozolino, p. 27, 2002)

In summary of the above, like Zen, one cannot dictate a set of rules to follow in relation to neural integration, emotional homeostasis via tolerance and regulation, body-based balance, or traumatic transcendence. But, in my experience, how we approach our own disconnection in ourselves and with others depends on what tools we have to listen, learn, and respond to the chance of trying new ways. If it is safe enough to try a new way...often, we do.

PART TWO:
Let's Look at the Brain a Bit More!

If you don't know about the brain, and how that develops, here is an beginners into. Everybody has two cerebral hemispheres that make up one brain. People tend to talk about the LEFT and RIGTH brain, but we need both working together. Dance teaches us to use form and flow, structure and creativity together. With so few people really dancing in the west, it's not a surprise men and women are having trouble connecting personally and interpersonally.

The simple summary is this... The LEFT part is where speech comes from. It also controls the right side of your body. In general...Our logic and reasoning skills come from the LEFT half as do number skills. The RIGHT side of your brain is, simply said, your creative and movement part - this is where we find flow, Zen, compassion, universality and so on. This is how we get the perfect soccer goal. The RIGHT is also known as the visual side. The RIGHT side is where spatial imagery comes from. This is where the feeling or open-ness of the dance studio has a meaning, where the sound of the teachers voice or music- in tonal density - carries significance.

It is the RIGHT brain that mediates dialogues of empathic cognition, sense-reception and relational/communicative gesture. If the emotional and sense-based development of an infant or child is stressed through 'misattunement' - that is, a lack of the ability to communicate in sound, gesture, and deed with our caregivers, to reconcile with our caregivers, to survive basic neglect and so on we lose a lot in the development of our emotional and personal word-body-gesture development. We lose a lot in our self concept and self construct. More over, we can get wounded on the level of how we work with others and what we should expect from others.

If we get the chance cross trained our brains and bodies....we tend to fair a bit better. When we train both sides the two halves connect more strongly by a bundle of nerves called the corpus callosum.

So, for people who work at it, we tend to use both sides of our brain. We can articulate our thoughts, plan in advance, mediate, dialogue, do a million skills-drills...so we get that perfect flow. We can feel, sense, respond and still plan our RRSPs! ha ha ha..... One side supports the other and so on. So, the brain does not have to operate preferring one side over another. Our bodies don't have to be tied to our cognitive limitations longing for change. We all know artists who can't speak well, flooded with emotions, images, nervous system communications.... and we all know business workers who can't feel, sense, rest, be present. We know how these problems 'feel' and we've even attached them to gender. It's not as easy as all that - but the work we end up doing, how we behave, feeds back into our brains and prioritizes left or right. The fish is the water, the water is the fish.

PART THREE:
But, Why is it so Hard to Change?

When we rely on our upbring only as a mean for the development of our "embodied' mind, we can suffer behaviourally, cognitively and electro-chemically. Our fears, anxieties and defensiveness learned by a developing child, often continues into behaviours of avoidance, watchfulness, waryness, ambivalence, clinging... and also anger, numbness, apathy... It's not our fault. (Holmes, Figure 3.1 Developmental Pathways from Maternal Deprivation, p. 52, and Figure 4.1, The Attachment Behavioral System, p. 77)

It has been suggested from a neurology perspective, (and stated in similar ways in Darwin’s and in Freud’s work in relation to the drive instinct or theory), that the brain conserves earlier primitive structures which account for “some of the contradictions and discontinuities of human consciousness and behaviour.” (Cozolino, p. 8, 2002) In Cozolino’s research, summarized in The Neuroscience of Psychotherapy, he refers to Maclean’s description of the human brain as “a three-part phylogenetic system reflecting our evolutionary connection with both reptiles and mammals.” Maclean’s description of the non-verbal reptilian and paleomammalian brain runs parallel with Freud’s articulations of the conscious and unconscious mind.

At the center or core of this 3-brain construct is the Reptilian Brain [activation, arousal, homeostasis and reproductive drives]. The Paleomammalian Brain/limbic system grows around the reptilian brain [leaning, memory, and emotion], and the highest layer, the Neomammalian Brain, develops within the areas of the cerebral cortex and corpus callosum [conscious thought and self-awareness]. It is important to note that, according to Cozolino, “what Charcot and Freud called dissociation and 'hysteria' could be the result of inadequate problematic linkups between these different, cohabitating brains.” (Cozolino, p. 9, 2002)

According to 'triune brain' idea, we can consider the notion that we are not secure in our illusion of the sophistication of the verbally-centered human animal – able to rationalize, intellectualize and defend our actions in logical ways. Our brain-stem or reptilian brain (areas of low plasticity) are relevant to understanding ourselves and our nature. So as we change in our ways, we can think about what part of our thinking needs to help us change? Are we in survival? Can we take care of ourselves and others better. I do feel that learning how to take care of our bodies in health and compassion personally, allows us to practice this same care and love with others. I find that we can grow all parts of our thinking mechanisms by really watching our behaviours, gestures and feelings. A conscious movement or dance class is a really great place to practice in safety. It's kind of like asking not WHO AM I, but, HOW AM I? We can expand that to HOW AM I - not alone, but with you, with a group, in society... in the world at this time. Are you actually a nasty person, do you rage on kind people? do you feel excessive guilt or shame for others? Do I like those feelings? Should I practice if i suck? have some humour with yourself. We all fall down a lot!

If you are a theology, symbolism, or mythology student... this is a good place to track what characters in mythology were created who only danced, who only flew or could not speak. I'm not going to write a paper on mythology here, but the non-verbal world in mythology and in religion is so relevant to current studies on brain and sensory-motor development. i find the old script writers, the dead sea scrolls, the book of the dead, and other texts speak so much of what neurologists currently write. However, the language is quite different and should not be viewed as 'the same' but perhaps, coming from the same neuro-expression. For me, how the story is told is as important as what is suggested. it shapes the brain differently into free thinkers or... obedient, externally-regulated followers.

So, back the the triune brain. It is hard to change when we live in fear. Even ragers, as frightening as they are, are usually covering up for fear-emotions that can't get connected. They can be violent and it's best to know...it's just not about you. You may have to get out and get safe. It's not just an emotional thing, is a kinda of physical thing. The fast brain processing system, with the amygdala at its core, makes rapid reflexive and unconscious decisions to provide for immediate survival. It is responsible for the acquisition of skills and rules and the conditioning of stimulus-response connections. This system develops first and organizes learning related to attachment and affect-regulation. It involves sensory-motor and affective memories of early life and later traumatic memories.

Living in survival, not knowing what's going on, not being able to use our senses for information (aka Developmental Trauma) just feels bad! According to Cozolino, we can think of trauma as overwhelming the defenses, as in intense activation of subcortical networks inhibiting the participation of the hippocampus and cortex in the memory process. “Trauma is a state of high arousal that impairs integration across many domains of learning and memory.” (Cozolino, p. 270, 2002). Thus, damage to neural structures through trauma affect the development, interpretation, translation, and articulation of coherent narratives about the self. Trauma is much more complicated than people think. Try a restorative yoga or martial arts (where people are responsible) or a Nia tech. class and see how you begin to feel.

PART FOUR:
But, when I try...anything new or sensual... I feel embaressed and a shamed! How come I don't feel proud to learn something new...especially with my body?

For those of you who get hit by a shame response...again, it is not your fault! it is interesting how many people are afraid to dance, and they want to so badly! How many people are afraid to get it wrong? How many people can only dance alone? How many people can't share a dance anymore?

From the perspective of “the neuron”, in a shamed state, the infant’s neuron’s, are receiving chemical signals from hundreds of other neurons and thousands of synapses, influencing the rate of, and the firing of nerve impulses within that state. We know that a decision to produce nerve impulses is made through the summation of all of the inhibitory and excitatory potentials impinging on a neuron. “Once critical threshold voltage is reached by this summation, nerve impulses will be generated. The more the excitation, the higher will be the frequency of the impulse train.” (O’Shea, p. 29, 2005). We can follow this basic summary of neuron-to-neuron communication to understand how negative neuro-pathways can be forged, long before we are even conscious of being able to make choices for our own health care! Recalling that cells that fire together, wire together, we can follow that forged neuronal pathways of disregulation and disorganization continues to survive, feedbacking into our thoughts, our meaning in relation, our motivations, intentions, actions, behaviours and overall life choices. Keep trying in health small steps, keep it real... keep firing, keep wiring... It's not this biological really, there is a lot of emotional content i am not writing here at this time. But, let's try to understand why your body is moving into shame...and still get you to class!

I do believe it is important to note that in my experience with women in dance and in mental health, drive-centered brain functions is not the cause of dis-ease. From a woman’s perspective, survival wiring is part of our natural base that allows us to select a mate, feel our children, find food, shelter and even choose and plan for wellness as we develop. If we do not know how to listen, how to choose - if we were never given a change to ask a question... we face culturally, spiritually and dissociative femicide. Living in exile of our nature - male or female, is essentially, not good for the development of our species.

Peace and Happy Passover [Mar 30-Ap 5], Easter [Sunday falls on April 4] , Earth Day [Apr 22], Arbor Day [Last Friday in April] Baisakhi [April 13]; S.A. Freedom Day [27 April] and others... including April 2nd, the 13th Day of now Ruz. On this day everyone stays out of doors thus repulsing 'dis-harmony' according to Persian tradition!

TRY SOMETHING NEW YOU THINK YOU MAY ENJOY....
+ GET OUTSIDE yourself. Your brain and body and friends will thank you.

See you in class :)
Miriam - Torontomoves@gmail.com

The Connective World of Fascia - One Love

2010-07-12T08:57:00.000-07:00

Every muscle in your body is enclosed in a bag of tough connective tissue known as fascia. Fascia is very important for holding your muscles in their proper place in your body. Rich in collagen fibers, it can be a tough, gristly covering, that surrounds every muscle. It forms a vast network throughout the body, surrounding every other cell and continuous from head to toe. It is the white tissue in the pictures shown above. [notice the outstanding form in this disco pose, doesn't even have skin and this cat's look'n great!]

Fascia also includes the tendons that join the muscle to the bone, as well as the joint capsules and the ligaments. Fascia contains numerous nerve fibers and sensory receptors and is better termed, 'neuromyofascia' [not to be confused with leggo-my-eggo] The superficial fascia, directly under the skin, contains adipose tissue and collagenous fibers and is also rich in nerve fibers. This layer is part of holding the twists in the deeper tissues and the counterrotations in our joints. Hence, fascia, is a big part of dancing and full range of motion ih our changing bodies. [does that mean...i am a fasciast?]

Fascia tends to stiffen as we age becoming tight and dried out. If your muscles or bodie is inflamed [feels hot ie: rheumatoid conditions], the body's lubricative material can become glue-like; Once less viscus, the chemistry attracts more inflammatory cells to the area and adheres various layers together.

In general, we can feel "sore" in our fascia, but we may think it's muscle. Or, we may be unable to release all that connective tissue from it's seeminly 'forever-tensed' hold. When healthy, this tight embrace is what we need. When fascia is blocking us from our motion, we have to take slightly more managing steps to help it out.

When your muscles are fully being used, they are pressing against the fascia. When we stretch in class after weight training or dancing, we increase the pressure on the fascia greatly, which can lead to expansion of the fascia.... which give space for your muscles to grow.

When we stretch enough to cause the fascia to expand, we really feel it! When you are stretching the fascia, you feel a powerful pulling sensation and pressure as the muscle works against the fascia to expand it. We rapidly learn to distinguish the difference between a good stretch and a bad stretch. You should not feel sharp pain, just a steady pull. It's sometimes "FIRE-Y" with all those nerves pulling in the tissue. It can feel like we don't even want to breath.

When you stretch sincerely after working the muscle, give your fascia - feedback, or, a reason to expand and release if too small, or tight, or "contracted-tense". It's nice to know that emotional tension, from life, trauma or developmental trauma can really be helped by doing deep fascial and breath work with a good practitioner. My friend and RMT will be dropping a line in here about his work with fascia and helping us work with this amazing part of our bodies.

In general, to expand the fascia, stretches should be 20 to 30 seconds after we have worked them and they are pumped large with blood. However, stretching our bodies is not just about stretching our muscles or flexibility of range of motion. Breathing into every stretch changes our body in shape, in detoxification, in oxigen uptake, and our relationship to our connective nature.

Don't by shy to admit to yourself, that you dont' like stretching or that it's painful. let's just do it slowly, carefully, together.

I am currently teaching private/public Acuball Release classes at the Miles Nadel JCC at Bloor and Spadina in Toronto. You can find out my schedule by looking up www.dancefitschedule.blogspot.com (yes a website will be created soon)

My Friend Marla Gold, who also teaches Acuball classes says "releasing tension in the body on a regular basis is so important to keep us mobile, happy beings" she adds, "it's important for people to practice self-agency in this process." Marla and I both advise that while receiving asstance for fascial release is healthy, and active stretching works, options like the ball offers deep tissue accessibility that you sense actively - feedbacking into the very same body you need to heal. As movement and health practicionners, if we don't understand restoration and feedback systems, we just don't have, not just the language, but the teachings to help ourselves, and help others. For me, the acuball is part of our heal-theyself personal program done alone or in community groups. Special thanks to Canadian chiro Michael Cohen for creating this wonderful tool, affordable, heatable and accessible. Its used by the NHL, Olympians, and soon .... by many of us in living embodied and in motion.

In my classes, I also like pumping, squeezing, knocking, and all kinds of fascial release movements. See you in class where we will do them! Miriam

*Body facts+Source - Nick Nilsson
* http://www.rolfingseattle.com/aboutfascia.html
* http://www.body-rhythms.com
* http://www.acuball.com

WHY EMBODIED IN-BODY GROUP CLASSES????

2010-06-26T13:38:00.000-07:00

FUNK the FAT - This is a Get Up to Get Down approach to Fitness – Get Fit! Get Fat! Get Funky!

“We build independently – each body - and we build as a community - together!”

It’s almost September in Toronto…. and FUNK THE FAT program has secured our space our city. Can I say…our bootcamp-centered city? For those who know me, you know our classes are always aimed at actively deepening the relationship to our bodies, individually and collectively in a funky, smart way.

So....we start with the quads, a very good place to start. When we sing we begin with do re mi, when we dance we begin with 1,2,3 - ...step up to the gluts, biceps femoris… in squats – “Funk Phenomena” blasting away so we can get deeper – down to the gastrocnemius, soleus,…we stabilize the base, pumping blood and oxygen towards the lower half of our bodies – shooting through the nerves – how’s your femoral nerve? artery? vein? They all travel together through your muscle. Let’s work what you may have been sitting on all day...all week? We stretch, we balance….we feel our legs! Lunge! (forward, lateral, backward), squat! Release the hips! dddddrop it like its hot! ….Because the funk bone’s connect to the funk bone… g-g-g-get it?? got it? good!

Now firm up into our bellies – take that grounded feeling and crunch into - external obliques, interal obbliques, transverses abdominis - all to the best south beach has to offer.. how 'bout Detriot? How 'bout Philli? How 'bout London? Toronto? Drop to the beat – step back - and pull out the big girls…lol.. bicepts, tricepts, deltoids, traps pecs. Rock it, roll it… stretch it… drink some water…. sssssset one! Nice Job! Grab a cooling towel!

ssssstretch! Roll! Bounce!… we take our stability balls - way too much fun.. – crank up the Sade, Chaka, Delight, JLo, Whittney – sthen let’s move into - the circular-oriented reps involving full-body motion and essential core mechanics. drop into the weights.. …isolate those arm muscles, find your belly, lift through your erector spinae… roll back. Plank out.. carry the ball… Let’s lunge Set two!! Very very good job!

So, we're out there..… walking....lengthening the muscles now..ease on down the road and slide some oil to me... - take those long legs and step deep into the hip joints, feel where the head of the femur fits into the capsul of the hip joint. Lengthen instead of kicking out your knees. Walk tall.. give me some long, low, tall.. – then pick that up - pique steps on the balls of your feet. alternate, pump ... Find your 360 degree cross overs. Backwards, sideways, turns, jump… m-m-mmotor it, flow, stomp it, …wave hey to your neighbour. This is funky town and everybody is welcome. Follow me and step into a circle - we're gonna bring out the martial arts - so find your feet, jump on a horse …. and let's hit it! I’m not kidding! This serious muscle defining work energizes and charges up the internal system with blocks, kicks and punches. Face your partner… do it again. do it again…. Nice work! now cool down.. find the smaller circles…find the breath…tao... move the lactic acid… rolf the muscle, move the lymph, shake the bones….we recover, we restore, we regenerate.... together! Nice job! Drink water.

And there is so much more… weights, with gravity, against gravity… on the mats….we hit the beats, and hit the spot. Funk the Fat… get it? So, what you usually do with your personal trainer, we do together – actively dancing to the beats of some of TO’s best dj’s keeping us “on the good foot” so to speak - Carl Allan, Dave Campbell, Cozmic Cat, Lazy Ray, Son of Soul, Paul Lopez, Amita Handa, Peter, Nav, Nik Red, Kulwant, Medicine Man, El Shamen, Billy Brians, Sawtay....and in the past... tyrone, malik X ..and so many more people bringing music...sure...thanks to dj's and stations who don't program..but really listen, and play intimately, authentically - laying a path for people move - up, down, side to side. oh your turning me inside out.. lol...

SO....set to the beat - the summary is this: I have choreographed a 1 hr class (sometimes 1.15hr) broken into 4 sets of cardio, dance, weights, mats, martial arts, yoga and floor work - with reps of movements in each set. I am following some of the best science in the fitness world - but when you know the muscles intimately and the nervous system... you can choreograph into the fun places. First we work the muscle, then we “tell it what to do ” in a resting-release motion and we stretch it. Work, Stretch, Release....or Work, Release, Stretch...sometimes Stretch Release Work... it's a good combination.. a wicked combination. Nice!

About Bootcamp, BootyCamp and Circuit Training Programs:

I put together Funk the Fat not just because it’s my kind of work out, at my age - with real people and all the tunes - without the club or the booze environment – but!!....and i tread lightly on this - I have watched trainers for years encourage clients to follow them from machine to machine without taking the time to relate to your body in what you are actually doing. Why is anyone chatting non-stop encouraging dissociation from the body or distraction from the senses? Good trainers encourage and help you keep your mind on the ball - or your body. They don't replace a TV or a radio with idle chatter to "get you through" a horrible time. lol... Let’s take a bit more time deepening the relationship with our bodies alone and together. Trainers are leading you.. so make sure they have an intimate sensitivity to their job and you. Am i getting too deep?!? lol... The second part of that relationship with your trainer, your group teacher or yourself alone... means understanding the purpose of restoration. Shake it out between reps. take a break. breath! (try a nice breath now where ever you are)

I am also asking - if you have a 30 min program with your trainer...if you are not actively powering it through... do you feel you are getting your money/energy's worth? This is a problem. If how we allocate our hard earned funds are only "active" that is hot, cranking energy... and not restorative, that is cooling, joint work, stretching and receiving energy... are we getting the best work out? Receiving, moving into the joints, restoring is really a part of a holistic dynamic relationship in our fitness life and with others. What are we training our bodies for if not to share and receive? Let’s make time to connect to our body in all our work outs - what ever style. Keep it in the moment - connect to the brain and the body and each other and we win on all levels. I don't mean don't joke around...I'm the biggest joker... but I am talking about a keep a real and embodied approach to fitness. Your trainer, first - must be embodied to offer it.

Let’s also question - and put it all on the table... in group class work.... why has Toronto so easily moved to a place of military type sharpness or coolness when WORKING THE BODY GOOD? I’m not saying fitness teachers are not all compassionate or that we all don’t love our clients…. I also call out the short sentences and instructions….but why are so many people training women and men in bootcamp style? Is military the only way to activate? To kick butt? To pump? Kill those Lunges! Move it! Drills! Lines! Crunch! Don't make me hit you... okay...maybe that's over the line.. I do love a good group class..and I do love being told what to do so I can just get into my body.....BUT …. What’s happening where when we are so tired from work…bootcamp is the only way to motivate us to work out? Or feel safe that we are losing weight and using our time actively! I am seeing too many "boot-camp bodies" particularly on women.... with muscle building under the same excess weight you are trying to get rid of. And you guessed it... there is no restoration time in these classes. Take note: when we over-work the body in a rushed way, we stop losing weight! When the body is getting yelled at a we can actually move into a trauma-like state where the body actually works on saving the fats – because it recognizes it is in danger. Are you in this pattern? Maybe not! But if you are.... you can always want to lay off the hard stuff… and head to a restorative class for a while. You will still lose weight - surprisingly so! Try a flow class, try a class that you can sink into the music - try not to drive yourself more after a long day's work. The slow turtle will always win! So…. GET DEEP, GO HARD GO HEAVY…and make sure you are not shuting down or out. A good teacher will protect the class from this, help you FEEL the difference and lay down the trax for compassion to your body.

Whether you are in a private trainer session or a bootcamp class, trainees, I would like to suggest that you be your own driver sometimes..... and make sure you are learning how to restore and how to maintain your body in a fun, funky way. It’s your relationship with your body and you may want to explore the reasons if you are one of those people who don’t want to or don't like to work out alone. People always say...it's motivation. I need a trainer for motivation. There's a hole there for me. If it's motivation...why is that same person not in a group class? Is it intimacy, is it one on one time? is it having the full attention? is it that you don't have to coordinate moves or share space? It's important to consider that if you hate working out, and need that one-on-one trainer... there may be very good reasons for keeping your body still, for "following-the-leader", or not hyper-arousing your nervous system. I totally support those reasons. And, one day... you may want to try a different way - so learning to lead is important.... a new machine? a group class? Take the lead and feel good about that skill.

The relationship with your body is one of the most important relationships you will ever have in your life. Let's consider what kind of relationships we are having with those who work with our bodies and the quality of the product they are offering. Don't compromise. Find the best trainer or teacher you like b/c you deserve it always. :)

Community style classes and group movement in general is coming back in the mode! To me this is really a good sign that bodies are connecting in different ways and body-based communication (body language) is taking center stage again. It's also important to train the brain how to move in a group..how to see differences in bodies, how to move inbetween moving spaces. How to build off of another working body, finding new coordination, new connections, be patient..... Maybe it’s all that dancing on TV..may Obama’s leadership …maybe an open sense in the air? What do you think? So even if you prefer private training or treadmill training - why not give a group class a try? Make sure it’s with a mature and embodied instructor - you may not like a cheerleader, you may not like the music. If you don’t like it….try a different teacher….try to find your way in a good groupe.... it’s good for your body, it’s good for your brain – it’s active, it's collective, it's connective... it’s very alive.

Keep on moving together - to be honest.... it's one of the only things I know how to do

DWP SHOW TUESDAY JUNE 22nd

2010-06-16T13:23:00.001-07:00

"Getting Ready for the Show!" Plus, special coverage from Pauline Chan Wed June 16th on CTV news
Plus, tune into CBC all this week....and grab your tickets... 'cuz their are going to sell out fast
TICKETS: $40 Box office (416) 885-4229

***

Dancing with Parkinson's Presents

"I've Got a Feeling"
DWP GALA EVENT 2010

ON TUESDAY JUNE 22ND @ 6:30pm AT LULA LOUNGE
family, friends and DWP supporters will gather for an
evening of music and dance from around the world

FEATURING:

* Beautiful choreographies and performances by DWP dancers and support volunteers
* Hosted by Andy Barrie, with Dr. Tiffany Chow
* Salsa Class with Miko Sobreira
* SalsaTO Meets Bollywood
* Dance to Live Studio Performance
* Rhythm and Motion Studio Performance
* Excellent Silent Auction
* Apps and Beverages
* Throw Down Dance Party with Toronto's Fiercest Salsa Band.... CACHE

*****************************************************

DATE: Tuesday June 22nd 2010
DOORS: 6:30pm * come early for good parking
LOCATION: Lula Lounge 1581 Dundas St West (Just West of Dufferin)
TICKETS: $40 Box office (416) 885-4229
ONLINE: http://bit.ly/d4DrKB

*****************************************************

LINKS:
http://www.dancingwithparkinsons.com
http://www.sarahrobichaud.com/
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=128073353879583&ref=mf
http://www.lulalounge.ca/
http://www.con-cache.com/home/index.php
http://www.Torontomoves.blogspot.com

*****************************************************

SILENT AUCTION INCLUDES:
A one week stay for two at Arowhon Pinesin Algonquin Park!
Tickets to see 'Wicked' at the Canon Theatre!
Jack Johnson at the Molson Amphitheatre!
MAC cosmetics bag!
Flip video cameras!
Golf equipment!
Dinners, spas, and more!
AND MORE TO COME...

See ya at the show!
Miriam, DWP Teacher

MEDIA CONTACT
Miriam Schacter 416.939.1672

News on the Move!

2010-05-26T14:07:00.000-07:00

FRIDAY June 18th 6pm ish Miriam hits the EAST Side on QUEEN at Monro St. (near Dark Hourse) for "BY THE RIVERSIDE" street festival with a Funk the Fat, Disco-dance-fit...take me to the river combo; Celebrating with Quince Flowers, join Me and Liz Smith dancing on the street. Beer tent as well........ and band to follow. Ease on down to the EAST side for 6pm!!

Sat June 19th its a Family Funktion and disco dance party with Miriam and friends in the Junction - High Park Family Fun Center. TIME: 7pm-10pm Dress up in your best disco and 80's dance-wear... and dare to be FUNKY (and embaress your 9 year olds)
COST: $5/person $15/family See www.hpfamilyfunplace.ca

Sunday July 4th Miriam hosts the "Funk your Pride" Family Disco-Dance Party on Pride Weekend Sunday in the FAMILY TENT; Bring your kids or little peoples to the kids/family area around 12noon for Funk Flag Crafts, Glitter bands and face painting...or bring your best glitter wear and body glitter goo-stuff if you've got it!; at 1pm-2pm dance it up with Miriam and friends through full choreographies and free dance styles.

Watch CTV with Pauline Chan, 6pm news sometime in JUNE; our Dancing with Parkinson's class at the Centre for Movement Disorders in Markham is the health highlight! The Dancing with Parkinson's Gala event is on Tuesday June 22nd 2010 at Lula Lounge 1585 Dundas Street West. See www.dancingwithparkinsons.com

For summer, starting now public drop in classes are Mondays and Tuesdays only. More classes in Sept. If you are a dancer, sign up for danceFIT Canada teacher training, I need the subs and the trained-dancer way!
See www.dancefitschedule.blogspot.com

High Park Family Fun Center

2010-04-05T11:14:00.000-07:00

http://highparkfamilyfunplace.blogspot.com/2010/04/high-park-family-fun-place-on-junction_207.html

High Park Family Fun Place
2968 Dundas St. West
Toronto, ON
M6P 1Y8

P: 416-762-3999
F: 416-762-3919
E: info@hpfamilyfunplace.ca

Family Fun Place Hours: 9:00am - 9:00pm

The High Park Family Fun Center, created by team Jennifer Turkenburg and Pierre Kasonga and kids, opens today for fitness classes. And this is a big deal. Powered by a montreal-congo-brasilian-toronto-based 'heart-fueled economy', this play and fitness center is a soon to be favorite spot for Torontonians reaching for a communal, familial and personal - holistic life. I'm happy to bring out "Restoration Station" on Mondays and "Funk 'n Flow Dance Fit Combo" on Tuesdays with this growing crew of community people, parents and artists.

I grew up beside the tracks in Montreal's West side where the trains are the sounds of home. Running all over in my big boots and into the hard hit walls of the outdoor hockey arena, snow caves along the road, arabic ballooning figure skate pants, new homes out of huge sheets of hockey ice, more church ballet, followed by dancing bared feet into way too much 1975 montreal- pooped parks - My mom, and a million others, were like a water-based receiving blankets for running kid-dog-pop-foot-tear-emergencies. It was a free life of exploration of caterpillars, bean trees, cousins, and everyone on the circle block. Not too much, not too little. just right. See you in class for more of the same. :)

RonaMaynard.com

2010-03-27T20:36:00.000-07:00

Blog - Rona Maynard
http://www.ronamaynard.com/index.php?discovering-my-inner-dancer

Once upon a time, when I played with paper dolls and wore Mary Janes, I wanted to be a ballerina. I thought I was the star of my Saturday morning ballet class, pirouetting with more enthusiasm than grace. I didn't know that my short waist, knock knees and crooked spine disqualified me from the tutu'd elite. When I danced, I felt beautiful. I didn't need the pink net skirt and plastic garland that I only got to wear on recital day. I didn't need to wear any clothes at all. Sometimes I'd hear my parents playing Vivaldi for their guests, and into the living room I'd burst, straight from the bathtub, dancing.

By age 12 I had figured out the truth. I was not an especially graceful child, let alone a beauty. I learned to suck in my stomach while passing a mirror, just like my mother. I learned that my body was a billowy, disreputable thing to be concealed with "slimming" clothes (solid colors, no waist). I learned from Seventeen that a girl didn't have to be able to move as long as she could feign interest in the mysterious enthusiasms of boys. Slow dancing, a ritual known only to the desirable, was not really dancing at all, just a heavy-footed shuffle, your head on his shoulder.

For the next 20 years or so, I forgot the sensation of moving. When I finally joined my first gym, at 36, it was only to whip my thighs into shape for swimsuit weather. I came to like the soothing rhythm of my feet pounding a track, and the sweaty glow that follows a hard weight-training session, but it didn't seem possible that beauty could touch any movement of mine. I was moving strictly to prevent decay, or at least hold it off a little longer. How earnestly, doggedly I moved---five workouts a week, no matter what.

This past fall I got tired of pumping away on the elliptical machine just as my current gym, at Verity Women's Club, launched a Saturday morning class with the intriguing name "Flow Motion Fitness." Why not give it a shot? Lo and behold, Flow Motion is mostly dance, with some added punch from martial arts and strength work for good measure. You couldn't sell this melange as "dance"---most of us women don't believe we can dance. "I'm not coordinated," we say. Or "I trip all over myself." So I have to hand it to the agile and intrepid Miriam Schacter, who created this class and others like it around Toronto (and is shown here demonstrating one one of her funkier moves). She's bringing out the dancer in us real-bodied, middle-aged women.

The first few Saturdays, I mostly watched Miriam shimmy and shake with inspirational abandon. How did she manage to get three movements going at once---hips, shoulders and, for God's sake, head? "Look at her go," I'd think to myself. Then I started to notice the rest of our group. We may not have the power or aplomb that Miriam does in this photo, but no two ways about it, we're dancing. So what if we trip over our feet now and then? It's okay. Having real bellies is okay, too---Miriam tells us to feel them and breathe through them instead of just wishing them away.

There's just one problem with this class: it's become so popular, it's bursting at the seams.Yet we're a light-hearted crew, and ever lighter on our feet. I, for one, am a long way from bobbling my head while making separate circles with my shoulders and hips. But hey, I've only just reconnected with my long-forgotten inner dancer. Look at me go.

Spring Summer DWP in Markham!

2010-03-24T12:52:00.000-07:00

March + April Happenings

2010-03-18T10:53:00.001-07:00

errrrr....if you ever feel funny about my photos, i'm not preaching, i'm just playing :)

Sunday March 21, 1-4pm
Listen up live CKLNw/djCarlAllen, uniting the music and the movement ... just a little more. I'll be dropping by to talk about dance, integrative fitness, funk and what we can build in TO, to...gether.

http://www.ckln.fm/index.php?option=com_content&task=blogcategory&id=106&Itemid=291

NEW
Family Fitness Center opening in HIGH PARK Sat April 3rd. Drop by and say Hey! 10am-10pm
Fun all day long - w/ TO's party-central djs /Dance Demos and Live Music w/ Guoimar+Collin Campbell

Classes w/ Miriam Start Monday April 5th

http://dancefitschedule.blogspot.com/
http://hpfamilyfunplace.ca/index.html

NOW
Dance-Fit and Funk spring classes regstering now at FIT 2 DANCE w/ Miriam Tues+ Fris
http://dancefitschedule.blogspot.com/

Funk the Fat says....
"Work it Right Every Friday Night!"

Fit2Dance Funks the Fat with a Triple Feature - 3 of TO's hardest work'n Dance-fit teachers, Miriam Schacter, Michelle Hillier and Liz Smith Registration on NOW! Get Ready 2 Get Fit on Fridays and Lick that Chunky into Funky!

While...

FLow Motion brings..... Integrative Dance, Cardio, Nia Tech, Martial Arts, and Yoga to learn, embody, enliven, and restore. With a spotlight on music from around the world, house, soul, disco and original kick'n mixes, classical modern and resonating cello, the rhythms give your body something to chew on... until your breath and sense of space needs it's own quiet time. Build yourself and build a community in motion.

Sat April 17th ** NOTE NEW DATE
Community Disco Dance Party - A Family FUNKtion in the Junction.. because FAMILIES that PLAY together, STAY together
come in full dress - bring your shine and glam, kids or friends. We'll be living off the wall.. (with those amazing train murals) so we can learn the disco and funk moves - even the bus stop (with special guest)...get ready for some complex steps... on a living soul train... Thomas the Train says.... toot toot!
http://hpfamilyfunplace.ca/index.html

National Post - On Line 16 March 2010

2010-03-16T09:47:00.000-07:00

Making Love In The Kitchen: Green Cat Funk The Fat (Smoothie)
Posted: March 16, 2010, 11:39 AM by Meghan Telpner
Recipes, nutrition, Making Love in the Kitchen, Meghan Telpner
Meghan Telpner is a Toronto-based nutritionist and holistic lifestyle consultant. Her Making Love In The Kitchen video series will bring you tips on how to prepare healthful, nutritious goodness from whole foods. Visit her site for more love.

Meghan Telpner
http://meghantelpnerblog.com/2010/03/16/lower-the-load-funk-the-fat-and-ditch-the-skinny-jeans/

Meghan... I give this two paws up! Lick-a-licious and packed with meow-pow! - Miriam

"We know what spring time means. It means longer days, warmer weather and that every lamp post in my young urban hippie neighbourhood becomes plastered with signs for boot camp classes. Last week I received an email with the subject line "Get In To Your Skinny Jeans This Spring", and I thought, Hmmm. No. This booty and my five foot tall self wasn't intended to wear skinny jeans so why on earth would I torture myself for six weeks, so that I might fit into them briefly until my body goes back to the size and shape it likes best, which is exactly how it is right now.

What about forgetting about the 'skinny jeans' or whatever you may be aiming to 'fit in to' and instead working with our own genes and what feels good for our own body rather than straining and paining to become something that may not be just right for us right now. I'd rather be chubby.

I hate the gym. Passionately. I am not lazy, that's for sheezees. I ride a clunker of a bike all over the city, take on more serious rides, heart my yoga, and am happy to get outside for long walks, snow shoe adventures, dance parties for one and other such activities. Dragging my bottom to the gym three or four times a week to run on a treadmill that takes me nowhere, be yelled at in a class to work off that Toblerone bar or sweat our all my drinking from the night before is useless to me. The posters plastered all over my former gym telling me that drinking chocolate milk would maximize my workout signaled my final and permanent farewell after ten years as an avid regular

I have recently been introduced to Miriam Schacter, a dance fit instructor in Toronto, who is on the same page. Though I will forgive her hatred for Brussel's Sprouts and Okra, I will happily ride on over to 99 Sudbury and other neighbourhood great big dance studio spaces to Funk The Fat. Her flow motion style makes you think you can dance and her attitude and message has absolutely nothing to do with changing the way your body looks but totally improving the way it feels. That bit of philosophy is what truly stole my 'Feel Good? Feel Great!" heart.

Just like I don't talk fat grams and calories, she doesn't talk fat burning and calories. Imagine eating food that makes your feel amazing and complementing that with a workout that feels amazing. That'll put a little Spring-time spring in the step. Miriam talks about moving, shaping and growing stronger. She talks green drinks not carb loading and she talks about shaking that booty, doing the humpty, moving and smiling all along the way. She freaking rocks it and I have totally become her newest groupies.

Just like eating in a way that feels awesome, moving in a way that feels awesome makes it all a whole lot more manageable, sustainable and desirable. You know what happens when you start feeling amazing? You start looking amazing too! Call it a gift with purchase. Get your dance on (right after you green drink it!).

Green Cat Funk The Fat Smoothie
2 leaves of kale
juice of 1/2 a lemon
1/2 banana
1 stalk of celery
about 4 inches of cucumber
1 Tbs dried coconut
1 Tbs goji berries
1 Tbs raw cacao
1 - 2 tsp spirulina
1 Tbs hemp protein
As much cayenne as you can handle
1 cup ice
1-2 cups water until desired consistency is achieved

Blend, enjoy and then funk the fat!"

Read more: http://network.nationalpost.com/NP/blogs/theappetizer/archive/2010/03/16/making-love-in-the-kitchen-green-cat-funk-the-fat-smoothie.aspx#ixzz0iMRsyRnz

DROP IN 2010 AT a GLANCE

2010-02-12T11:38:00.000-08:00

FUNKtheFAT + FLOWmotionFITNESS = Miriam's Drop In + Say Hey

Alison said...
Five things I like about Miriam's classes:

1. Flow Motion makes you think you can dance.
2. Funk the Fat is fun, never punishment.
3. The music is cool
4. Also cool: the other people in the class.
5. Miriam has off-the-chart intelligence (both the book smart and emotional kind) and makes every class a great time.

Q: Why are Miriam's classes different? A: Well, there are many reasons..... one reason I can stand by, is, I am a fitness choreographer. That means, i "listen" to how people's bodies are moving in the class and I choreograph directly for your body. I listen to fitness trends all over, and decide what feels strong, embodied, real, fun and alive. I bring that to every class. This work takes hours of studio-prep time. Second, I listen to the music and figure out how to connect in motion to the rhythms, tones and patterns with the instruments and collective melodies. Dance and fitness must be connective in gesture and timing. This, in my experience is part of "what works the body good." If the music is used as a distraction or like a "babble" with unrelated, not personal and disconnective workout routines, what are you teaching your body... all your life? My time, in prep is the difference between a good class, and an amazing class. I would love to have the opportunity to teach the kinds of classes I could really pull out. I would like top trained, skilled and able instructors to have more opportunities to use their talents and years of experience to build great movement-focused spaces. Not body-building, but people and community building. I'm listening and I'm asking fitness clubs, directors, and clients alike - to listen, move, and grow together - as we are now, and as we need to be. See you in class.

*** CLASSES FOR HIRE****

FUNK THE FAT: An off-the-hook, full-bodied dancefit and core-crunch, integrating weight training and martial arts - set to fall off the bone fresh house, funk, disco, dancehall et plus++

FLOW MOTION FITNESS: Integrative Dance, Cardio, Nia Tech, Martial Arts, and Yoga this class embodies, enlivens, and elevates. With a spotlight on music from around the world, house, soul, disco and original kick'n mixes, classical modern and resonating cello, the rhythms give your body something to chew on... until your breath and sense of space needs it's own quiet time. Build yourself and build a community in motion.

AQUAFIT - AQUABOOGIE You know it! it's the sing along, splash along fitness dance program in the water. For people with acute health concerns, long term injury, and smart fitness peeps working the hardest aqua-dance-fit program in Toronto! We dance, we prance - we're all ages, all sizes, all abilities...and we've never looked wetter.

DANCING WITH PARKINSON'S: This choreographic dance program designed specifically for individuals with Parkinson's is growing. See www.dancingwithparkinsons.com

CLASSICAL STRETCH: Stretch your way... your way. Getting back to the basics of feeling your stretch before holding poses, Miriam guides you through an ever-changing hour of linear and circular integrative stretching. From Tai-Chi to Puccini, from Kathleen Battle to breathing, this class is a big studio hit. Classical stretch is an important program for Cyclists, Spin Class students or trainers, soccer players, martial artists, and boxers. Make sure you are fluid when you need, and solid when you need.

LEARNING TO LEAD: A choreographic program for school children, specialty classes and families to help integrate thought and skill into dance-based communication. As the dance teacher of Heschel Hebrew Arts School and with DWP.. Miriam has taught ages 7 to 80 how to choreograph.

danceABILITIES: coming soon!!! soon come. Includes: Hips&Knees Please!" [Chair-based power-pump fitness classes for hip, knee, leg injuries and lifestyle changes] "DanceFORMe"" [a supportive dance-fit program for individuals caring for partners with long-term and palliative illnesses'; In sync with the danceABILITIES program, Miriam is gathering a solid crew for future dance teachers who are part of the following communities: Transgendered, transexual, drug/alcohol/sex addiction, depression, body-image disorders, sex trade workers, bereavement and mourning. Potential teachers must be "dancers", must be able to count beats, must have been in therapy, and must be on a path for healing in themselves and in their communities. Please contact: Torontomoves@gmail.com for July Teacher Training 2010.

MODELS WITH MUSCLES: As a dance-fitness choreographer, Miriam works the body in clrcular motion with resistance training and breath integration. Not only does that mean that you won't bulk up, it means you will be able to increase your flexibility, stability, walk-stance, and control your space with more authenticity, affect, and imagination.

SUNDAY SPECIAL: Set to the best of Reggae, High life, Dance Hall, Lover's Rock, Bossa, Afrobeat, and local dj remix+rewind, this two-by-two RockSteady Circuit system grounds science and full-system training in an solid, but easy-going Sunday style.

*******AT A GLANCE***MONDAY TO SUNDAY****

Industry MONDAYS is 'FUNK the FAT' at 99 Sudbury: Fitness and Social Club Downtown (West of Dovercourt, Just South of Queen) 416-533-6066 Starts Monday Jan 4th 2010, TIME 6:00-7:10pm pm $10 drop in and members are free http://www.99sudbury.ca

NEW MORNING CLASS ADDED ALSO @ 99 Sudbury. Thursdays FUNK THE FAT 9:30-10:30am

Flow Motion TUESDAYS [aka full tilt tuesdays combining Nia, Dance, Cardio, Yoga, Martial Arts and Restoration] are at Fit2Dance, West End in the Junction, 7:00-8:10pm at 406 Pacific Avenue (at Dundas) Second Floor, ph: 416-818-8804 $12 pre-registration, Drop in $16 http://www.fit2danceinc.com

FUNKtheFAT FRIDAYS are at Fit2Dance, West End in the Junction, Fridays 2010 6:30-7:30pm at 406 Pacific Avenue (at Dundas) Second Floor, ph: 416-818-8804 $12 pre-registration Drop in $16 http://www.fit2danceinc.com

DanceFIT DanceFIT, with Fitness Choreographer, Miriam Schacter, is a state-of-the-art dance-fitness program integrating world music, disco, funk and jazz with full body fitness choreographies. Enliven, Invigorate, Tone, Strengthen, and dance while the weight melts away in absolute fun. Stay tuned for more information on Spring Specialty Programming coming soon the B'nR

Miriam's Notes for the BODY GOOD:
If you are joining up to put a spring in your step, try this perspective:

1) Try to prioritize mind-body fitness and fun over drinks or dinners with friends. Bring a friend, partner, parent along to class instead...

2) Find nutrition choices with movement in mind. Pasta or rich sauces may be delicious and sensual in flavour..but if you want to move your body, put in some beautiful proteins and greens. Eat for dancing... You can eat whatever you want once your metabolism gets regulated again. You may find you never want to fully go back to the old ways as movement and training has become the preferred sense of choice! Were' talk'n 100 units of ATP energy in versus 38 or 1.

3) If you're going through a hard time or your hormones are kick'n in, weight gain is natural. Have compassion and come to
dance or train anyway. We'll keep the blood healthy and your nervous system grounded through the good and the not-so-great. Try to compliment yourself when done. It's important to take the time to be in awe of how your body carries you, your body can be pretty innocent in "thought" even when it's cycling in negative feedback. So, try to be honest and supportive of it, in deed. If you're having trouble getting to class...just remember, just get here. We'll do it together if you can manage to make it out. Sometimes music can be too much, so sometimes a quiet movement class with no music may be your best bet. You may need the quiet space for body time, expression and sensing.

4) Rest, restore, recover. Make sure that at least one of your fitness teachers practice some kind of restoration. Active stretching is not restoration. The teacher's role in that way is to help your re-set your senses and your nervous system back to "neutral." So, If you keep working your system like it's on fire... you may be doing more harm to the body when good; A little understood fact is that when your body thinks it's in an "emergency...you can't lose weight well. Women, in that case end up putting muscle under the fat tissue; The body won't let go of the excess as it too stressed and is preparing for hard times ahead! The body is amazing and will try to take care of you....in any way it can. So, Rest. Breath. If your mind is racing, tell it that your body needs to be a priority, and your going to take a few moments of "body-time" Your brain can kick in after. Again, it's trying to give you a hand...but like all things too much... Your rapid thoughts can get out of control and lose sight of your body's natural, responsive and restorative needs. It happends to every one!

5) Did you know that fat is burned best at rest? The more the muscle mass, the more your body can burn fat. So, a body that
is working out - building muscle, will burn more fat even at rest. That's how your metabolism changes. See you in class :)

All classes take place in Toronto Canada. Other private locations include Verity, Badminton and Raquet Club, Centre for Movement Disorders, Dancing with Parkinsons

2010-02-09T19:07:00.000-08:00

So, if you are in my FLOW MOTION @ Fit2Dance or Verity or FUNKtheFAT at 99..YES we're hitt'n up the latin quarter... brasilian, mexican, puerto rican, nuyorican, reggeton, nuevo latino.. I can't help it.. no es mi culpa... it's all that salsa (and that dog named Lula)

But, while we do that... let's focus on our circular motions - the arms, the shoulders, the spine, the hips...it's all circles. It's natural....it's good for the fluids in the body, the organs, the ligaments and the joints. Let's touch base with the music and notice the "depth of space" that the music takes up. These trax are fast and d-d-d-deep. Yes, our nervous system registers our movement with the music - same as verbal commands - the trumpet, the cowbell, the piano demand space and different accents. Cha-Cha, Rumba, Bachata. The tonality of the music, the waves and patterns, the highs and lows feeds through our auditory processes into our Central Nervous System. The music, as we hear it, changes our brain patterns and waves with sense movement signals to our body as you learn and do them - kind of like body-brain translation harmoney . Plus, with our body, we sense the vibrations of the music in our nerves and all together - body and mind - we perform choresponding phrases of dance. As we witness and feel our self agency and action and that of others, it all feeds-back into our Central Nervous Systems including our brain. It's complicated, It's easy.. I'll write more about the science later.

In the meantime, when we slow down with some of the Brasilian trax, notice how much more space there is for your body to move through and how your breath comes back with those motions. When we do meditation, take up that internal and external space that we were previously sharing with the music. And during the week, see if you can consciously put yourself to sleep - feel the bed and deepen your sensitivity into tranquility, peace and the joy of restoration.

Centre for Movement Disorders

2009-12-18T18:11:00.000-08:00

Pssst have you heard? Registration for Dancing with Parkinson's @ the Centre for Movement Disorders in Markham Ontario is taking place now. For Registration + Information Please Contact: Sheri Corkum, OT 905-472.7082 X236

Classes start January 12th 2010 - March 9th 2010 Every Tuesday @ 1:15-2:15pm w/ Miriam Schacter. Payment is FREE for Centre Clients. The Centre for Movement Disorders is located at 2780 Bur Oak Ave in Markham Ontario.

www.movementdisorders.com
www.dancingwithparkinsons.com

The Studio - The Body: A Transitional Space

2009-10-27T08:40:00.000-07:00

"FOR MOST PEOPLE THE ULTIMATE COMPLIMENT IS TO BE FOUND AND USED" - Intro "The Language of Winnicott" by Jan Abram [iphoto - high park perrrrfect]

Going into this eve's "Flow Motion" class, I'd like to introduce the topic of "Transitional Spaces". Drawing from the work of paediatrician and psychotherapist, D.W. Winnicott, I ask the quesion - where are we when we are in a place that feels good? In our case, where are we when we are in a place we can express deep a sense of authenticity in ourselves? In this example, I'm using fitness and dance, that includes music, community and space, as the medium through which we are enabled to use our-selves in all our sense-abilities.

BOOMERANG TANGENT # 1.... This 'art of self' or making one's life a work of art.... can be found in so many ways like painting, in making music, cooking, in making families, in planting... what ever uses the "reciprocative sense modes" to do right 100% with no compromise in our own definition and perhaps in "nature". We know when a cartwheel is right. We know when a floor must be bamboo. We know when a dish is perfect, when a vase is in the right place. Vaguely speaking, this same 'art of self' can be externally validated and witnessed (which is sometimes really important) and what comes from it in it's 'realness' can be shared, used and expanded upon by others - like adding branches to a tree...or a river... I am only speaking on dance and music in this blog and you are welcome to translate or replace my words at any time in this writing. Is a blog a transitional space? It will change my class tonight most certainly as I have had time here to "yoke" together ideas and make a language for them from the body up; To do that need quiet, I need myself, I need time to unfold what I am trying to say and most importantly, i need someone..you... to talk to, to help me make it clear.

So, where are we when we are in a "transitional space" or a "facilitating environment"? For, me, like in nature - in the studio I am insensed, challenged, free ,and integrated; I am not only in a "room" doing a job where we dance or get fit; I am in a room made for change, I am choreographing for transition, for mind-body communication and expression; In saying that, I should add, that a space for dancing is rather an amazing thing - it is empty. It must be empty - as we fill it ourselves with movement, patterns, spontenaity, choreography, stories, vitality, feelings and in the way our brains and Central Nervous Systems track space and densities - a room packed to the ceilings in sound and the non-verbal realm... let's think about this in a circle...

!!Boomerang Tangent!! #2 Hold on!! we will come around... I do infact believe that dance is completely verbal, but it's not our mouths speaking or making vibrations of sound or meaningful sound-symbol patterns based on common usage; Dance, in general society is communication and it has travelled as we have migrated world wide. Depending on our society, it can be superficial, it can be popular, immature, traditional, and/or culturally, personally and collectively profound. On a personal level, dance is one way to re-connect with meaningful integrated and self-actualizing language. Start with the body, make sure your body movements and words are exactly the same. Step2-3-4, turn2-3-4-, reach2-3-4, sway2-3-4; Say it and do it together. Put it on a count. breath. Relate to a music pattern you love. Enjoy this embodied conversation, this relationship...it's yours!

Dance, in a mature way, for me, is an experience and an expression of physical "omni-potance" you can do no wrong by moving to your own body in sense-connecting ways; This is a complete and fully satiating feeling for many. There is a "teaching" in general education and in therapy that the unconcious is something we can't or don't know; Maybe something we have hidden or suppressed. I would suggest that in the "kinetic" realm - in the physical realm - in dance and all gesture, motions, first reactions, and facial expressions - there is much spoken, much seen, much conscious - but maybe not connected to our brains or in the eyes of those around us who wont' say back what they see. then, we can't even witness ourselves in word or in deed. If we can bare to look at those actions in caring and mature ways...we can slowly join more of our thoughts and theoretical self-definitions with budding holistic perspectives of our embodied self. No shame, no embarrassment - just learning how you are in your body...and with others; Not who you are in your imagination alone or in our very real developmental and situational traumas. The communication between your body's nervous system and your brain is an important primary relationship - one that you need your "first eye" to work with. In other words, listen and learn from your senses and find a space with friends caring enough for you to have few defenses in that process.

Connective Boomerang #3.. hats secure....

......."Archery is, therefore, not practiced solely for hitting the target; the swordsman does not wield the sword just for the safety of outdoing her opponent; the dancer does not dance just to perform certain rhythmical movements of the body. The mind has first to be attuned to the unconscious. If one really wishes to be master of an art, technical knowledge is not enough. One has to transcend technique so that the art becomes an 'artless art' growing out of the unconscious." - Zen in Art of Archery

I would say to the above, that Zen is the 'everyday' way of living.. so we do not in word - "transcend" the technique...for me, we move deeper into it and have an intimate and personal relationship to it; Before that, we had a more impersonal, learning relationship in our bodies, the technique, our teacher, our peers and the space we practice in. We were green to to speak. Basically we integrate the art with ourselves, in our nervous systems, in our cultural systems, our vocabulary systems and our self-construct - that is, if we sense our art. When we have a sense, the art is in ourselves first then we perfect it - like feng shui. Just as a sculpturor knows how to bring out a form from a form already in the stone we bring ourselves out of ourselves if we can.

....Now, in regards to the above way of thinking about transformation and nature, I would like to change, that we do not become "attuned to the unconscious." or that art becomes "an 'artless art' growing out of the unconscious." I don't know where this "unconscious" language comes from in Zen, except that psychotherapist Carl Jung was all over that side of the world in discussion and experimentation; But, In all due respect, Mr. Jung and the jungians continue for years to mystify the relationship to the body; So I would say, that in movement, we learn from our bodies and from all that exists and all that ever existed in the material, embodied, physical, connective and kinetic realm.

So.... here we are..let's take the above ideas and come back to our own "transitional space" in western society. In this space.... we do dance, and, there is much safety and care in our professional spaces; Good sound systems, good air, clean washrooms, safe floors. If the studio can't give that to me, I can't share that wtih my students. A dirty studio....simply feels gross. Next, notice where you want to stand. Do you always smush yourself against a wall? Do you never know when your about to hit a post? Do you accomodate a wall and just not extend your leg "so much"? Do you not notice if you are in someone else's space? Do you feel shy to tell someone to get out of your space? Do you hide from the teacher? HA!!! impossible! These are just normal dance things.. don't be embarrassed to make your space yours. In doing that, you can share it with others. So, starting with a safe space, for creativity and fitness is part of my job. Does this all sound gushy and mushy to you? Perhaps...and I can buy that. And, these things may be important to say or write because I don't hear about many people talking about it. The space we move in and feel good in our bodies from a nervous system perspective..... is an important reflection into the experience of ourselves and our lives in "implicit" communication. If the space is cut off, if the teacher is cut off - no life, no sense of movement on the inside, no sense of responsibility to you and back - we can't have a supported transformational experience in movement. If you are in a class and you are totally bored or you can't feel yourself...chances are, the teacher can't create a body-alive atmosphere... or a transitional space... or maybe you need to work on feeling yourself in new ways. What do you need to know in yourself at that moment? What do you need to share in communication with your teacher or your club.. or yourself, or with a spouse or sincere friend? We learn new things in the body everyday.. always new, and oddly, like the first time every time! When we learn from our senses - a sense of awe has a chance to replace embarrassment and self-closure, compassion has the space to sooth judgement, and humility has a warm touch to heal shame.

I do suggest here that finding spaces that allow us to feel ourselves, to reflect in ourselves are as important as taking the time to find out who we are and what we love. Expressing our true self and being safe enough, courageous enough or down right funky enough to let self definitions about our bodies or beauty.... fall to the curb-side is all part of that discovery or kick butt sense of fun.

So where are and we when we feel alive, integrated, connected? is it a place? is it a presence? is it a ambviance? a sense of connection? What must be consistent...what is okay to change? Over the years, I have watched so many people be hurt by fitness club policy changes and class changes. It's a wonder more don't take care that most people don't "not want change".... it's just that they want the change to be safe in the place that they have come to know in their bodies as safe, or normal, secure and consistent. Our bodies sometimes like that! (yes, people tend stand in the same places in class every week,and that is totally okay!) I may ask you to find new standing spots to freshen your "eye-other" movement tracking though!

So, I suggest that how we experience ourselves in places that help us feel authentic to our nature is in the body. Without a conscious sensation in the body FIRST- not the imagination (which is not lived in). I suggest it is hard to conceive of an outside place for our bodies to be happy in. We need a sensation, or a feeling that leads us to an aspiration to move into such a space if not already in it. Some people know how to do this without being conscious if they've been around it a lot...but do they know what's wrong when they are not within it? Do we know how to create a good space without being reactive? This take years of error!

I suggest that when we create a space we feel authentic in - then, the space creates us as well - It changes our brains, our nervous systems, our sensory-motor experiences. This transitional space for expansion, transformation, boundaries and so on is quite a responsive, fluid relationship. Bringing this idea back to dance and the studio... we know the studio space does not change - it's rather a consistant space that we change in. We can come sick, happy, tired, moody, in love, in despair... but over the years...we keep coming, moving through, discovering, staying real. You can build patterns for getting there...and for leaving. You build a vocabulary, friends and tools.

I guess we could say nature created the first transitional place.. time as an infant just to "be", later... a tree we loved, a road we liked to walk down..colours - sounds.... places we could be open to. To me, there is something very natural about the dance studio and these natural spaces... with all my senses in use...they feel so much the same :)

SEL REFs: "The Maturational Processes and the Facilitating Environment" Studies in the Theory of Emotional Development, D.W. Winnicott, "The Spontaneous Gesture" Selected Letters of D.W. Winnicott, Ed. Robert Rodman; "The Interpersonal World of the Infant" Daniel N. Stern; Seraph on the Suwanee, Zora Neale Hurston; Zen in Art of Archery, Eugen Herrigel; Heschel, MLK Jr. Neil...

NUIT BLANCHE - BertandTony'sBlockParty

2009-09-25T09:00:00.000-07:00

Bert and Tony's Block Party is the HOME-BASE FOR DANCERS, from all forms and disciplines...or undisciplines... @ Scotiabank Nuit Blanche: Sat Oct 3rd-4th 7pm-6am, John Innes Community Centre, 150 Sherbourne at Queen. Inspired by the dance marathons of the 1930's, dancers arrive in partners, or as individuals. All dance styles and techniques are welcome - DJs spin, Swing Band in full swing..and Watch out...Mir....here...and I'm a DANCE CADET 1930s style...I may make you change partners, tie your leg together, dance in silence, perform on stage, dance with you, or just blow the whistle and megaphone you outta town...

EVERY HOUR I will be holding a DRILL RAID CHOREOGRAPHY! NO body moves! lol... just kidding. Really, every hour between 11:30-2:30 ish I will be staging a SILENT dance piece and YOU ARE ALL THE DANCERS. NO FEAR kids...it's only (4) counts of 8 beats and super hotty totty fun - think swing, think jazz, think dancing like you are both partners! Jenny Anne and I may challenge you to a FULL HOUSE SILENT dance off so bring your best shoes! In the brilliant and articulate words of Billy Idol, So let's sink another drink'Cause it'll give me time to think - If I had the chance - I'd ask the world to dance And I'll be dancing with myself oh oh oh-oh.... - xox m. Also...check out PIMP MY ART "Night at the Indies" and all the GRAND DJ's doing their thing on the circuit. ....On the floor of Tokyo Or down in London town to go, go - With the record selection - With the mirror reflection - I'm dancing with myself.. Have a great night!

WHAT ELSE WAS GOING ON in early 1930's Art/RealLife Scene? Zora Neale Hurston publishes 'Their Eyes Were Watching God'; Modernism in Cuban art emerges - Primera Exposicion; Italy debuts in the World Cup and wins 2-1 against Czechoslovakia; Canadian+American markets crash/prohibition on election tables; Viet Nam Quoc Dan Dang (VNQDD, the Vietnamese Nationalist Party) uprises against french colonization; Stalin's musicologists analyse creative methods of the composers of the past, in order to present model compositional procedures to Soviet musical creators ...sooo ummm. yeh...all that....to come and dance...

Back to sCOOL

2009-09-02T20:07:00.000-07:00

Hey cats

Welcome to September..and with it…..welcome back to sCOOL. Yes, there are lots of new classes this term, new clubs, new members. So welcome et bienvenue! Don't worry about a fall chill coming in, we'll be keep'n toasty warm and seriously sunny from the inside-out all year 'round.

This site exists so students can read more about what they are doing in class. There is much I can’t say verbally during our time together, particularly about how the choreographies are designed to affect and change so many systems in our bodies; this includes the cardio-respiratory system, the lymphatic system, the nervous system, as well and short/fast twitch muscle groups. We do patterns of movements to cool down, reps of intensive or explosive bursts (just like in weight training) and majorly integrative nerve-muscle-bone activations. Many will tell you that my classes help people feel more emotionally connected, more dynamic, more energetic, more creative.....more real. I can’t take the credit for this…come as you are and we will do the work together!

This time around, I have classes for body-basic-beat beginners, for Flow Motion and Nia students, for hard-core hard-bodies, for stretching-strengthening, and for people living with differences that affect how they move or feel.

Regardless of the class, dancing, fitness and movement is an embodied, neurologically connective event. We can create new links in mind, in body, in the spaces we move through, and to the quality of relationships we exist beside. And if all that sounds technical....it's all that and a-way-too-big-bucket-of-F-U-N. I will try to break things down over the next few months. Please feel free to comment....and if you can’t post it here, email me directly and I will post your comment for you. Torontomoves@gmail.com

See you in class!
Miriam

WHY?!?!??

2009-08-11T09:00:00.000-07:00

Hey Cats,

As far as the scheduled and drop in classes go, remember you don't have to know HOW TO DANCE....you were born "fit to dance". (ref. Michelle Hillier) Please do not figure out all the reasons why you personally should not be in class - i hear these sad words all the time. Dance is mostly "body story" and lived in the moment for expression and health. So come as you are...in any capacity and and state. If you are self conscious and vulnerable...that is okay. We will be there to help you try. I need to say here... that a thought is a thought, but a thought with a motion is a pathway...and sometimes, sometimes.. a movement. See you in class!

WHY DANCE??

Dance class provides an intentionally enlivened space for shared emotional and embodied expression. It penetrates to the core of human experience within individual and collective spheres and assists in the healthy integration of action and thought. As a synthesizing art form, dance reinforces the vital importance of mind-body connectivity, spatial design, perception, right and left hemispheric integration, rhythm, kinesthetics, breath-work, as well as the expression of relevant and meaningful collective and personal expression throughout a lifetime. For many, learning how to engage in a relationship with ones body in a collective space, no matter the age group, facilitates the spoken and unspoken articulation of creative intention, and core value recognition. Moreover, dance and movement aids profoundly in the development of the imagination while acquiring tools and skills in the following ways:

SOCIAL ATTRIBUTES

Dance encourages students/dancers to use their bodies to the fullest extant as instruments of communication privately and within a social context. Students are challenged to be intellectually curious, to engage in critical thinking and to be intimately involved in problem solving, which in turn, generates imaginative, inventive, and expressive responses. Naturally allowing for a diverse expression of thoughts and emotions dancing with others is an unspoken act intimate social acceptance. In a movement program, it becomes the responsibility of the collective to identify the strengths of each member in order to support the usage and growth of all individual talents. This supports the development of individual skill, and talent without the shyness so often associated with truly shining in one's own right - together. Dance, when integrated with martial arts and body-centering techniques, helps people of all age groups use their increasing mental and physical strength, and high levels of aggression/anger or competitive spirit in truly collective and constructive ways.

MENTAL HEALTH AND COGNITION

Dance assists in the maintenance of memory, alertness, judgment, and adaptability as well as emotional and neurological feedback systems. It supports in the healthy expression of anger, apathy, anxiety, withdrawal, aggression, sadness, depression, power, and sexuality second to its emphasis on self-reflection, communal witnessing and sensual expression. Flow Motion specifically addresses affect regulation or emotional regulation – meaning it helps the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems train through emotional activation and de-activation via sensation, flow-based choreographies, grounding techniques, body-based centering, and breath-work.

MORE PHYSICAL ATTRIBUTES

Dance assists with movements and skills fundamental to many activities of daily living. These include balance, coordination, flexibility, endurance, ROMs, strength and body alignment. On the cellular level, dance increases metabolism, the secretion of neurotransmitters among a plethora of beneficial homeostatic mechanisms.

FOR GROWING KIDS

In the school system - for kids, Flow Motion Fitness and Learning to Lead program provides enough freedom to enable the students to articulate in their own ideas and carry them through in behaviour without being told how and what to do in every step. It prepares participants to speak and listen with authentic tools and provides youth with choices for bodily experimentation and exploration outside of the constructs of popular peer trends. The Flow Motion Fitness and Learning to Lead program develops a specific space for the articulation of the individual interpretation and expression of movement providing options outside of the mirroring of “prescribed” trend dances such as those choreographed for videos. Moreover, without body-checking or competition-based programming, dance is in fact one of our few means of non-violent youth “culture jamming”.

FOR YOU??
Most importantly, you - as the student is encouraged to come to your own conclusions regarding movement, breath work, integration, group motion, meditation, yoga, martial arts, music and of course... dance. How you think, what you feel, sense, means everything.

“My classes are based on the duality of dancer and dj, teacher and student. With ‘soul in style’, we move embodied - neurologically re-pacing our systems, re-building top-down and hemispheric structures - positively feedbacking into our nervous systems. Together, we pull out a diamond mine of conscious intent from our intelligent and resourceful bodies.”
– M. Schacter

Motion for Peace,
Miriam

Classical Stretch Classes: Details

2009-07-28T14:00:00.000-07:00

Classical Stretch classes are currently being held for members at the Badminton and Racket Club and at Verity. Drop in classes at open locations will be posted shortly.

B&R Club: Wednesdays 9:30-10:25am in the Batmonton Hall www.thebandr.com
Verity: Mondays 1-2pm, Saturdays 11:30-12:30 flowing FLOW or FUNK TBA www.verity.ca

As an avid lover of all things cello, piano, bass, viola and violin, this class weaves together sequences of movement into and out of long stretches and deep breathing postures. The choreography is based on my understanding of anatomy and how the body moves naturally in space. In technically simple terms, I’ve created movements that a) allow the body to prepare to stretch a muscle or a group of muscles partially b) stretch fully c) move in a restorative manner d) move in passive and active ranges of motion e) use gravity for bone mass density and encourage the innervation of the muscle fibers and tissues e) to engage in mind-body sensory motor and hemispheric activities specifically in the occipital and temporal lobes e) to allow for lymphatic drainage of the lymph and blood systems for oxygenation and detoxification.

In regards to music, this music is dense, rich deeply restorative, uplifting and inspiring. The music helps to connect us through the audio-nervous system channels intensifying positive neuro-feedback and hormonal systems. So, the music acts like a conductor, let’s say, water, to help us move consciously in new ways. Music includes: Vladimir Cosma, Deva Premal, Caetano Veloso, The Harmonizing Four, Gabriel Roth comp, RosalynSweat+TheParagons, The Wiz Original Broadway Cast, M. Callas in Carmen, Carlos Naki, Eric Sati, Shostakovich, Yoyo Ma, Harlem Gospel Choir, Mozart, JS Bach and so much more.

Bring water, dance shoes (or bare feet) to class. We will be doing standing floor work, using chairs, yoga mats and blocks or supports for our stretches.

HOT MOVES 2 COOL TUNES July 13th 09

2009-07-13T13:50:00.000-07:00

DISCO Hi/Low
That is..hot moves, to cool tunes...

This week we will be doing a cooling mid-July disco combination. The focus of this class is "feeling difference"

Feeling the difference is feeling COOLING and HEATING music (like yin and yang): Warm ups are usually done to cooling music even if we are warming up our bodies. So we get to warm up to cooling trax. Some high impact classes go right into the hot hot hot - but for me..i am more apt to beginning with just settleing into our bodes, finding our breath, lowering the chi of the belly and beginning again..... at the feet. Then, we work our way up and into the muscle tissue, the nervous system and away we go...hot hot hot. For most of us...the day is action pact (yang), so our first 2 trax are to get the body prepared and restored (yin) instead of doing a Duran Duran version of "dance into the fire". This combination is of hot and cold is both interesting to experience and fun... if you've been in my funk class, you really get to know the difference between funk and disco...it's the really the difference between bass and bells. lol...

Another "Feeling the difference" happends when music is just 'fun' compared to when it has social or humanitarian messages: Several trax I will use like Parachute Club's remixed Rise Up or Sharon Jones and The Dap Kings help us feel this difference.

Feeling the difference is also between dance and martial arts in terms of the flow of the whole body or isolations of muscles or/and both. When we flow into the martial arts, we really are using our senses in full action. This is where movement starts getting fun and the brain-body connection has to kick-in for you....alone! (you can do it!)

Feeling the difference with general music and "the dance" choreography will be a part of this class as well: We will end our class using Nia's "the dance" pieces. I find that it is an experience to use connective music across a number of songs that tells a personal story through the form of dance. It helps us stay intimate, connected and move deeper into our bodies and who we are as people. The set of pieces includes disco, funk and modern....so we are going over some patterns we have already met earlier in the class. but, because the music itself is emotive, it brings us with it....on a more personal level than the fluff. but, I'm all about Olivia Newton John's "Physical" ....so ....just to say...well eerrr...kinda like nice bags and shoes....

Finally, we will end off with a longer meditation - sensing movement and movement in stillness. We can 'bind' the body here through message. The nervous system travels far and wide in dance...it is nice to bring it back to your own sense of touch and contact. Remember, you are always welcome to bring your own intentions to class, your own way of translating, your own way of moving and practicing. If i say something that does not resonate, feel free to find the way that feels more authentic to you. As always come as you are... even as that too, changes.

See you in class
miriam 416.939.1672

Shoes? Feet? See With Your Feet!

2009-06-28T17:16:00.000-07:00

So, in our upcoming classes this week, I'm gonna touch base about footwear for dance as well as why we practice in bare feet in my class (unless supportive shoes are needed and are better for your body as decided by you)

The topic seems to be popping up in various places - so let's bring it forward. Perhaps google a few links to dance shoes so you can see how many kinds of footwear there are for dance. Once could say...that a special shoe was/is developed for almost every dance. Hip hop, Street Jazz, Ballet, Flamenco, Native Am/Can Dancers, Clogging, Gum Boot Dancers, Tap, Salsa, Bossa. You can try to dance the dance without the shoe, but if you've tried it is just is not the same - no protection either!! For example, if you are dancing on a box, you need bold boots on your ankles, and if you are dancing tango, you need heels to glide or lean in, even the men. And if you are going to dance on the earth....welll.....au natural is my fffffavorite.. As far a fancy-footwear, for sports and life - a shoe for every occasion - soccer, climbing, construction, men's shoes, women's shoes, baby shoes...horse shoes....DAS BOOT

Okay, so why is this relevant?

I can say, how we are in our feet, how we treat them....is part of who we are. Why? grounding through the neurological proprioceptors from feet up we expand or limit our experience and movement in the world. So, one could say, it's not what we look like in those foot-fetish-fashion statements, it's what we do in them! Dancers dig it...or at least, we dig our heels in it.... it's how we count a beat in ...foot, knee, hip, snap, clap, speak.

Proprioceptors are all over the body - Unlike the six exteroceptive senses (sight, taste, smell, touch, hearing, and balance) by which we perceive the outside world, and interoceptive senses, by which we perceive the pain and movement of internal organs, proprioception is a third distinct sensory modality that provides feedback solely on the status of the body internally. It is the sense that indicates whether the body is moving with required effort, as well as where the various parts of the body are located in relation to each other. (wikip.)

Proprioception is related to stability and stability is related to mobility....and mobility is related to how we are in space - how we move in ourselves - how other's treat us in motion [incl. canes, chairs, inaccessible buildings].......all is related to oh....so much personally, socially, architecturally...

I would certainly expand the conversation to move into how the organ system is linked to the feet and the different cultures of medicine that use the feet to heal in touch work...but for now, i will stick to the dance.

If you are interested, check out dance foot/ankle adornments around the world, and adore your feet! See you in class

Responses to Dancing with Parkinsons (Tor Star)

2009-06-28T16:39:00.000-07:00

"Transformation - A celebration of movement"
End of Year Show - Baycrest June 18th, 2009 Tor Ont Canada

It is a pleasure to be a dance teacher with this team (lead by Sarah Robichaud, the 6 teachers, the students, our pianist, volunteers and the board); I truly believe - and in the words of those who know ”dance dance dance…and by every means, dance” We teach Weds and Fridays 1:30-2:30pm at the location www.danceology.com in the Liberty Village. To support Dancing with Parkinson’s, to register, or to learn more, go to dancingwithparkinsons.com

Other dance programs in Toronto including "DANCEabilities" an all access, all abilities dance program will be starting up through a separate program via Miriam hopefully in 2010. Scouting locations if you've got one!! Both Dancing with Parkinsons and DANCEabilities programs are growing...if you have a hand (or an extra wheel)...we could use it.

http://www.dancingwithparkinsons.com/dwp_staff.html
Image by Moses: Let your flags fly - Post show, sold-out audience, supporters and friends... yippee, thank you!!!

See You in Class!!

***************************************

"Dancing with Parkinsons"
DIANE FLACKS

Choreographer Sarah Robichaud says teaching Parkinson’s patients has changed her life. “I have dancers who may come in using a walker and later on in the class will gracefully waltz across the floor. I am surprised and amazed every single class. Nothing short of miracles.” In spring 2007, Robichaud started working with CBC radio broadcaster Andy Barrie as a personal trainer to help him manage his Parkinson’s disease symptoms.

She explains in an email why she expanded her efforts, starting Dancing with Parkinson’s classes: “In researching the disease, I learned that dance was a great therapy for PD sufferers. I decided that I could give back to the community by starting a dance program for those with PD.It was my mission to get (clients’) bodies moving, uplift their spirits and, most important, give them a sense of control and dignity back in their movement.” In 2008, her work was presented in a CBC Newsworld documentary.

Barrie, on the phone from his office at the CBC, praises the program. “It’s fun. Sarah is just an amazingly infectious person. She infects you with her optimism, enthusiasm, and devotion. Neurologists at Baycrest (the Toronto geriatric centre) asked her to do a global seminar for doctors about her work. “She lays no claim to being clinically informed, but she understands about Parkinson’s as people.”... (see article for details)

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"Making light of a heavy burden"
TIM FRASER FOR THE TORONTO STAR

Gwen and Jim Kearney use pragmatism and humour to cope with his Parkinson's. One big help has been a program called Dancing with Parkinson's, founded by Sarah Robichaud. "I'm a bit of a jazz man," Jim offers. He began attending classes a year ago and tries to never miss one. Gwen says dancing has helped Jim's balance. "He would have been more disabled with freezing and it has given him more fluidity." Especially when Jim is suffering from his most obvious symptom, dyskenisia – spontaneous, involuntary movements.... Dyskenisia is actually a side-effect of the medication that Parkinson's patients take to combat rigidity.

As we talk, Jim sits in his armchair, his dapper head of white hair combed neatly. He is constantly twitching and, as he speaks, his whole lower body twists, legs lifting and forcing themselves into new positions. "He's nervous, so he has got more symptoms," Gwen says. "That's why I'm doing more of the talking-" I ask Jim if that might actually be a reflection of their overall relationship. "Yes!" he affirms. Jim is reluctant to speak about progress because it's hard to measure improvement in a disease that is degenerative. The benchmarks keep changing. When asked what he thinks works about the dance classes, he shrugs. "I don't know," he says. "I do," pipes Gwen.

She gets up and strides over to Jim, stands in front of him and takes his arms, rocking them back and forth. His stiff arms move more fluidly and his legs calm down. The Kearneys say they are fortunate. Jim's Parkinson's has been moving slowly. "Six or seven years ago, it started to be more of an intrusion in our lives. Giving up driving is pretty ... " He searches for the word.
"Devastating," Gwen finishes. "That's a heavy word," Jim demurs. "Well, it would be devastating to me if I had to give up driving," Gwen quips. At the end of the interview, the Kearneys, together, slowly walk to the door to see me out. Gwen hands me a napkin with some cookies to take home to my kids (as if they'll last that long).

Our time is up. Wheel-Trans is arriving in half an hour to take Jim to dance.
http://www.thestar.com/comment/columnists/article/655506

CONNECTING THROUGH THE DANCE AND MUSIC

2009-06-22T19:54:00.000-07:00

Flow Motion Fitness Classes
www.fit2dance.com www.verity.ca
Miriam Sarah Schacter
1.15 hr class 06.09

Ummmm….errrrr....o - that was quite a class.

I am seriously moved by our ability to learn, express, share, grow in such a physically intense and sensually expressive 1.15hr. choreography. A big turn out for a big class. I am so thrilled….and yes, that was my heart’s desire, no doubt. I guess, it gave me enough to think this out...

For those of you reading who don’t know our class, we dance, do marital arts, do yoga in flowing choreographies, lots of music from everywhere – lots of funky funk funk… and yes, soul, house, cello..…but things come to mind when dancing, choreographing, teacher, learning ….so here is the blog. A forum for refelction and discussion. Please feel free to post your comments for everyone to consider. What you think is important and what we DO together is a movement!

What I saw tonight was a room full of dancers (nice turn out) able to flow through different neurological sensations and creative fabrications which change how we communicate through our bodies and lead to opportunities for new pathways of intention. Most importantly, this is done in a safe, authentic, intimate, vital and dynamic medium. Vicky ( wonderful student) said before class today’s truth is tomorrow’s new way. So well said!

RE: CONNECTING THROUGH THE DANCE AND THE MUSIC

In the Flow Motion class, I hope to use music to support the dance: I intentfully try not to “hyper-stimulate” the nervous system; When we hyper-arouse…we can dull our senses or connection to our bodies - personally, to each other, in space and in time (to our environment).

Research tells us that the nervous system responds directly to sound waves. In class, we explore ways to meet our bodies and to use our senses though the tones of the music in safety. Science has helped us understand the role that the nervous system plays in enabling humans to hear. And, again, I guess this is what I have seen in my years of teaching as in class, we explore how to hear and see with many different parts of our bodies. Without sounding dis-connected from general society…in dance class we see with our feet, sense with our hands, listen with our hearts, be with our breath…and so on… lots of ways to hear, sense, be.

I try to use many different tones, grooves resonances, beats, harmonies, kick butt vocals and positive lyrics - whether that comes in the form of hard hitting funk, smooth soul, drop-it-like-it’s-hot hip hop, overflowing opera, core-resonating cello, compositions for dancers, tantric tonalities or yes…my fffffavorite vinyl-dipped house…

In my experience, for people who’s nervous systems have been abused, worn down or just plain worn out…different music and tones seem to offer a safe way to “move through” a sense of “other-ness” and “move-with” a new sense of being-with within a supportive medium [the music]. The music, like water, provides the medium for the expression of affect (emotion) - hard like funk, soft like cello, smooth like soul…. Music is a safe way into these multilayered sensations – as opposed to being bombarded by yelling, planes, phones…you get the point. For me, it’s like the e-motion, is supported by the kind of tone of the music. I like to call e-motion, energy in motion. So MOVE IT!

So, in class, The mind resonates with the music; the choreography mirrors the beats and the tones or pressures - the dips - the lifts; the “heart” nervous plexus speaks the story and pumps more blood so the body can communicate in integrative language in time and space - and that ALL takes place in the kinetic and natural realm of being. Whoa. There an omni-presence in this realm, - a sense of wholeness, completion, fulfillment, intention, community and individuality, fun, joy, tidddly winks… and any word you want….

So, with the patterns and choreographies we set to music in class....

a) we sense with our full bodies in space
b) we speak the movements to connect the complicated moves with integrity (yes we speak in class “tell me what to do!”)
c) we see our fellow dancers (and we joke around a lot)
d) we do that in a medium of tones that impress on the nervous system and brain a new way of being – a flow-motion
sensation, a funk on the feet walk, a peaceful extension, a tranquil expression….how ever that manifests in you.

Hazrat Inyat Khan (1882-1927) in “the Mysticism of Sound and Music” [Shambala Dragon Editions] writes about the Sufi experience of music, god and the body. For him “now if I do anything it is to tune souls instead of instruments, to harmonize people, instead of notes. If there is anything in my philosophy, it is the law of harmony: that one must put oneself in harmony with oneself and others….

Khan states, I played the vina until my heart turned into the same instrument…. “

Well, I can’t speak about souls, but I can speak of my nervous system and how every sense responds in a reflectlive way towards the nature around me. As a dance person, I sense the kinetic quality of life and the resonances in the bodies trying to move in connection and harmony to the self, others and our surroundings.

So we see here way to find an integrated sense of self, a sense of other and then a sense of unity.
Hmmmm… that’s a lot of a dance class. Lol!

What do you think?

See you in class.

M

ALSO - Other harmonies could include DJ/DANCER – BODY/MIND – ALPHA/OMEGA – WORD – IMAGE – RIGHT BRAIN-LEFT BRAIN - KRISHNA AND ARJUNA – HEBREW GOD-SHEKINA – MUFFINS/BANANAS lol…

In the next blog, I’ll try to take a look at the kind of space we dance in, the safety, protection of the space and how that helps the body move. In safety, we are safe to be – perhaps. It think this has something to do with GURU VISHNU… I have yet to know..

Remember....If you don’t understand it – google or wikka your way
ie. sound waves nervous system, music and central nervous system

Heart’s Desire

2009-06-15T20:01:00.000-07:00

Flow Motion 1.15hr Choreography
Monday June 15th www.fit2danceinc.com

The intention for this class is to sense ‘dance’ as a means of fulfillment of a heart’s desire. That is, to use conscious movement as a mode of creating a kinesthetic experience that engages multiple senses or ‘sense-abilities’ in their full capacities – sight, sound, smell, touch. this might also include our sense of gravity, weightlessness, velocity, individuality, communal capacity, spirituality and so on. By using all of these body-based or integrative sensations, we are able to connect with life experience that feels as though we are using our bodies as instruments of feeling, responsiveness, inspiration and change. This is important! This is one way to experience the “embodied mind”. that means...if you will, being "mind-ful" to be full of the body, up and into the brain, in connection and responsiveness inside and out! Here, we meet our bodies and thoughts in a new way with skill, patience, authenticity and fun! Remember, even these ideas posted here are part of our discussions.. so feel free to comment, post, link or introduce other ideas or perspectives. I look forward to your thoughts and expressions!

The idea for a "hearts desire" class was given to me by a beautiful student, mother, community member and dancer – as this is what she gave to her friends for her birthday. She wanted to give it in a song...and she inspired me to choreograph or weave those feelings into a dance.

For the first two weeks at Fit2dance, we did a “slow dance, two step” program to get into our feet, body, breath and feelings or sensations. We took a break from that on the 3rd week by doing a “touch-stone” routine. That is, moving into a deeper sense of self for the self. Of course…that is being done with others so we could say…"being-for-the-self-with-others-in-time-and-space" [as per existential phenomenology, structuralism, developmental psychology, zen, tantra and so on]

For some of you at Verity, we took that session on the road, to engage in a routine called “amethyst-emerald” which is a Nia/Miriam combination I made up while in Costa Rica. It brings together aspects of self and other – purposely set to some pretty funky South Asian/Chinese trax.

In relation to sensing a "Heart's Desire" there is a unification that can take place when we move beyond dance for only the self. We dance a) by having an audience inside the self b) by sharing in commuity with an audience outside the self and c) by using our senses or nervous-systems to integrate a cosmic or kinetic sense of all that is as it is…. and all that plays a part in a holistic and reciprocal approach to life. This is audience #3... all that has been, is, and will be in a kinetic expression of matter all taking place together in nature's way of being omnipotent... yes, a reed does not know it flows in a river, but it is as it is in its nature...and that is what we have an opportunity to practice here... being in nature through dance.

Some people refer to that in spiritual ways. In this class…I say, dance so that the dance can be a physical manifestation of all that takes place on the earth - that is as it is naturally. We dance with intention and consciousness, from our bodies outwards… and this, perhaps, changes patterns of action in everything natural. In other words, we participate in all that is as it is, and all that will be - with joy.

So today…the intention is to dance within our heart’s desire (within the choreographies and music) to engage in or practice a sense of process, unity and fulfillment from an embodied mind or kinetic experience. Thank you to my teachers. See you on Wed!!

Affiliations, Health, and Dance Links

2009-05-26T07:48:00.000-07:00

The 'ever-updating' info spot related to health and wellness, dance, and affiliates in the business. Feel free to add suggestions or practionners you recommend. Osteopath anyone?

**JUNCTION FUNCTIONS**
http://www.smashto.blogspot.com/

**DJs FOR HIRE (events) TBC**

**FAV STUDIOS + DANCE SPOTS**
Adult Classes - http://www.danceteq.com
Adult Classes - http://fit2danceinc.com
http://www.dovercourthouse.com/ongoing_classes.htm
http://www.trinitystpauls.ca/content/classes-and-programs
Wonderful - http://www.yogatherapytoronto.com
Wonderful - http://www.mokshayogadanforth.com
Wonderful - http://www.themovementcenter.net/
For Men - work out - http://www.99sudbury.ca
DancingQueen - http://www.lulalounge.ca/
DancingQueen * besharam shameless(Gay) - http://www.flynightclub.com/
DancingQueen - See Barefoot Boogaloo at Movement Ctr
DancingQueen - http://www.ducktape.ca/

**DANCE RELATED LINKS/VIDEO STREAMS**

Walk It Out - http://www.youtube.com/user/d3mentedangel
Grupo Corpo Brasil - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TDuG5_paR8Q&feature=related

**NATURAL HEALTH & WELLNESS in TO**

Psychotherapy - The Center for Training in Psychotherapy $35 - $120 Students http://www.ctp.net/
Guiomar Campbell - Body Health, Shiatsu (amazing) http://www.lotusshiatsutherapy.com/
Health, Sexuality, Doctors http://www.womenscollegehospital.ca/programs/program63.html
Julian Jones - Doc of Accupuncture http://www.healingfromtheroot.com/
Psychotherapy and Yoga (great restorative work) http://www.yogatherapytoronto.com/

**HEALTH AND WELLNESS BOOKS (specific) TBC**

Stern, D. (2004). The Present Moment in Psychotherapy and Everyday Life. New York.

Stern, D. (2000). The Interpersonal World of the Infant. (with new introduction). New York:
Basic Books. W. W. Norton and Company.

Chang-Yuan, Chan (1963) Creativity and Taoism: A Study of Chinese Philosophy, Art and Poetry,
The Julian Press, Inc. New York.

Cozolino, L. (2002) The Neuroscience of Psychotherapy: Building and Rebuilding the Human
Brain. New York. Norton & Co.

Wilson, J.P. ed. (2006) The Posttraumatic Self: Restoring Meaning and Wholeness to Personality.
Great Britain. Routledge.

Schore, A. (2003) Affect dysregulation and Disorders of the Self. New York. Norton & Co.

Shlain, Leonard. (1998) The Alphabet verus The Goddess: The Conflict Between Word and Image.
The United States of America. Penguin Group.

Holmes, J. (1993) John Bowlby and Attachment Theory. London, Great Britian. Routledge.

For Dance/Movement/Yoga/Therapy - Search Pat Ogden

My First Dance Blog!

2009-05-19T17:54:00.000-07:00

Wow! A, thanks for the info that got me on line...

So, Miriam here...

I wanted a space to write about our "movement focuses" in the Nia or Flow Motion classes in Toronto, Canada. There is not always time in class to review all of our intentions, or the training behind the dance, the yoga, the meditation, or the martial arts. I hope here to host a space for more quiet contemplation. If you would like to offer your own learnings from class please feel free to share. Thank you for being a part of this on-line effort to find words and to share words for things like "dance" and the communication, mediation, creativity, funk-eternal and of course peace that flows in its wake. "May all beings be peaceful, may all beings have peace." Toronto Classes for Miriam in the Junction www.fit2danceinc.com