Flow Movement

, , ,

Catch This!

, , ,
Catch This!

“I don’t do balls,” I used to say.

Like many other dancers I knew growing up, I formed an identity around being a dancer with no interest in activities involving balls, pucks, paddles, etc. (unless I was dancing with it).

In high school, I almost failed P.E. class because I flat-out refused to participate in any sports activity. As a result, in later years, whenever someone would throw me a ball I’d duck away rather than catch it, or if I did attempt a catch, it would be in a stiff and panicky state. It was embarrassing.

Ki’ilani (seen in the video) changed my relationship with catching. She loves balls more than anyone I’ve ever met. Every trip to a large store includes a visit to the sports aisle to feel balls. She even keeps a ball in her pocket for comfort tossing. One of our quarantine activities has been ‘dance catch.’

, , ,

The Return of the FM YouTube Channel!

, , ,

Before I really knew what Flow Movement was, I filmed floor and mobility tutorials in the basement of Body + Pole. The videos were posted on YouTube without much of a plan; I just wanted to share my work with more people, and the internet was the way to do that. 

Occasionally, people approach me and tell me that they’ve learned a lot from those videos or still use the content in their own teachings. I’m always surprised since I haven’t put tutorials there in years, but lately, I’ve been feeling called to post more on YT. Since I have a lot of unused footage (by “a lot”, I mean hours worth...let’s not talk about it), I’m starting to edit and voice over that material. 

Here are two recent uploads — the Basic Floor Flow Loop and a Spinal Wave Upgrade:

, ,

Free Spinal Wave Upgrade!

, ,

Free Spinal Wave Upgrade! 🐍🌊👍🏻 This video shares some tips for articulating and sensing the reverse wave/tail-initiated/bottom-up wave. I can go on about spinal wave details for HOURS (days even...), but even a few minutes can make a difference. This video is focused on feeling and visualizing the origin of the wave (pelvic movement).

A few things to note:

  • For maximum benefits, wave anytime anywhere. Even micro-waves are great for you. You don’t have to latch onto your pubic bone (like I show in the video 😂)

  • Any part of the wave that feels jerky, ‘vague’, or that you want to rush is where you should slow waaaay down and add more internal tension. Move like you had an immobilizing thick rubber suit on... but still really wanted to wave.

  • If you short-circuit and revert to the top down wave 🔝, take a breath, and return your focus to the motion of your tail and pubic bone🔂.

  • You might also enjoy imagining that you have a broom in your crotch and you are sweeping the floor real good 😉.

    Enjoy! #spinalwaves #spinalarticulation #healthyspine #pelvictilt

,

Less Choreography, More Dance

,
Less Choreography, More Dance

Have you been to a dance class that was supposed to be beginner-appropriate or all-levels, but the class progressed in a way that made you want to disappear?

Maybe you had fun the first few minutes when the sequence was short, but then the instructor moved on, and on, and on. With rapidly dwindling confidence, you were left stumbling in the wake of an ever-growing sequence. Perhaps physically you could have done it all, but you needed more time to really 'get it'. It was just too much to remember.

I've been there. In classes and in auditions, I've been there.

You can only stumble around, a count behind everyone else, for so long before you want to shrivel into the corner and become unseen.

When you’re new to a style or form (or even just with a new teacher), learning a lengthy complex piece of choreography (maybe alongside people much younger or more skilled than you) is daunting and often
disheartening. Based on what I've observed, the amount of choreography delivered in many dance classes leaves a LOT of people behind.

In my opinion, if you are still trying to remember the choreo during the last minutes of class, you're missing out on the joy of dancing, the part where the movement starts to carry you and you can transcend who you were when you arrived.

My message is this:

,

Pumpkin Flow Giveaway

,
Pumpkin Flow Giveaway

Pumpkin Flow Giveaway:

If you flow with a gourd of your choice between now and Nov 5, I’ll send you a code for $5 off any event or video. 

How:

  1. Get busy with you pumpkin and catch it on video.

  2. Post at least 15 seconds on FB or IG and tag #pumpkinflow and @flowmovement 

  3. Send us a message on either platform with the link to your video and we will send you your discount code. 

,

DIY Pillows

,
DIY Pillows

Pillows. In our culture, they’re viewed as necessary bed-time equipment. Along with sheets and blankets, pillows are so strongly associated with sleep that the idea of foregoing one seems unrefined or ‘strange’ to many people.

This post is intended to raise awareness about how pillow use-habits can contribute to neck pain, shoulder pain, back pain, tension, etc., and offer some DIY solutions.

We all want to move better, feel better, and get injured less easily, right? Well, looking at how you sleep might make a difference in how you’re moving and feeling the rest of the time. 

,

I'm Retired...Kind Of

,
I'm Retired...Kind Of

Tour Retirement

I haven’t told many people this….but, I’m on my last pole tour right now. Since 2011, I’ve spent between 5-10 months a year traveling the world teaching and judging, and it’s coming to an end.

I’ve taught now in 42 countries (and visited plenty more). This still blows my mind. Because videos of me dancing have been seen around the world, I was asked to go to these places. I am absolutely humbled. People all over the world welcomed and took care of me. For the rest of my life, I will retain that following the thought “I should get a pole” was one of the best little decisions I ever made.